Pittsburgh was a hub for jazz in the 20th century during its golden age, and photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris seemed to capture every electrifying show. Charles “Teenie” Harris Photographs: Erroll Garner and Jazz from the Hill features the work of two iconic Pittsburgh artists: Harris, and pianist and composer Erroll Garner, curated by Grammy-nominated jazz musician Geri Allen.
The exhibition celebrates the somorecial and cultural history of the era, focusing on the work of jazz pianist and composer Erroll Garner (1921–1977), who alongside close friends and collaborators such as Billy Eckstine, Leroy Brown, Stanley Turrentine, and Dizzy Gillespie helped define the sound of a generation while performing in venues like the Crawford Grill and the Hurricane Club.
About the Charles “Teenie” Harris Archive
Charles “Teenie” Harris (1908–1998) photographed Pittsburgh’s African American community from ca. 1935 to ca. 1975. His archive of more than 70,000 images is one of the most detailed and intimate records of the Black experience known today. Purchased by Carnegie Museum of Art in 2001, the Charles “Teenie” Harris Archive was established to preserve Harris’s important photographic work for future generations. Thanks to the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Carnegie Museum of Art has digitized more than 70,000 of Harris’s negatives, and the collection is available to browse online.
