Description:

Noel Rockmore (American/New Orleans, 1928-1995), "Sylvester Handy, bassist", 1964, oil on canvas, signed and dated "Mar. 10, '64" upper right, 58 in. x 34 1/8 in., framed. Note: Coming from a family of musicians, Sylvester Handy was the son of John and Eliza Handy, who played the violin and piano; his siblings also played instruments – his brother John “Captain” experimented with multiple instruments, particularly clarinet and saxophone, his brother Julius played guitar, and his sister Mary studied piano. While all four of the children were born in Pass Christian, Mississippi, John began playing in New Orleans and Baton Rouge in the 1920s with his band “The Shakers,” and Sylvester joined him in 1932. Sylvester Handy accompanied his older brother both on live shows and for many recordings. In the work offered here, Sylvester Handy’s notable contribution to the New Orleans music scene is recognized by his inclusion in the Preservation Hall Portrait series by Noel Rockmore. Commissioned by Larry Borenstein, the series was composed of paintings of the full band playing at Preservation Hall and also selected portraits of single musicians chosen for focused sessions. The composition depicts not only the likeness of Handy, but also captures the bond between the man and his craft. The instrument and figure are a single visual element, with a presence and dynamic quality indicative of jazz. Ref.: Borenstein, Larry and Bill Russell. Preservation Hall Portraits. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1968; Feather, Leonard and Ira Gitler. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

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January 27, 2018 10:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

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