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by Petra Richterová

SOUND OF LIGHT:
Music Photography and Conversations with the Artists

An independent, limited edition publication.

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Currently available at Blue Note Jazz Club NYC

“The magic and mystery of music permeates and animates every domain of culture, and Petra Richterová’s Sound of Light is the work of a brilliant artist-scholar who is able to capture the profundity of music as it manifests through the words, sounds and movements of some of the greatest musicians of our time. Shot with passion and precision, Richterová uses her enchanted eye machine to take her reader/viewer on an intoxicating journey across the Aurora Borealis of black Atlantic music.” 

Dr. Michael E. Veal, Professor of Music, Yale University

"A limited edition of 200, beautifully designed and printed on heavy paper, reasonably priced at $65. Collectors and libraries should snap it up. Most of the pages are given over to (very good) photos of musicians – a section of candids and a section on stage – but also with plenty to read, including transcriptions of Dr. R's interviews with Robert Glasper, the late lamented Greg Tate, Marcus Strickland, Will Calhoun, Angelo Moore, and Marcus Miller. Prologue by Tate, Doug Wimbish on the cover. It's a great companion to Dan Charnas's instant-classic Dilla Time, which is available again after Macmillan apparently failed to anticipate the demand for the first printing."

Ned Sublette, author, musicologist and musician

"The Sound of Light by Petra Richterová is raw.  Some images scream and grunt. Others are pensive, soulful portraits of the music world and the people who inhabit it.   All create an intimate story that takes us into the lives and onto the stages of Black musicians—a purposeful space of culture and creativity for Petra. 

 

From black & white to vibrant color, Petra’s arpeggio of images puts horns, keyboards, and guitar solos in our ears and hints at onstage buzz and backstage banter. Petra also engages artists in honest conversations about the music which places the images in context—and not. Imagery. Words. Music. Freedom. Love. It’s all there. The Sound of Light is a stimulating full experience, and the expression is pitch perfect."

Hasna Muhammad, Ph.D., visual artist, writer and educator

"When love supremely guides a lens, a culture is truly seen. Petra Richterová’s Sound of Light is an extraordinary tribute to the power of music and the artists who shape it. Through her lens, she captures not only the raw emotion and intensity of performance but also the deep connection between the musicians and their aesthetic craft. It’s the moment you really see the artist in full. With her precise eye, Richterová immerses us in the essence of music in all its forms—spoken, sung, and performed—by some of the most influential musicians of our time.  The transformative power of music in culture is seen on each page and soon, in an important exhibit."

Vikki Tobak, Author and Curator, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop and Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History

"Sound of Light is more than just a collection of photos.  It’s an invitation and a celebration of the global Black creative experience. Teaming up with Black artists across various musical genres, Petra’s photos put you on stage, backstage, and at home, lovingly capturing intimate moments of thought, camaraderie, expression."

Earl Douglas, Executive Director, The Black Rock Coalition

"Miles Davis once said 'You’ve got to have style in whatever you do.' The style and substance of Petra Richterova’s work in turn illuminates the style and substance of jazz and the numerous subjects captured by her lenses. Absorbing the overall vibe and understanding the broad scope of this impressive exhibition elevates the stylistic experience. Dig it for yourself though. You will not be disappointed. Much respect!"

Dr. Todd Boyd, a.k.a Notorious Ph.D., is the Katherine and Frank Price Endowed Chair for the Study of Race and Popular Culture at USC

"Petra put her heart and soul into her publication, 'Sound of Light'.

I've enjoyed a long time friendship with Petra and can remember the many times she showed up to an event, climbing up or lying down to capture the perfect angle or light to represent her subject in the very best mood. 

Petra studies her subjects - she knows their moves, their histories, their music. Through her dedication and expertise, her portrayal is not only thought provoking, but also captures the intensity of the moment.

Petra has captured the artistic nature of music into photographical and historical beauty."

Doug Wimbish, Bassist, Living Colour

"Petra Richetrová’s 'Sound of Light' presents the true essence of what it means to be a musician or artist of any kind.  When the body becomes a generator of expression through a chosen medium or language the interaction can produce a beauty that can be so fleeting that only the most empathetic eyes can capture it.  Petra is one of the few who possess this profound skill through her photography.  She’s nonintrusive, yet engagingly informed of her subjects, resulting in this amazing photography collection that lives up to its name."

Marcus Strickland, saxophonist and composer

Gureje Boutique 

886 Pacific Street

Brooklyn, NY 11238

+1 718 857 2522

 

Subway: C to Clinton and Washington

Blue Note Jazz Club

131 W 3rd St

New York, NY 10012

 

 

Get your signed copy!

 

IN STORE PURCHASE

SOUND OF LIGHT:

Music Photography and Conversations with the Artists 

uncovers 25 years of my photography focusing on the griots of African American and Afro-diasporic music. Following black music scenes in New York City and on the road, it is a love letter to the art of music and the art of photography. The book consists of images plus conversations with musicians about their artistic process and the spirituality of music. Seeing jazz, hip hop, funk, soul, rock n' roll, street dance culture and beyond, the volume reflects the relatedness of black music and performance styles, celebrating the common root of artistic expression from a personal perspective. Cultivating my vision as a photographer has meant seeing beyond the world of forms and discrete artistic mediums, allowing me to transcend the process of my rational mind to work with an iconography of the spirit. The two photographic chapters, OFFstage and ONstage, offer a soulful glimpse into the fullness of the itinerant performer’s experience. Those interviewed are all longtime collaborators—this intimacy and openness comes across in honest conversations about the creative process. Prologue by the late poet and cultural critic Greg Tate. Interviews were conducted with Robert Glasper, Angelo Moore, Marcus Strickland, Will Calhoun, Greg Tate, and Marcus Miller. Featured artists include Wynton Marsalis, Bilal, Ishmael Butler, Fishbone, Keyon Harrold, Parliament-Funkadelic, Jason Moran, Living Colour, Wadada Leo Smith, Chucho Valdés, Youssou N’Dour, Pharoahe Monch, Hassan Hakmoun, Randy Weston, Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, Cavalier, Chris “Daddy” Dave, Storyboard P, and Salif Keita, among others.

Book Design: Station @wearestation

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Petra Richterová, born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, is a scholar, photographer, and filmmaker who received her doctorate from Yale University specializing in African and Afro-Diasporic Arts (2010). She has photographed for Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Black Rock Coalition, and her images have been shown at Columbia University, Fábrica de Arte Cubano, The Wilmer Jennings Gallery, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. Petra’s debut short sonic film, ON MY MIND (Blue Note Records), premiered with Afropunk in 2020. She followed with ARE YOU HEARING ME? (Vibe Music Collective) in 2021, and AMYGDALA (Strick Muzic) in 2023. Her monograph, Sound of Light: Music Photography and Conversations with the Artists, spans 25 years of photography documenting the griots of Black music. As a 2021–22 Scholar-in-Residence at the Schomburg Center, she developed her forthcoming scholarly book, Rumba: A Philosophy of Motion. Petra is an Officer of Research at Columbia University’s Center for Jazz Studies, and Professor of African and African American arts at Savannah College of Art and Design. She spends her time between Brooklyn and Savannah.

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