Liverpool exhibition of William Ellis jazz greats this spring

Captivating images of leading jazz artists taken by an acclaimed Liverpool music photographer are set to go on show in the city next month.

William Ellis’ work will be displayed at the Capstone Building on Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus at Everton to coincide with the 2026 Liverpool International Jazz Festival.

Songs For my Father: The Jazz Photography of William Ellis runs from February 3 to April 15, with the jazz festival itself taking place from February 26 to March 1.

Born in Liverpool in 1957, Ellis is internationally celebrated and his photographs of famous jazz players have appeared in national newspapers, magazines and on record covers.

His work has also been exhibited worldwide including Europe, the US, Canada, Cuba, South Africa, China and the Far East and is in numerous public and private collections including London’s National Portrait Gallery and the Archive of Contemporary Music in New York.

A Visiting Research Fellow in Photographing Popular Music Culture at the University of Birmingham, he is also co-author of the forthcoming book Rethinking Miles Davis published by Oxford University Press.

Above: Herbie Hancock. Top: Nancy Wilson. Photographs by William Ellis.

Visitors to the Capstone Building will be able to see photographs of music legends on stage, in rehearsal spaces, even in their own homes, revealing details about performance practices, instrumentation, fashion and interpersonal dynamics.

They include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Nancy Wilson, Pat Metheny, Ravi Coltrane, Ron Cater and Tony Bennett.

Neil Campbell, creative director of the Liverpool International Jazz Festival, says: "Jazz is an art form rooted in improvisation and spontaneity - photography shares this instantaneous nature of creation in capturing for us an in-the-moment impression which provides a visual context that enriches our understanding and appreciation of the music’s cultural and social environment."

Songs For my Father: The Jazz Photography of William Ellis runs from February 3 to April 15 at the Capstone Building in Shaw Street. More details HERE