Keeping Time

IBPA Ben Franklin Awards: Art/Photography, Gold Medal IBPA Ben Franklin Awards: Coffee Table books, Gold Medal IPPY Awards 2014: Photography, tied for Bronze A collection of gorgeous, never-before-seen photos from the Columbia Records archive, “Keeping Time” illustrates Hunstein s ability to capture artists relaxing and being themselves. “BookPage” an irresistible and thrilling retrospective collection of black-and-white photographs documenting performances and historic recording sessions and capturing unique glimpses into the personalities of original and influential musiciansAs for Hunstein, he modestly shrugs off the aesthetic, psychological, even metaphorical dimensions of his keenly observant and strongly composed photographs, explaining “I just did my job.” Well said. But these portraits of artists at work are, without question, works of art. “Booklist” In today’s celebrity-obsessed world, most images of stars tend to be contrived, taken in controlled environments. The paparazzi would love the access Don Hunstein enjoyed for decades “Keeping Time” is a trove of mostly unseen and intimate black and white images of jazz, rock, soul, and classical greats who recorded on the Columbia label. “BBC News Magazine” when I pick up a photo book, I want the images to do the lifting “Keeping Time: The Photographs of Don Hunstein,” a wonderful new retrospective from Insight Editions, accomplishes exactly that this coffee table must-have is all meat and potatoes, showcasing the mostly unseen and intimate images of Hunstein, who spent three decades as Columbia Records’ official photographer. “Mother Jones”““A collection of gorgeous, never-before-seen photos from the Columbia Records archive, “Keeping Time” illustrates Hunstein’s ability to capture artists relaxing and being themselves.“–“BookPage”.“..an irresistible and thrilling retrospective collection of black-and-white photographs documenting performances and historic recording sessions and capturing unique glimpses into the personalities of original and influential musicians…As for Hunstein, he modestly shrugs off the aesthetic, psychological, even metaphorical dimensions of his keenly observant and strongly composed photographs, explaining “I just did my job.” Well said. But these portraits of artists at work are, without question, works of art.“–“Booklist”“In today’s celebrity-obsessed world, most images of stars tend to be contrived, taken in controlled environments. The paparazzi would love the access Don Hunstein enjoyed for decades … “Keeping Time” is a trove of mostly unseen and intimate black and white images of jazz, rock, soul, and classical greats who recorded on the Columbia label.” –“BBC News Magazine”.“..when I pick up a photo book, I want the images to do the lifting … “Keeping Time: The Photographs of Don Hunstein”, a wonderful new retrospective from Insight Editions, accomplishes exactly that … this coffee table must-have is all meat and potatoes, showcasing the mostly unseen and intimate images of Hunstein, who spent three decades as Columbia Records’ official photographer.“–“Mother Jones”

Jon Pareles is the chief popular music critic of the New York Times, a former music editor at Rolling Stone and the Village Voice, and the consulting editor of the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. He lives in New York, New York.