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Falter lovingly
recorded history
of jazz with images
Josh Nichols
Staff writer
John Falter grew up loving jazz music and
dreamed of one day being a great musical artist.
An artist he became; a musician he didn’t.
Instead, Falter used his extraordinary talent
for drawing to express his true passion: jazz
music.
Falter’s musical portraits are now on display
at the Nebraska History Museum, 15th and P
streets.
Much of the display takes you back to the
1971 Colorado Jazz Party, a gathering of the
best jazz artists of that time.
You walk in and are surrounded by images of
George “Pee Wee” Erwin, John Mince, Ralph
Sutton, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong and “The
World’s Greatest Jazz Band.”
One of Falter’s paintings shows a gleaming
eyed Armstrong wearing a huge white grin and
holding his trumpet in his right hand. Above his
head is a halo surrounded by stars in the night
sky.
Accompanying the picture ot Armstrong is a
quote by Falter expressing his feelings about
Armstrong and jazz itself. It reads:
“Recently when the late Louis Armstrong
marched over to the other side to be one of the
saints, we were once again reminded that there
are but a few of them left. The innovators who
grew up with the jazz, the men who stuck to the
roots of this American Expression of Music.”
Another picture in the gallery is of Ralph
Sutton, pianist.for the “World’s Greatest Jazz
Band.”
The picture shows Sutton bent over a piano
with an intent look of concentration on his face.
His forearms are brushed lines, and flames
rise from his fingers representing his rapid play
on the keys. His left foot is a blur operating the
pedal.
A third picture shows saxophone and clar
inet player John Mince, half squatted and slight
ly leaning backward while playing his horn.
His closed eyes, scrunched face and stiff
body give the impression that he is digging deep
into his lungs for one last breath of air to play his
instrument.
Most ot the drawings shown at the museum
were taken from Falter’s portfolio of prints,
“Jazz from Life.”
The basis of that portfolio came from
sketches Falter did of the musicians at the
Colorado Jazz Party.
Falter was invited to draw at the Colorado
festival and many other festivals because he ran
with that circle of jazz musicians, said Brent
Carmack, historic sites coordinator at the
Nebraska History Museum.
While the musicians played, Falter drew.
“I started working on a manageable sketch
board that would enable me to do lightning
sketches and paintings right on the spot of jazz
in action, portraying the musicians at work,
drawing and painting ‘on the beat’ if you will,”
Falter said in a press release.
For each subject on display, the museum has
Falter’s original drawing and a lithograph print.
The lithograph prints contain slight differ
ences from Falter’s original drawing but still
have the look of the originals.
Before his jazz sketching, Falter, who was
bom in Plattsmouth in 1910 and grew up in Falls
City, was best know for the covers he drew for
the Saturday Evening Post.
“Falter and Norman Rockwell may have
been the most well-known artists of their time,”
Carmack said.
The exhibit offers more than just a look at
Falter’s work.
“The art exhibit is also a history of jazz dur
ing that time,” Carmack said.
Liz Meacham/DN
In this 1991 drawing, John Falter captures the spontaneity and vibrancy of jazz musician Benny Carter, who is affectionately known to fellow
musicians as “King.” ______ -_
Included with each picture is a description of
who is in the drawing and where it was drawn.
Also on the walls are quotes from Falter’s
press release for his portfolio of prints in 1971.
Accompanying some of the pictures are pos
sessions and collectibles of the subject in the
picture.
Underneath the drawing of Falter’s child
hood friend George “Pee Wee” Erwin are his
trumpet and pieces of his sheet music.
The museum also has photographs of many
of the musicians and a listening station where
you can hear music by the people on display.
Carmack said this is the first time the muse
um has had an audio component for one of its
displays.
People at the museum didn’t think the exhib
it could be done without the musical aspect,
Carmack said.
Funded by the Berman Music Foundation,
the exhibit will be on display through April.
Carmack described Falter as a frustrated
musician who played all of his life but realized
he would never play at the level of musicians he
saw around him.
Falter, who died in 1982, summed up his
work best in a quote located above his friend
Erwin’s display.
The quote from his 1971 press release read,
“During the mid-twenties I played, or attempted
to play*jazz clarinet with my schoolmates in
Falls City, A1 Maust and Pee Wee Erwin. I plan
to go and record ... these men who have k,cpt
pure jazz alive.
“You see, I am attempting to visually record
the jazz I was never able to properly play.”