JIMMY KATZ
“Jazz”















Jimmy Katz was born in New York City in 1957 and studied photography with John McKee at Bowdoin College. Over the last 30 years, Katz worked on over 580 recording projects, over 200 magazine covers and hundreds of editorial pieces – more than any modern photographer documenting jazz. To better promote the art form, Katz has recently been using an integrated approach in his work, combining still photography, video and high-quality audio.
In 2018, at friends’ urging, Katz founded Giant Step Arts, a non-profit organization that documents some of the most important jazz musicians of this era. Katz engineers projects and does photography and design with his wife Dena. The musicians have ownership of the masters and are able to sell their music.

Katz received the Award for Excellence in Photography by the Association of Jazz Journalists Association in 2006 and 2011. He has worked with numerous historical figures in jazz, including Ray Charles, BB King, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman, Chris Potter, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett and Tito Puente. Katz has engineered more than 30 CDs and has recorded artists such as David S. Ware, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Jason Palmer, Eric Alexander, Miles Okazaki, Linda May Han Oh, Johnathan Blake, Ari Hoenig, Lage Lund & Frank Kimbrough.
MUSEUMS ACQUISITIONS AND EXHIBITIONS:
Islip Museum, Islip, NY: 2007 “Salt Dreams” Exhibit
Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany: 2009 Exhibit and in their permanent collection
Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX: 2010 “Salt Dreams” Exhibit and in their permanent collection
Dutch Photo Museum: in their permanent collection
SELECTED SOLOS SHOWS:
North Sea Jazz Festival: Rotterdam, Netherlands (2014)
Padua Jazz Festival: Padua, Italy (2014)
Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria: Perugia, Italy (2019)
Museo della Fotografia Sestini: Fondazione Teatro Donizetti Di Bergamo, Italy (2022)