London Jazz Festival, in association with BBC Radio 3, Friday 11 to Sunday 20 November 2011

Jazz Legends brings together five decades of work by leading British photographer Sefton Samuels. The collection is the result of a lifetime spent by Sefton hanging around smoke-filled jazz clubs, capturing the biggest names as they performed, including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Courtney Pine, Dizzy Gillespie, Ronnie Scott and Duke Ellington. The photographs are distinguished by an intimacy which captures the soul of the performances, perhaps testimony to the passion for the music from behind the camera.

Sefton Samuels enjoyed a brief career as a jazz drummer himself before taking up photography. His work is held in the National Portrait and V&A collections and he has exhibited nationally. He is described by the Guardian as “the photographic equivalent of Ken Loach” and as “Manchester’s finest” by Time Out. Despite the drumming career never quite taking off, Sefton remains a jazz addict.

This exhibition runs daily throughout the Festival from 9.30am - 7.30pm