Renowned jazz photographer David Redfern dies

Photographer David Redfern has died at 78 after losing his health to cancer.

Derbyshire born Redfern photographed the British jazz scene extensively from the 1960s to the present day. He regularly photographed the visiting greats too including Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis, when they played Ronnie Scotts, and produced countless classic images from the biggest international jazz festivals around the world. His vintage image directory reads like the A-Z of jazz.

He became Frank Sinatra's official photographer on tour and published several acclaimed books of his images. Jazz icons and emergent rock stars like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan were captured by Redfern’s lenses.

This year he was awarded for ‘Services to Jazz’ at the All Party Jazz Appreciation Group Parliamentary Jazz Award at the Houses of Parliament.

His autobiographical book ‘The Unclosed Eye: The Music Photography of David Redfern’ was published in 1999 containing photos across four decades and the stories behind them. The book, beyond jazz, also included some little known images of the Beatles and Rolling Stones.

See David Redfern’s vintage and contemporary images here