Women in Jazz Media Presents: Women in Jazz Photography: Her Frame. Her Sound.

Bringing together inspirational women from across the globe, the award-winning Women in Jazz Media organisation, in partnership with Karamel Club, present an exclusive photography exhibition: Women in Jazz Photography: Her Frame. Her Sound

A unique opportunity to celebrate women working in jazz both behind and in front of the camera. Inspirational moments in jazz captured by some of the incredible female photographers leading the way in jazz photography. Exhibiting legends such as Geri Allen, Abbey Lincoln, Alice Coltrane, Nina Simone to contemporary artists including Lakecia Benjamin, Nubya Garcia and Brandee Younger, there has never been an exhibition like this. Legendary and award-winning photographers from South Africa, New York, Poland and the United Kingdom, this breathtaking exhibition features the work of Val Wilmer, Monika S Jakubowksa, Vuyo Giba, Tatiana Gorilovsky, Enid Farber and Kasia Ociepa.

Women in Jazz Media are an award winning not for profit organisation who promote, support and celebrate women who work in Jazz, through a range of exciting initiatives.

Their entirely female led online magazines have seen readership grow to almost 50,000 over the past four years and photography has always been at the fore front of their work. They facilitated the inclusion of the first female photographers in the National Jazz Archive in 2022.

Fiona Ross, founder of Women in Jazz Media explains ‘it is time for women on the walls! Where would we be without photography? Photography captures incredible moments and gift us with those memories. Artists need photos, venues need photos, publications need photos and audiences cherish photos. And yet, photographers are rarely credited and often photos are used without permission. This is a significant issue for all photographers irrelevant of gender.  Walk into most jazz clubs across the world and you will likely see some incredible photography which helps to encapsulate the feel and vibe of the club. But who took the photos? Are they credited? And if you are lucky enough to see women on the walls, they are rarely instrumentalists. It is time to change the narrative.’

The exhibition is open for three months, launching on April 10th at London’s award winning Karamel Club. Nestled in the heart of the Creative Quarter, the club have supported a thriving community of musicians, producers, artists and creative businesses. Winning Time Out awards and Trip Advisor choice awards the space has become renowned for Live music, Jazz World music, Spoken Word and Indian Classical music, showcasing the best in emerging talent – with the occasional legend thrown in the mix. In true collective style, the gallery and artwork that lights up the walls is all sourced from some of the world-renowned artists residing within the building. Many of the venue staff are fellow creatives, and they are part of local arts charity, Collage Arts, that has helped a diverse community make music and art for over 38 years.

The Photographers

Enid Farber resides in New York City and has been photographing mostly jazz musicians since 1979 but her work includes artists from a variety of genres, including Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, Bob Marley, Charlie Watts, Diana Ross, Bono and Celia Cruz who have all appeared before her lens. In the 20th anniversary issue Jazziz, said,”If we were to identify a JAZZIZ visual historian, her name would no doubt be Enid Farber. For longer than a decade, her photography has taken readers on an odyssey, to experience the most adventurous music and to meet the most interesting personalities, from both the new and traditional worlds of jazz.”

Vuyo Giba is a South African -based photographer, writer, and creative professional dedicated to preserving South African jazz heritage. Her work spans jazz, abstract, and lifestyle photography, capturing evocative narratives through imagery. With experience in film production, research, and project coordination, she collaborates with artists and communities to document and celebrate cultural stories.

Tatiana Gorilovskyis a London-based photographer specializing in music photography, particularly jazz. She has captured the dynamic spirit of the genre for renowned venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express, 606 and others, as well as festivals including the EFG London Jazz Festival and Love Supreme Festival. Tatiana loves experimenting with long exposure and multiple exposure to capture the sounds, rhythm and energy of Jazz. Her images are held in the National Jazz Archive and have been featured in prominent publications such as Jazzwise Magazine, The Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, Billboard, UK Jazz News, The Independent, Time Out London and others

Kasia Ociepa is a Wales-based photographer specialising in jazz, events, weddings, and portrait photography, with a deep love for fine art photography. Originally from Poland, she moved to the UK in 2006 and transitioned from garden design to professional photography during lockdown. As the resident photographer for Black Mountain Jazz Club, she has documented the club’s vibrant jazz scene, with her images used by musicians for album covers, press materials, and social media. Kasia sees photography as storytelling, capturing the energy and emotion of live music, and she is always happy to collaborate with musicians and event organisers.

The award-winning photographer Monika S Jakubowska is renowned across the world.  As the in-house photographer for prestigious London venues, Ronnie Scott’s and Kings Place, she has captured award winning images of legends and is the photographer of choice by many artists. Her portfolio is vast and includes Jeff Goldblum, Genesis, Macy Gray, John Legend, Jazz royalty Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Clinton and Courtney Pine to name a few. Darius Brubeck included Monika’s photographer in his foreword to the brilliant book Sight Readings: Photographers and American Jazz, which was nominated for book of the year by the jazz Journalist Association. She is the go to photographer for esteemed publications including The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Financial Times, Jazzwise and Women in Jazz Media and she is one of two first female photographers to be included in the National Jazz Archive in the UK where her work is on permanent display.

World renowned British writer and photographer, Val Wilmer has been following and documenting blues, jazz, African and Caribbean music for over fifty years.

Wilmer’s historic and sizable photo archives contain some of the most recognizable images in the world. Val has interviewed and photographed hundreds of American and British blues musicians and has been exhibited extensively (Victoria and Albert Museum 1973). Her iconic images are held in photographic collections including the Arts Council of Great Britain (Victoria and Albert Museum); Musee d’Art Moderne (Paris); Smithsonian Museum (Washington D.C.); Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York Public Library) and the National Portrait Gallery.