Book
BLUES HANDS
Photographs By Joseph A. Rosen
Introduction by Bob Porter
128 pages, 88 images
Hardcover, 9.5 x 8.3 inches
Schiffer Publishing, 2015
$29.99 plus S&H
128 pages, 88 images
Hardcover, 9.5 x 8.3 inches
Schiffer Publishing, 2015
$29.99 plus S&H
BLUES HANDS is about Blues music and about photography, and the power they both hold. Through images of hands, it conveys the strength, beauty, diversity, depth and power of the Blues, the root of all American music. It features photographs from Joseph A. Rosen’s 30 plus year adventure in Blues and music photography.
In viewing the hands in this book, one is aware of great differences: youthful or venerable; lots of rings or no rings; short stubby digits or long slender fingers, all being utilized in the service of music. It appeals to lovers of music, photography and the human form. One need not be deeply versed in the Blues music to appreciate the beauty, strength and diversity of those who make it. With powerful imagery, as well as anecdotes and biographical information, BLUES HANDS tells a story of human experience.
First, I’m a fan of Blues music. I also happen to be a professional photographer. This combination has led to a thirty-years-plus adventure photographing the Blues. I’ve shot everywhere from rough juke joints to elegant concert halls and luxury liners.
Blues Hands, the book, is one part of that adventure.
Like most photographers of musicians, I would occasionally shoot their hands. While I was editing one day, a photo of Jimmy McCracklin’s bejeweled hand and another of the hand, bass guitar and cigarette of Cliff Belcher both “jumped out” at me. I knew then that I had a theme and a thread that I would follow: Hands tell a story.
I hope you enjoy the photographs, some created for this project and others I had from the past. And always, above all, enjoy the music.
I dedicated this book to my parents, Jeanette and Bernard Rosen. They gave me the confidence and support to follow a difficult but rewarding career and life path. I think of and miss them every day.
“Without the trained eye of the photographer, you’d have snapshots rather than the remarkable art available on these pages. Joe Rosen has been trailing the performers showcased in this work for many years. BLUES HANDS is his gift to all of us — whether present at those events or not. Thanks, Joe.”
“Years ago I learned that certain cultures would not allow people to take their portraits, as they believed that their souls would be captured forever in the photos. I always thought, yes, that is what a good photographer should reveal, and Joe always has. His pictures of musicians over the years have captured their spirit…..”
“Joe Rosen knows how to set up a photograph and then close the deal at just the right instant. Neither of these qualities can be bought or downloaded. It takes experience, true, but primarily it is an innate creativity to see the unseen, to move beyond the obvious and to bring forth an image that is brilliant today and timeless for the memory.”
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