THE WORLD WILL MISS HIM

Herb Snitzer  (1932-2022)

For 60 years, he photographed musicians, mostly jazz players.

Just some of the musicians Herb photographed;

Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Thelonious Monk, Lester Young, Art Blakey, Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Buddy Guy, Charles Mingus, Bobby McFerrin—the list goes on and on.

There was an occasion where Nina Simone would not do a concert series in Paris unless Herb went there to photograph it. 

I was introduced to Herb Snitzer and his lovely wife back in July 2019 by a mutual friend. We took Herb to lunch and heard some amazing stories.

Herb was very humble given all that he had accomplished in his life. We exchanged and signed each others books. His was Glorious Days and Nights: A Jazz Memoir and mine, Dignity No Matter What: The Light Within.

He analyzed nearly every page of my book in the car, stopping only to ask the occasional question;

“How did you light this portrait? 

Is this one film or digital? 

Why did you choose this point of view? 

You used a wide angle lens on this one, didn’t you?”

Clearly, he was a person who never stops learning. However, I suspect it was more than that. I suspect that many of the questions and his attention to the details in my portraits were demonstrated to make me feel good about my work. He clearly was a man who was encouraging of others around him. 

Herb and myself, 2019 photographed by Chuck Levin

After lunch, he allowed me the honor of taking a few photos of him. The black and white below is of him in his home in front of his iconic portrait of Louis Armstrong smoking.

The world will miss him.