“Frank has an unparalleled ability to photograph musicians doing what they do best – making music. His photographs are truly time capsules, accurate snapshots that candidly capture the moment as it‘s occurring. As an artist photographer, Frank is truly the best I’ve known.” ~ Percussionist Jason DeCristofaro
If you go out to hear live jazz in the Asheville area, odds are you’ll see Frank Zipperer near the front, along with his state-of-the-art camera and long-time partner Rick Wood. “I wouldn’t be going to all those shows without Rick, plus he’s as big a jazz nut as I am!”
For many decades, the history of jazz has been accompanied by another great art form – photography! The great improvisational American jazz musicians of the mid-20th century inspired a generation of photographers to develop a looser, moodier style of visual expression. Through the work of Lee Tanner, Herman Leonard, Bob Willoughby, Milt Hinton, Bill Claxton, Gjon Mili, William Gottlieb, Francis Wolff, Roy DeCarava and others you can almost hear the music and feel the vibe – jazz’s great struggles, hustles, styles and creative visions. And Frank Zipperer most ably carries that torch right here in WNC.
“Frank’s passion for his subject matter is clearly demonstrated through each and every shot. He consistently captures the grace, intensity and grit of any live performance as if it were an easy task!” ~ Vocalist Wendy Jones
Born 1937 in Savannah, GA, Frank grew up in Charleston, SC. After a twenty year career in the US Army with assignments in various U.S. posts, Vietnam and Germany, he retired as a LTC. Frank was trained in communications, information technology and qualified as a rotary wing aviator. Throughout all this, Frank maintained a deep interest in photography and became a member of the Professional Photographers of America, the National Association of Press Photographers, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, the Jazz Journalists Association, and a founding charter member of the North American Nature Photographers Association.
“In terms of jazz, I grew up in the Big Band Swing era and there was always music in our house: Dorsey Brothers, Sammy Kay, Guy Lombardo, Benny Goodman, among others. In my teens I joined the Columbia Record Club’s Jazz section and among my early albums were “Round About Midnight” by Miles Davis and Erroll Garner’s “Most Happy Piano.” I was hooked!”
Frank’s greatest influences on his photographic style were the works of Edward Weston, Paul Strand, John Sexton, Clyde Butcher, Imogen Cunningham and Georgia O’Keefe.
“For over 25 years my artistic work was in fine art nature photography, and my great joy is sharing with others the experience I’ve had with the subject through the lens of my camera. My introduction to the Asheville Jazz scene and photographing musicians was through our neighbor Sharon LaMotte, who presented a weekly jazz vocals show at Tressa’s. That was about three years ago and I’ve been shooting live music ever since.”
I asked Frank about his approach. “I look for the raw emotions coming from musicians who are deep into their music and performance, especially the interaction between players. I photograph a lot of the same bands and musicians and that helps me to predict what might take place as far as movement and energy. It’s a great honor to be able to work at the intersection of two of my really big passions…music and photography!”
Frank has been featured in The Laurel of Asheville, Verve Magazine, Mountain Xpress, WNC Woman, The Scene, Bold Life, Rapid River magazine, and his photos are included on CD covers and websites of many musicians whom he shoots. Check out his black and white jazz gallery of prints currently at the new Green Room Bistro in Asheville.
“Frank’s photography beautifully captures moments in time of the performing artists he pictures. The strong contrasts in many of his black and white photographs give depth and atmosphere to the two dimensional image. His color sense is spot on, and his use of ambient light and contrast sets off his subjects without using additional lighting. His love for the music is very evident in his work!” ~ Vocalist Harry Schulz