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This is the street where "A Great Day in Harlem" was photographed—and it's being celebrated tomorrow


This is the street where "A Great Day in Harlem" was photographed
This is the spot where "A Great Day in Harlem" was photographed.

Tomorrow marks the day in 1958 when dozens of jazz greats posed for a photo that became known as "A Great Day in Harlem."


Captured by Art Kane for Esquire magazine, the black-and-white image (original title: "Harlem 1958") shows 57 musicians including Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, and Charles Mingus gathered in front of a Harlem brownstone on E 126th Street.


On August 12, 2021—63 years to the day later—the block will be co-named “Art Kane Harlem 1958 Place.” A ceremony at 2:45pm will include a speech by the photographer's son as well as a jazz performance by Patience Higgins and the Sugar Hill Quartet.


17 E 126th Street in Harlem still stands today.

So where exactly is the street? A residential block lined with historic brownstones, E 126th Street is located between Fifth and Madison Avenues in East Harlem.


The iconic photo shows the musicians standing on the stoop of a stately townhouse with the number 17 on it, and the original house still stands today.


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