New Exhibition Celebrates Pre-eminent African American Photographer Ted Williams’ Rarely Seen Jazz Photographs

(Press release)

New, innovative online gallery, Storiesonwalls.com launches with Chicago’s Original Jazz Joints, an exhibition featuring 12 rarely seen photographs of jazz greats Miles Davies, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Sarah Vaughan among others, all shot by legendary African American photographer Ted Williams.

Stories On Walls has researched and curated an engaging six and a half minute mini-documentary to showcase the exhibition, which focuses on the wildly exciting and seminal Chicago Jazz scene of the 1950s and ‘60’s. The wave of musical talent that swept through the Windy City was simply breathtaking, and the music poured out of clubs, ballrooms, hotel lounges, and restaurants. Photographer Ted Williams haunted all these hotbeds of jazz during their heyday and shot all the big names at work and at play. (Watch the Exhibition.)

Williams was one of very few African American photographers working on the jazz scene at that time and as such, gained rare access allowing him to capture stunning candid images of some of the world’s most famous musicians as they made musical history or relaxed behind the scenes.

Most of Williams’ archive, comprising both original negatives and photographs, has never been published, printed, or seen before – until now.  His jazz photography has been widely celebrated for the way in which it takes viewers on a heartfelt journey into both the on- and off-stage lives of touring, hardworking and legendary jazz musicians.  His work demonstrates an intimacy and spontaneity toward his subjects and it is in that dynamic where the honesty and truth of his photos are to be found.

An innovation in online galleries, Storiesonwalls.com offers fans engaging mini-documentaries that tell the stories behind iconic or rare images. Every image is available to purchase as limited edition, gallery quality prints, which can be shipped globally.

Through this exhibition, jazz fans can discover the intimate details or funny anecdotes behind each image, as remembered by the photographer. And now for the first time, fans have a chance to own these unique and intimate shots of their favourite jazz musicians. Each image is 594mm X 420mm printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag fine art paper and comes in an edition of 300 costing £175 unframed or £350 framed.

Stories on Walls:

Launched in November 2016, Stories on Walls is the world’s first true online gallery experience bringing extraordinary, affordable exhibitions to fans by way of an advanced mini-documentary exhibition platform.

The site is home to a growing number of photo-documentaries telling the stories behind extraordinary images found in rare archives and unusual back catalogues.

Stories on Walls print promise to customers’ means that every print comes with the following:

·         A signed certificate of authenticity with a uniquely numbered hologram

·         A printed copy of the narrative that accompanied it in the exhibition

·         Individual colour-management onto Hahnemühle Photo Rag fine art paper

as a high-res print

·         A choice of 3 tasteful framing options, wooden, black or white

·         Carefully wrapped and tracked, we ship quickly and safely

·         Worldwide shipping and FREE shipping within the UK

Stories on Walls can be found online at storiesonwalls.com or on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest with the handle @Storiesonwalls

The Photographer:

Most of Ted Williams’ archive, comprising both original negatives and photographs has never been published, printed, or seen before – until now.  His jazz photography has been widely celebrated for the way in which it takes viewers on a heartfelt journey into both the on- and off-stage lives of touring, hardworking, and often legendary, jazz musicians. 

Williams’ photographs capture the focus, the energy and the delight of jazz artists, and he photographed virtually every major name in jazz and blues: Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, Thelonius Monk, Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis and Charlie Parker.

Williams’ work emanated an intimacy and spontaneity towards his subjects and it’s in that dynamic where the honesty and truth of his photos is to be found. William’ longer-term ambition had been that the general public would get to see his images in exhibition settings. In this way, Ted believed that the photographs would offer some illumination on mid-twentieth century African-American culture.

Ted died in 2009, but he remains a figurehead for African American photographers and in the history of American photography. He has left behind a dazzling photographic odyssey through the world of jazz.