Evolution is at the very core of the creative process, so it is no surprise that a lot of changes were made to our original plans. The first and most fundamental change was the title. The original title, “At the Feet of a Jazz Master” was inspired by John’s NEA Jazz Master status combined with a very cool photo by Leroy Hamilton of John’s feet clad in red Converse All-Star sneakers. The photos were to be selected from Leroy’s pictures taken during the 2004 NEA Jazz Master events and the text would consist of anecdotes, opinions, and reminiscenses.


After reviewing a sample section, John said it didn’t feel right. (He actually said it felt like a cross between a lament for “the good old days” and an obituary.) Then he mused about the possibility of using photos that he shot throughout the years. And so a new concept emerged. The use of the word Strollin’ refers both to the walk down memory lane and to a tune by that title that he recorded in 1949 with the original George Shearing Quintet.


We went through his pictures and, after selecting a few hundred, I set to work scanning the images. The majority of the photos that made the cut were taken by John, some were shot by me, and a few were contributed by others. In addition, we included a special 10-page NEA Jazz Master section with more than 20 of Leroy’s photos. The text includes a mixture of John’s thoughts and general information, and the new cover photo (click here) is one of Leroy’s, shot in John’s home/office in June, 2005.