Westport Arts Center Honors Jazz Legends

Nancy Heller, executive director of the Westport Arts Center, expected Friday's opening of photos of jazz greats to draw at least 300 people. By 7:30 p.m., the crowd was about halfway there.

Visitors at the gallery at 51 Riverside Ave., serenaded by a trio of jazz musicians, admired personal views of some of the most famous names in  jazz music.

"The Judge: Jazz Photographs by Musician Milt Hinton" features 30 black-and-white photographs by the late jazz musician Milt Hinton. The exhibit details a history of artists from the 1930s through the 1980s.

Captured on film are Billie Holiday, Billie Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Pearl Bailey, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Cab Calloway and Aretha Franklin, among others.

In addition to the people, Hinton's work captures a specific era in American history. His photos detail the racism and segregation that were aspects of the times. "Colored Only" entryways and eateries are among the scenes depicted in the show.

Those viewing the artwork, praised Hinton for his composition as well as his ability to capture a specific time in American culture.

"This exhibit will absolutely drawn new visitors to the Westport Arts Center," Heller said. "Milt Hinton was documenting his friends during a very special time in history. We have received calls  of interest from jazz afficianados from as far away as New York City."

Heller is excited by this exhibit for its content as well as its programming opportunities. The Westport Arts Center will use Hinton's photo work as a spring board for related educational events.

"We are bringing in other disciplines," Heller explained. "In addition to the photo show, we are having a musical event, a documentary  film on jazz history and a special event honoring local record show owner Sally White."

The arts center has scheduled music-related programming aimed for all ages. On Jan. 3, the arts center will present a WACky Music Extravaganza, featuring  live music against the backdrop of the photography exhibition. The event, aimed at families with children ages 5 to 12, invites participants to create instruments and   photo collages. The art studio will be transformed into a photography studio where kids can get creative and pose for rock star photo shoots.

Admissionis$10/child, admission free for adults and  children 2 and under.

On Jan. 10, the Westport Art Center will screen the Tribeca Film Festival award-winning documentary, Keeping Time: The Life, Music, and Photographs of Milt Hinton, directed by David Berger, Kate Hirson, and Holly Maxson.

The screening will be followed by a conversation between the audience, jazz historians and filmmakers. The screening will be held at the Westport Arts Center. Tickets are $15/$10 (college students).

On Thursday, Dec. 10 , a sold-out holiday jazz party celebrating White, owner of Sally's Place record shop, will be held in the gallery.

The party will feature drummer Adam Nussbaum, Rob Aries on keyboard, and Brian Torff on bass, along with numerous special guest artists who will drop by to jam. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Interest in the Hinton exhibit has been so great that its stay in Westport has already been extended. The show, which was scheduled to end Jan. 10,  will now be on view through Feb. 28, 2010.

The  exhibition, concert, and film-screening began with a suggestion from Brian Torff, the art center's new artistic director for jazz.

Torff, a Fairfield University music professor and accomplished bass player proposed the tribute to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hinton's birth in 2010.

Hinton was a friend and mentor to Torff and a great number of other musicians.

About Milt Hinton
Hinton was born in Vicksburg, Miss., in 1910, and, at age 11, moved to Chicago. During the late 1920s and '30s, he worked as a freelance musician in the Windy City, joining Cab Calloway in 1936, a 15-year stint that included performances with Danny Barker, Dizzy Gillespie and Ben Webster.

Beginning in the 1950s, he embarked on several decades of studio freelance gigs in New York City, playing with Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and more.

Hinton took more than 60,000 photos during his career as a musician.

His photographs have been shown in numerous exhibitions, including solo shows at the Denver Art Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution.

For information on the Westport Arts Center, call 203-222-7070 or visit  www.westportartscenter.org. Gallery hours are Monday -Friday , 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends from noon to 4 p.m