Milt's Photographs

Until Milt’s death in 2000, the management of the Collection - selecting negatives to print, monitoring print quality, etc. - involved a close, three-way collaborative effort. In their administration of the Collection after his death, David and Holly are always mindful of Milt’s “voice and vision” in making decisions about his work.

Since Milt was not a commercial photographer, many of the thousands of pictures he took are of uncertain quality. This can be explained by the way he took photographs, processed, and eventually stored them. He often shot in low-light conditions, which made focusing difficult, and he used slow film. Many rolls of the film remained undeveloped for decades, and because Milt was rarely in the darkroom, at times, he inadvertently used stale chemicals to process his film at home.

Currently, the Collection’s ongoing efforts involve cataloging and creating a digital database. Scanning and storage have become less expensive, and software allows for the restoration of damaged negatives and prints and the capture of previously unseen information.

Milt’s extensive collection of color transparencies is also being scanned digitally, and they are adding another important dimension to his remarkable legacy as both a musician and a photographer who documented his unique insider’s view of jazz and life in the 20th Century America.