In his 2004 film entitled The Terminal, Steven Spielberg weaves a fascinating tale of Viktor Nevorshky from Krakowzhia and his quest to secure an autograph for his late father’s collection of jazz musicians. In the film’s final minutes, Viktor, played by Tom Hanks, reveals that he lacks only one signature out of the fifty-six jazz musicians pictured in Art Cain’s legendary photograph known as A Great Day in Harlem. The Terminal introduced the most famous photograph in jazz history to millions of moviegoers worldwide, renewing interest in mid-20th century jazz and exactly how the 1958 photo shoot came about. Gary Barrow, retired ATU professor of Music, will explore how the unusual event took place early one morning along with the extraordinary effort and sheer luck it took for a young reporter from Esquire Magazine to bring it off. Musicians sitting or standing on the steps of the brownstone that morning represented a cross section of notable musicians active at the time and earlier with styles including swing, stride piano, bebop, and cool jazz. An in depth look at some of these will include colorful biographical insights along with the actual music that made each one of them famous. Starting with Count Basie, class discussions will focus on pianists Thelonious Monk and Marian McPartland along with four prominent sax stars; Coleman Hawkins, Benny Golson, Lester Young, and Gerry Mulligan. Drummers Gene Krupa and Ark Blakey will be featured along with Dixieland clarinetist Pee Wee Russell.

Instructor: Gary Barrow