From Fantagraphics: Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins, and more!

September 23, 2026

From Fantagraphics: Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins, and more!

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“Jazz has been the most important part of my life,” he says. “I didn’t talk to people unless they knew something about jazz. It’s part of who I am, and so are my photographs.” — Don Schlitten, from the biography by Ted Panken

For decades, legendary jazz producer Don Schlitten photographed musical icons such as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins, and Frank Sinatra—for those interested, his equipment included “a Leica M3, with a Summicron 50mm lens, and the smaller-apertured Miranda C3 (‘sort of an imitation Nikon’) with a 135mm Soligor Telephoto and a Weston IV exposure meter”.

Now, for the first time, his work is collected in one volume: Love and Understanding: The Jazz Photography of Don Schlitten features over 100 photos—personally selected by Don Schlitten as his personal best—and includes a a biographical essay written by jazz scribe Ted Panken with an introduction by the "Jazz Detective" himself, Zev Feldman. As an extra bonus, this book features an American Splendor comic strip that features Don educating Harvey Pekar, as well as a gallery of Don's personal favorite top 30 album covers.