ELSKEN, Ed van der. Jazz.

(Amsterdam): De Bezige Bij. 1959.  First edition.  12mo.  Unpaginated.  Like William Claxton’s Jazz Life and Dennis Stock’s Jazz Street, Van Der Elsken’s entry into the niche of jazz photography was published just prior to the moment when rock’n’roll cemented its place as the popular music of choice for young people. This book is perhaps the most successful of numerous attempts to capture photographically the essence of jazz because it is more than just a succession of musicians’ portraits, or even a documentary record of performance, but a book that visually echoes the music itself.  A near fine copy in photo-illustrated boards.  A very nice example of this notoriously fragile book.