JIMMY & DENA KATZ: Salt Dreams

JIMMY & DENA KATZ: Salt Dreams

DENA & JIMMY KATZ

 “Salt Dreams”

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My wife and collaborator Dena and I used to travel to Salt Lake City often and decided to photograph the Salt Flats. What struck us most was not the sweeping landscapes but the odd man-made objects and artifacts we would encounter. From random trash to car racing setups, the Salt Flats have become the backdrop of human activity.

Instead of focusing our lens on the landscapes, we decided to explore the impact human civilization had in these ancient places. Many images are absurd and even surreal – very much like human existence itself.

 

WHY I LOVE IT, by Aurélie

I love the surreal quality and absurd humor of this series. The images perfectly capture the folly that human beings are.

Inspired by American landscapes photographers like Ansel Adams, Dena and Jimmy Katz traveled West to capture the Great Salt Lake in Utah. But instead of pristine nature, they found the presence of man everywhere. From seeing trash on the side of the road to reading about pollution, they couldn’t escape the modern world.

Jimmy Katz became fascinated by the unexpected juxtapositions between the timeless landscapes and the man-made artifacts. The contrast between the two often resulted in surreal moments – like finding a group of plastic flamingos planted in a salt bed. The images highlight how humans feel our species is above all else, above nature. But these places have existed for millions of years, while we are barely a blip in Earth’s history.

Spending time in the Salt Flats over two years (2004-2005), Jimmy and Dena Katz met people who come here for annual car racing or rocket launching events. These devoted fans found this unfriendly environment the perfect place for their hobby. And it is true that, with their vast expanse and flat terrain, the Salt Flats are ideal. Ideal but not without danger: arsenic and other heavy metals are commonly found buried underneath. As the lake dries up due to diminishing snow and ice melt, its heavily polluted bed will turn to dust, which will then be carried by winds. As of now, airborne dust is already a problem for nearby residents as particulates can lodge in their lungs and worsen asthma and the risk of heart attacks. The drying up of the Great Salt Lake is an environmental disaster no one knows how to prevent.

Some of the images Jimmy and Dena captured could not be replicated today. With global warming, the Great Salt Lake is getting smaller, from about 3,300 square miles in the late 1980s to less than 1,000 today, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There’s less and less water and more and more desert.

“Salt Dreams” is a testament to nature’s fragility in the face of man’s folly.

PS: You can find their book “Salt Dreams” here.

 

THE NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW

The salt flats of northern Utah, a vast expanse of mineral detritus planed to level smoothness by wind and water, are a perfect surface for testing homemade rockets, race cars, motorcycles and weirder things. This show includes spectacular shots of such activities by Jimmy and Dena Katz, two photographers who have spent a couple of years exploring the terrain with their cameras.

So bright is the light, so boundless is the space, so gorgeous are the distant mountains that the place looks like eternity itself, but with a litter problem. The Katzes’ searching lenses have also found pink plastic flamingos stuck upright in the Great Salt Lake, a pair of couches huddled under an overgrowth of scrub, a larger-than-life plaster cow pierced by spikes and lying on its side, orange traffic cones near a hand-lettered sign reading “Wait Here,” and, by way of pathos, a limp brown hound glumly looking for shade.

The Katzes see the flats as a limitless American playroom, a place where we don’t have to pick up our toys since the party is never over. By Grace Glueck

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jimmy Katz was born in New York City in 1957 and studied photography with John McKee at Bowdoin College. Collaborating with his wife Dena, he has become the most prolific jazz photographer of the last 30 years. Together, they 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, Jimmy Katz developed an integrated approach to 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.

“Salt Dreams” came from their frequent travels to Utah and interest in documenting the conflict between man and nature.

SELECTED MUSEUMS ACQUISITIONS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Islip Museum, Islip, NY: “Salt Dreams” Exhibit (2007)

Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX: “Salt Dreams” Exhibit and in their permanent collection (2010)

 

SELECTED SOLOS SHOWS:

Ex Chiesa della Maddalena: Bergamo, Italy (2022)

Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria: Perugia, Italy (2019)

North Sea Jazz Festival: Rotterdam, Netherlands (2014)

Padua Jazz Festival: Padua, Italy (2014)

*Discover his jazz portraits here.

 

Portrait of photographer Jimmy Katz
JIMMY KATZ: Jazz

JIMMY KATZ: Jazz

JIMMY KATZ

 “Jazz” 

ARTIST’S STATEMENT
While in my teens, I was given tickets to hear Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey at Carnegie Hall in New York; that evening changed my life forever. I was transfixed by what I heard. I did not understand what was going on, but what I did know was that it was very special and profound. I knew I was in the presence of great human artistry and emotion, and I decided to explore jazz further.

After college, I became a mountaineer and skier. I photographed the peaks of the American West, South America and the former Soviet Union. I later moved back to New York City with the intention to photograph the music world, primarily documenting the jazz scene.

Within months I met the great drummer Art Taylor at Birdland. We became friends and he introduced me to other musicians. Blue Note Records saw my work and major jazz magazines approached me to photograph covers for them. I was off and running and never stopped!

I have been fortunate to have had a wide range of unique experiences in intimate and private situations, whether photographing Sonny Rollins near the Williamsburg Bridge, or spending time with Keith Jarrett in his home. These portraits were made similar to the way musicians make music in a recording studio, in a “Closed Session.”

In 2008 I started to make “Live” recordings. As in photography, I want the music to be captured in spontaneous, unrepeatable situations and, as in photography, I seek the inspired magic of the moment. I started Giant Steps Arts in 2018, a non-profit organization to help jazz musicians complete musical projects without artistic compromise or commercial constraints, and with the artists owning the master tapes. It’s my way to give back to the community.

I hope that my photographs reflect the intensity of urban life in New York City. The powerful energy, the excitement, the syncopation of the traffic, the rush of the subway train, random sirens, a cacophony of random sound… New York City has always been my canvas.

 

WHY I LOVE IT, by Aurélie
Jimmy Katz has led an extraordinary life, from being one of the first professional ski mountaineers in the 1970s to becoming the most celebrated jazz photographer ever. As NPR stated, “How you know you’ve made it in jazz: you get your photo taken by Jimmy Katz!”

His love for the music is contagious. It transpires through his photographs. I love his enthusiasm for his subjects, how much he knows them, how plugged in the jazz community he is. All this gives an extra depth to his portraits. Jimmy spends time with the musicians, not only as a photographer but also in recent years as a music recorder and engineer. He sits next to them while they play, works alongside them to record improvised moments of musical brilliance.

Jimmy approaches photography like a jazz musician approaches music. There’s a plan, yes, but there’s always room for last-minute changes and for magic. He brings all his gear to the set and chooses on the spot the ones that work the best for that moment. Like in jazz, things are calculated AND free – a perilous exercise many fail, but one Jimmy excels in.

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

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.

Portrait of Photographer Jimmy Katz

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)

Ex Chiesa della Maddalena: Bergamo, Italy (2022)

*Discover his landscape photography series, “Salt Dreams” here.