Mingus, Monk and Mailer: W Eugene Smith's Jazz Loft photographs | Sean O'Hagan

A maverick prone to obsessiveness, photojournalist W Eugene Smith was drawn to Pittsburgh's 'vistas of melancholy', but his greatest legacy was a monumental archive that chronicled the city's legendary jazz sceneRobert Frank described W Eugene Smith as "the last American photographer who believed that his work was the message and he was the messenger to tell you that it was true and that it will survive."It's an interesting description, hinting at Smith's extraordinary self-belief, as well as hi...

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