Jos L. Knaepen

Jazz.com is delighted to present the artistry of jazz photographer Jos L. Knaepen in its Visual Jazz galleries. Please note that reproduction or use of these images without the written consent of the copyright holder is strictly prohibited. Inquiries on obtaining prints or licensing these works can be sent to galleries@jazz.com.

Belgian born, Jos L. Knaepen, more commonly referred to as "The Jazzman," became interested in jazz at the age of seventeen, after purchasing his first LP of Django Reinhardt and Sidney Bechet in 1961. By the time he was 18, he was a regular attendee at the infamous Comblain La Tour where many jazz giants performed during their European tours. It was also during this period that his interest in photography began.?? Not having the money to purchase sophisticated photo equipment, several years of dedicated scrimping and saving elapsed before Knaepen was equipped well enough to call himself a serious photographer.

His professional photographic career began in earnest during the early seventies. ??His reputation spread during the early 1980s and his award-winning action photography was exhibited regularly throughout Belgium. By 1985, his professional photography career took a hiatus until 1990 when he began again, this time limiting his photography strictly to jazz, one of the great loves of his life.

Knaepen's archive of jazz photographs currently includes more than 46,000 images and is growing daily. We share some of these memorable works below. Inquiries about prints and licensing of Jos Knaepen's images can be sent to galleries@jazz.com.