From 1957 to 1965, legendary photographer W. Eugene Smith lived in a dilapidated five story loft in the floral district. He traded in the conventional comforts for musical culture. The building was a popular after hours hang out for jazz musicians. Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Alice Coltrane, Bill Evans, and Don Cherry were among the performers there. Smith was able to document that moment not only in photographs but through audio as well, recording 1,740 reels that totaled 4,000 hours of performance, street noise, and radio and television broadcast. The loft wasn’t exclusive to musicians, Salvador Dali and Norman Mailer were among its patrons. On February 17, the The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will be presenting The Jazz Loft Project. Collecting 200 images and several hours of remastered audio from Smith’s archive of that era. The exhibition will be on view till May 22. Thank you Erin for the heads up on this exhibit.