Miles said, 'Clax? Sounds like a household cleaner.' So we had a laugh right away."A new book, from which these images are taken, provides a beautiful record of that time, and of the different sources of what Claxton calls that "one great American music". "I had the good fortune to meet him when I was quite young, and so was he, in 1950," says Claxton. I'd try to make myself as unnoticeable as possible."Claxton is 78 now, and many of the friendships he formed have been sundered by death; that with Ellington, for instance, or with Miles Davis, whom he managed to photograph in a pose rare for the trumpeter - smiling. The longstanding stars were still with the Duke - Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Johnny "Rabbit" Hodges on alto, and at the end you can almost hear Ellington introduce the section's anchor in his customary fashion: "all-American No 1 baritone saxophonist, Harry Carney"."Whenever I met musicians that I didn't know," says Claxton, "I'd spend time watching their body language, how they held their instruments, how the light hit their faces. The day when pop music brought success to small bands such as the Ramsey Lewis Trio, through covers of chart hits, but dealt a terminal blow to large ensembles, had not yet arrived.Claxton could photograph Bill Evans in a Hollywood club, locked in concentration at the piano, his head barely above the keyboard. Or he could record the massed horns of Duke Ellington's orchestra at the Monterey Jazz Festival. But the older styles thrived around New Orleans, and the big bands, although past their heyday, still toured.
"I guess when you shoot eight-under, you've got to be doing something right. I'm very happy with my start." Sorenstam joined Laura Davies in the LPGA record books at this event last year when she won it for the fourth consecutive time.But the Swede, who has already wrapped up her eighth Player of the Year award and eighth money title this season, might have a battle on her hands this time out as Kim also got off to a strong start, reaching the turn at six-under before finishing on nine-under."That's the best score of my career," said an elated Kim, who at one point birdied six consecutive holes. Sorenstam birdied seven of the first 10 holes on her way to eight birdies. "I hit my short irons good, I putted well and drove the ball well," said Sorenstam, an eight-time winner on the LPGA Tour this year.
Victory would take them within a point of Celtic, temporarily at least.. Annika Sorenstam began the hunt for her fifth straight Mizuno Classic title in style yesterday, opening with an eight-under-par 64 to sit a stroke behind South Korea's Young Kim. Tony Mowbray's side are seeking a sixth consecutive SPL win on the road. Rangers face an imminent double-header at Parkhead, playing Celtic away in the CIS Cup next Wednesday, and away again in the SPL in a fortnight.McLeish yesterday deflected some of the attention from himself by making the surprise public announcement that he is dropping his goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus for today's match and will start with Stefan Klos, who has not played since January.Among several recent slip-ups, Waterreus was partly culpable for Rangers conceding one of two goals in the 2-2 draw at Artmedia Bratislava in the Champions' League in midweek.Hibs can maintain the pressure on the leaders - and bolster neutral hopes of a genuine four-horse race for the title - when they visit bottom-placed Livingston today. The defending champions, Rangers, have also won two, drawn three and lost one of their last six domestically, but with Old Firm expectations so much higher, anything less than a victory at Ibrox against Aberdeen today could seal Alex McLeish's exit. Rangers start the day in fourth place, 10 points behind the top pair and six adrift of third-placed Hibs.Even a Rangers victory will leave McLeish at the mercy of his friend - and Celtic manager - Gordon Strachan. United's visit to Tynecastle should reveal the Hearts players' state of mind.