Helen Mirren by Melvin Sokolsky 
Two shots of Bert Lahr. Melvin Sokolsky took these in New York in 1961.
Gus Van Sant + friend by Melvin Sokolsky, Los Angeles, 2008
Melvin Sokolsky
Hal Holbrook, Los Angeles, 2008
Hal Holbrook, Los Angeles, 2008
Natalie Wood by Melvin Sokolsky
Los Angeles, 1962
Los Angeles, 1962
Lena Horne by Melvin Sokolsky
A match of the undated Helen Mirren portrait at the top of this thread, this shot is probably considerably earlier; it’s from New York in 1963
A match of the undated Helen Mirren portrait at the top of this thread, this shot is probably considerably earlier; it’s from New York in 1963
What a wonderful portrait of Zero Mostel by Melvin Sokolsky, made in New York in 1962
Here’s a Melvin Sokolsky portrait of one of my favourite actresses: Paula Prentiss, New York, 1963
Melvin Sokolsky
Chet Baker & Rosemary “Wally” Coover, New York, 1959
I haven’t seen this photo before. Sokolsky did a fair amount of musical portraiture, especially in jazz. I’ll put together a thread of his album covers Real Soon Now.
Chet Baker & Rosemary “Wally” Coover, New York, 1959
I haven’t seen this photo before. Sokolsky did a fair amount of musical portraiture, especially in jazz. I’ll put together a thread of his album covers Real Soon Now.
One of Melvin Sokolsky's most famous photos:
"Lip Streaks", New York, 1967
The model is Donna Mitchell
"Lip Streaks", New York, 1967
The model is Donna Mitchell
It was this Blue Mitchell album cover that got me thinking about Melvin Sokolsky. Blue Soul is a wonderful disc from 1959. I love his classic pose!
Another wonderful Melvin Sokolsky portrait on an album cover: Big Miller, from 1959. All-star musicians & Langston Hughes lyrics!
Big Miller moved to Edmonton in 1973, bringing his Kansas City blues to the Great White North. #YEG
Big Miller moved to Edmonton in 1973, bringing his Kansas City blues to the Great White North. #YEG
Yet another jazz album from 1959 with a Melvin Sokolsky portrait on the cover: Cannonball Takes Charge. And he really does take charge in this shot, which suggests the power of his personality & his music.
This cover shows another side of Melvin Sokolsky: his advertising chops are on display in a slick presentation of Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges suite, as played by David Oistrakh in 1960. Misspelled name, or is this just a different transliteration?
Yet another side of Melvin Sokolsky: his fashion photography! The fine print credit on this 1960 album says "courtesy of Harper's Bazaar". Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the model. Another credit - "collage by Sigrid Spaeth" - I assume refers to the photo's background.
*Digression alert*: Sigrid Spaeth was Saul Steinberg's girl-friend from 1960 until her suicide in 1995. Here's a wonderful shot the two of them by Jill Krementz, from 1994.
Back to Melvin Sokolsky: this is one of my favourite jazz albums: Bill Evans Trio's Portrait in Jazz from 1960. I didn't know this portrait was his.
With Scott LaFaro & Paul Motian; recorded on Dec. 28, 1959
With Scott LaFaro & Paul Motian; recorded on Dec. 28, 1959
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