Howard Moss: Speaking about "Bright Moments in Jazz"
Article by Bobby Ramirez

(8-19-2010) Here today; gone quicker than you can say "Jazzy." And that is the brute iconic reality of this precious artform that we love called Jazz; perhaps, subdivided into introspective moments that defy logic producing audible conceptions that to some appears palpable in nature; but to others, it is the physical force of Jazz that we have learned to recognized and cherish; that which synchronizes heritage with the legacy of its forefathers. And there, within its center focal point between what is audible and its scenery, Howard Moss has become the encapsulator of "Bright Moments in Jazz.

For over 50 years, Howard Moss has embarked on a journey as a musician and visual artist that has taken him to far places around the world. At age six, he began formal musical training guided by his father who left Miami to join the Bessie Smith band and worked with many great bands in New York City.

As a youth, Howard Moss took a keen interest in music delving in various instruments that included the piano, alto saxophone and trumpet. With the help and encouragement of his dad, he decided to play the drums. Already gigging by the age of 12, Moss acclimated himself into an extremely multicultural musical environment that included many styles of music: from Broadway Show tunes to Fusion Jazz, Bebop, Swing, R&B, Latin and Brazilian Jazz, Bossa Nova & Samba, and more!

His joy of music would soon help him establish a successful musical career that would grant him much opportunity to travel the world; thereby, sharing the stage with many accomplished musicians—including renowned artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderly, Alice Coltrane, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and many others.

But, along the way, Moss discovered a passion for the art of photography. And as a result of his travels and musical encounters, he amassed a collection of photographs that highlight---as he most amicably puts it: “My collection represents a chronicle of my life’s musical journey. Each photo brings a special recollection of memories that tells a wonderful story of places and people that encapsulate my feelings at that particular instance. And for me, these images represent Bright Moments in Jazz.”

The “Bright Moments in Jazz” collection features about 30 black & white photographs of jazz musicians in live performances—including Dizzy Gillespie, John “Spider” Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Gary Mulligan, Sonny Rollins, James Moody, Arturo Sandoval, Nancy Wilson, and others.