The guy who made jazz look cooler than it already was.
"Jazz Seen" is an exploration of the life of William Claxton, whose photographs turned the world of jazz on its keen and perceptive ear. Various jazz artists, photographers, and actors recount memories they had with Claxton and explore his work, while parts of his life are re-enacted by actors.
Cinematography
Claxton's photos that defined how we *see* jazz.
Production
Re-enactments that don't feel like cheap History Channel filler.
Director
Julian Benedikt
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Claxton's 1954 'Jazz West Coast' session basically invented the 'cool jazz' visual aesthetic—sunglasses indoors, moody lighting, existential cigarettes.
The documentary features Dennis Hopper in one of his last interviews, gushing about Claxton's influence on his own photography before Easy Rider made him famous.
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