Paul Hoeffler "Rochester Jazz" photographic collection
Creator: Hoeffler, Paul, 1937-2005
Call Number: D.315
Dates: 1955-2003
Physical Description: 14 boxes
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Table of Contents:

Biographical/Historical Note
Scope and Content
Subject(s)
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Access
Use
Citation
Content List
Series I: Exhibit materials and printed ephemera
Series II: Media
Series III: Exhibition prints
Collection Overview
Title: Paul Hoeffler "Rochester Jazz" photographic collection
Creator: Hoeffler, Paul, 1937-2005
Call Number: D.315
Dates: 1955-2003
Physical Description: 14 boxes
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Biographical/Historical Note
Paul Hoeffler (1937-2005) began this work while pursuing his BFA in Photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where he studied with mentors Minor White and Charlie Arnold and visiting photographers Ansel Adams, Ernst Hass, Margaret Bourke-White, Alfred Eisenstadt, and Beaumont and Nancy Newhall. Hoeffler soon found an early career niche photographing jazz musicians, and his passion for the subject was nourished by none other than Louis Armstrong, along with local Rochester music promoters and jazz club owners. With permission to arrive early and work backstage, Hoeffler became a "regular" at the Pythodd Club, the Ridgecrest Inn, the Auditorium Theater, the Eastman Theater, and the University of Rochester auditoriums, as well as at the local Saturday night dances at the Rochester Roller Rink. His easygoing manner allowed him to interact easily with the visiting jazz greats who in turn were, somewhat surprisingly, quick to accept this enthusiastic "outsider." This acceptance resulted in a warm and unselfconscious approach that allowed Hoeffler to capture them backstage and in their hotels at their most informal and relaxed moods, as well as capturing the excitement of the performances on stage. Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Lee Morgan, Carmen McRae, Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins are just a few of the jazz artists visiting the Rochester clubs at this time and all captured on film by Hoeffler. But in addition to the photos of the jazz greats (and equally impressive, intimate and important) are photographs of the members of the Rochester community attending these events. This is a slice of Rochester history that had slipped out of reach, but has now been brought back into focus by Paul Hoeffler.

Hoeffler went on to work as the photographer in demand for art work for the New York recording studios Verve, Prestige, Mercury and the Blue Note. His work was prominently featured in the Ken Burns documentary Jazz and it was Hoeffler's images that were selected by Burns to promote the series; his work is also featured throughout the book that accompanied the series, Jazz: A History of America's Music by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns. Hoeffler was described by Burns as "one of the truly great jazz photographers, a real treasure." Hoeffler passed away in 2005.

An exhibition entitled "Mid-Century Jazz in Rochester, 1955-1962: Photographic Prints from the Paul Hoeffler Archive" was on display in Rare Books and Special Collections, Rush Rhees Library, from September 2002 - February 2003. A second exhibit of the photographer's work was mounted in Friedlander Lobby in Rush Rhees for Meliora Weekend 2021.

Scope and Content
The Paul Hoeffler "Rochester Jazz" photographic print collection provides a unique commentary on Rochester history in the 1950s and 1960s. In addition to the nearly 200 fine art (exhibition) prints, the collection also consists of posters, media reviews, reproductions, cd recordings, album art, and exhibit materials.

Subject(s):
Jazz
Photographs
Posters
Compact discs
Hoeffler, Paul, 1937-2005
Mangione, Chuck
Photographers
Jazz musicians
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was purchased in May 2002 with gift funds.Access
The Paul Hoeffler "Rochester Jazz" photographic collection is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.Use
Reproductions are made upon request but can be subject to restrictions. Permission to publish materials from the collection must currently be requested. Please note that some materials may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information contact rarebks@library.rochester.eduCitation
[Item title, item date], Paul Hoeffler "Rochester Jazz" photographic collection, D.315, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Administrative Information
Author: Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Publisher: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Address:
Rush Rhees Library
Second Floor, Room 225
Rochester, NY 14627-0055
rarebks@library.rochester.edu
URL:


Content List