The Jazz.com Blog
May 14, 2009 · 0 comments
The Jazz Art of Merryl Jaye
Regular visitors to the jazz.com know that we like to feature the work of visual artists, and look for every opportunity to showcase their creativity throughout the site. Since the launch of jazz.com in December 2007, we have opened 15 on-line galleries, each one focusing on the jazz-inspired work of a specific photographer or painter. (You can find links to these galleries on our Visual Jazz page.)
Today we launch our latest virtual gallery. Our current exhibit is devoted to the jazz artwork of Merryl Jaye, a West Coast painter whose vivid portraits of musicians capture the spirit of these artists in live performance. Jaye herself has an deep background in music, and she worked as a performer, songwriter and recording artist, before turning her main focus to painting. This personal history no doubt influences her artwork. Certainly her sensitivity to the emotional dimension of jazz in flight comes across in her portraits.
Visitors are encourage to check out Jaye’s gallery here. Below are three more selections to give you a glimpse at her approach to capturing the shapes and colors of jazz.
First up is Cab Calloway:
Here is Charlie Parker:
And finally the elegant Lena Horne:
For the rest of the exhibit, including portraits of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Louis Armstrong, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Billie Holiday, and others, click here.
This blog entry posted by Ted Gioia
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