The South Orange Performing Arts Center is celebrating Black History Month with an exhibition of 25 black and white portraits of jazz musicians by photographer Patrick Hilaire. Entitled “Light [+Sound], the photo display can be viewed in the Herb + Milly Gallery from February 1-28. The Gallery is free and open Monday-Saturday, from noon-6 p.m. A reception for the exhibition will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, February 17. The photo shown here is of the late trumpeter Roy Hargrove.
Hilaire, a long-time Maplewood, NJ, resident, was first attracted to jazz when his older brother, Max, brought home Herbie Mann’s 1967 CTI album, The Glory of Love. Hilaire has photographed performers at SOPAC’s “Jazz & Blues in the Loft” and “Giants of Jazz” concerts. The Haitian-born photographer is self-taught. “It’s really moments that I try to capture,” he said, “and those moments only happen once.” Added Jeremy Moss, Iris Gallery Curator,
“Every portrait in this exhibition tells its own story.”
The Herb + Milly Gallery is located on SOPAC’s second and third floor. It was started by former SOPAC Board member, Milly Iris, a philanthropist, art collector, and former gallery owner, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 82.