In my opinion, music and visual art are inextricably intertwined. Art and music are both food for the soul, an indescribable substance that somehow can articulate our deepest fears and desires. From Rembrandt to Basquiat, music has inspired visual artists, and in turn, art has inspired music, from Debussy to Bowie. The jazz world is no exception. Saxophonist Steve Lacy recorded a series of musical tributes directly inspired by abstract expressionism, and saxophonist Branford Marsalis created an album inspired by the work of artist Romare Bearden. I could go on.
So, when I was getting a haircut and my barber, Simon Whittle, told me about his late uncle Freddy Warren, a jazz lover and music photographer who captured scenes at Ronnie Scott’s club in the 1950s and 60s, when legends of jazz were filling the club with transformative sounds, I was captivated. Artists including Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and many more were frozen in time by Freddy’s lens. I enjoyed each and every story that Simon told me whenever I was sitting in his barber’s chair.
He told me about the time when he was about 14 years old and was staying at his uncle’s apartment in Euston when a man came over to listen to some new jazz records. The man and his uncle drank coffee and talked for hours. Simon was introduced to the gentleman as Yusef. It wasn’t until years later that Simon realised he had been in the presence of Yusef Lateef, the legendary American jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer.
Simon also told me about the time Freddy was photographing Miles Davis. Whilst Freddy was taking shots of the trumpeter, Miles noticed Freddy’s wristwatch, which he seemed to like, and made an offer to buy it, which Freddy accepted. You can see Miles Davis wearing the watch in the photograph we have used for our exhibition poster.
Freddy tragically died in a house fire in 2010. After this event, his nephew Simon Whittle rescued thousands of photographs from the remains of his home and has worked tirelessly to preserve and share his work. Freddy’s images have since appeared on record sleeves and have been featured in The Guardian newspaper while many are now permanently displayed at Ronnie Scott’s in Soho. In 2019 a book of his work, annotated by Simon Whittle and Graham Marsh, was published.
I loved all the anecdotes Simon would share whilst he snipped my hair, but for me, it was the work, the photography, that had the true resonance and power. I knew I wanted to help get Freddy Warren’s photography seen again. Being an artist, a painter, I knew that making the work is only one part of the job, and getting it seen is, in some ways, harder than its creation. So, I have organised an exhibition at the Rose Theatre, Kingston upon Thames, of Freddy Warren’s photography. Freddy’s work will be hung alongside a group of contemporary artists who have created artwork inspired by the art of jazz. The exhibition runs from 16 November to 16 January at the Rose Theatre, Kingston upon Thames.
Rose Theatre
24–26 High Street
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1HL
Opening hours: 10:00–15:00
Website: rosetheatre.org
