From The Archive: LL Cool J by Danny Clinch

There is a fantastic interview with the great Cey Adams on the MoMa site, and is the inspiration for today’s ‘From The Archive’ post.  Danny Clinch worked with Cey and LL Cool J on this shoot from 1991 in Harlem, NYC.

You can see more of Danny Clinch’s work on the Levine/Leavitt site.

From The Archive: Metallica shot by Danny Clinch

These images of Metallica, shot by Danny Clinch in 2003, were taken in the west yard at San Quentin Prison while filming the video for the title track of the band’s 8th album “St. Anger” (directed by The Malloys).

San Quentin is colored with musical history. In 1969 Johnny Cash entered the complex to record At San Quentin, in 1991 Chicago blues legend B.B. King recorded Live At San Quentin, and in 1983 Charles Manson recorded an hour’s worth of music and improvisation from his cell at the compound.

You can see more of Danny Clinch’s work on the Levine/Leavitt site.

From the Archive: Johnny Cash shot by Danny Clinch

In April 1994, 62 year old Johnny Cash’s career was about to be resurrected. The last comeback of his journeyed musical life, which began that very week, with the release of American Recordings, was a risk, as producer Rick Rubin was best known for his work in hip-hop and heavy metal working with bands like Slayer and the Beastie Boys.  However, Rubin’s stroke of genius resonated with a generation who may have never heard of Johnny Cash before. They were struck by his emotional voice and drawn in the by the songs that were written for Cash by musicians like Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen, who worshipped at his altar.

“The Man in Black” went on to record five more albums, including some covers of song by Bob Marley, Soundgarden, U2 and Tom Petty. His later body of work, especially his 1996 version of Nine Inch Nails’  “Hurt” now has the same respect as his earlier most impactful songs.  This image (below) from a shoot at the Westbury Music Fair, and was eventually used on the cover of Cash’s album “Solitary Man”.

You can see more of Danny Clinch’s work on the Levine/Leavitt site.

From the Archive: Willie Nelson shot by Danny Clinch

Photographer/filmmaker Danny Clinch has been blessed with many opportunities to work with the great singer/songwriter Willie Nelson.  This selection of images from the archive show some of the more intimate moments Danny has captured over the years.

From the Archive:Blues musicians shot by Danny Clinch

Danny Clinch has been blessed with opportunities over the years to shoot many of the great bluesmen of our time.  This b&w collection of images reflects Danny’s passion for photography combined with his deep love for blues music.

You can see more of Danny Clinch’s work on the Levine/Leavitt site.

From the Archive: Nick Cave shot by Danny Clinch

Danny Clinch’s archive offers up endless options to choose from, making this weekly ‘From The Archive’ post a difficult choice.  This dreamy shot of Nick Cave was taken in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1994.

You can see more of Danny Clinch’s work on the Levine/Leavitt site.

From the Archive: Radiohead shot by Danny Clinch

In celebration of the release of Radiohead’s new album, The King of Limbs, we chose one of Danny’s older sessions with the band for this week’s Archive post.  Shot in London in December of 1994, this was the third time Danny had worked with Radiohead, which led to many more shoots over the years.

You can see more work by Danny Clinch on the Levine/Leavitt site.

From the Archive: Ben Harper shot by Danny Clinch

It was Stephanie Jane Halmos who reminded us that just like old records, photographs have the ability to bring you excitement again and again when you re-visit them. And so we continue our monthly series ‘From the Archive’, a small window into photographer and filmmaker Danny Clinch’s archive.  This month we feature singer/songwriter Ben Harper.

Shot in Paris in 2000, this photo was taken while Danny was filming ‘Pleasure and Pain”, a feature length portrait of life on and off the road of Ben Harper and his band The Innocent Criminals. The film includes concert footage and interviews with Ben and his family, and more.

You can see more of Danny’s photos and films on the Levine/Leavitt site.

From the archive: Preservation Hall Jazz Band, NYC, 2008

Shot by Danny Clinch, today’s post is inspired by Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s amazing performances last night – the show at City Winery and the later set with the Tangiers Blues Band at Houndstooth.

This photo was taken in September 2008 at the Ukranian church on 49th St. and 10th Avenue in New York City.  We give our respect to the band, and condolences for their recent loss of Walter Peyton (third from the left) bass player and dear friend.

Learn more about Preservation Hall Jazz Band on the PHJB Site.

You can see more of Danny Clinch’s work on the Levine/Leavitt site.

From the Archives: Eugene Hutz, Gogol Bordello, Bonnaroo 2008

Another gem from Danny Clinch’s archive: Eugene Hutz from Gogol Bordello, taken at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN, 2008.

See more of Danny’s work on the Levine/Leavitt site.

From the Archives: Danny Clinch and Charlie Mars

This is the first post of a series called From the Archives: Danny Clinch

The idea came to us while pouring through Danny’s archives and appreciating how beautiful and extensive his body of work is.  We plan to make this a monthly event on our blog because, just like old records, photographs have the ability to bring you excitement again and again when you re-visit them.

This month’s post From the Archives: Charlie Mars shot by Danny Clinch in Oxford, Mississippi in 2004.  Working with creative director David Calderley, the team traveled to Charlie’s home town for the shoot that would mark the beginning of a great, long-term collaboration between the southern-born musician and Danny.

Click on images to enlarge.

“Charlie took us all around Oxford, showing us the places where he would spend time growing up, and talking about the places that meant a lot to him and that informed his view of the world.  The images with the graffiti in the background is an old Bar-B-Q joint in the Delta, off the off roads.”

“The cotton fields are very common to the landscape down there.  This shoot was not only great because the collaborative element was fun, but also because being put in an environment that is so visually interesting and then being asked to respond to it is really what its all about.”

Stay tuned for an upcoming shoot with Charlie Mars and Danny Clinch in Spring 2010.