Adrien H. Tillmann is a Jazz photographer, cinematographer, audio recording engineer, and technical director based in New York City. Born near Paris and self-taught, Tillmann has made a name for himself in jazz photography, with his work featured in legendary New York venues like The Village Vanguard and Birdland.
In 2024, he was honored with the Abbey Road Music Photography Award in the Jazz category (Abbey Road Studios, London – UK).
His career includes publications in The New York Times, New York Post, DownBeat, Wall Street Journal, JazzTimes, and NYC Jazz Record. His work has been highlighted by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)’s blog, and he has directed a concert video broadcasted by PBS (Raga Maqam), created performance films for Harvard, and a documentary for Cornell University. Tillmann has collaborated with MoMA and worked with major record labels like Sony Music, Blue Note Records, Motéma, and Mack Avenue Records. He’s also photographed at notable venues and festivals, from UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to the White House and the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Adrien has also been part of various film productions, working in the art department with director Rob Bravler (known for Moby; Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton) and cinematographer Nathan Haugaard (known for Avatar: The Way of Water, Blair Witch). He has taken on roles as a unit photographer, assistant camera, and production assistant on different sets.
Contact:
adrien (@) aht1985.com
Awards:
2024 Abbey Road Music Photography Award Winner – Jazz The Rebirth of Cool (Abbey Road Studios – London, UK)
2023 Jazz Journalists Association- JJA Awards Photo of the Year Nominee (NYC, USA)
2017 Jazz Journalists Association-JJA Awards Photo of the Year Nominee (NYC, USA)
Customers/Collaborations:
Motéma Music, Mack Avenue Records, Blue Note Records, SFJAZZ, NYC Winter Jazz Festival, MoMA, Mass MoCA, Sony Music, Americas Society, Harvard University, Paris New York Heritage Festival, Jacob Burns Film Center, Cornell University, UCLA & Brown University, Brooklyn Raga Massive, Birdland, Sarajevo Jazz Festival, (+).
Exhibitions:
Royal Albert Hall – 10/2024 Collective Abbey Road MPA London, UK
Abbey Road Studios – MPA, London, UK collective Oct. 3rd 2024
Outernet Global – 09/2024 Collective Abbey Road MPA London, UK
Café de la Danse / Paris New York Heritage Festival (Solo – Paris 06/2018)
Jacob Burns Film Center (Solo, New York – 2019)
TV:
PBS (Raga Maqam Live, Director/Editor – 2021),
Criterion (Feat. inside “Art House America” 2019)
Artists (Photo and/or Video):
Chucho Valdes, Cecile McLorin Salvant, DeeDee Bridgewater, Herbie Hancock, Antonio Sanchez, Tony Bennett, Brian Newman, Joel Ross, Immanuel Wilkins, Billy Hart, Spike Lee, Terry Riley, Billy Harper, Robert Glasper, Jon Batiste, Etiennes Charles, Marcus & EJ Strickland, Amir ElSaffar, Peter Sellars, Rajna Swaminathan, Ganavya, Keith Brown, Sheila Jordan, Samara Joy, Kenny Washington, Andy Statman, Roy Hargrove, Darius Jones, Marcus Gilmore, Kenny Garrett, Gary Bartz, Shabaka Hutchings, Kidd Jordan, Andrew Cyrille, Mark Guiliana, Henry Threadgil, Roman Filiu, David Virelles, Henry Conerway III, Ambrose Akinmusire, Seu Jorge, Ravi Coltrane, Brian Blade, Snarky Puppy, Christian McBride, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Pharoah Sanders, Nicholas Payton, Raynald Colom, Roy Ayers, Fred Wesley, Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Tony Allen, Joshua Redman, Joey Alexander, Eric Harland,Brian Jackson, Henry Grimes, Lee Konitz, George Coleman, Gretchen Parlato, James Brandon Lewis, Melvin Gibbs, Brandon Ross, Wallace Rooney, Maria Grand, Jana Herzen, Charnett Moffett, Sun Ra Arkestra, Cyrus Chestnut, Magos Herrera, Kendrick Scott, Lakecia Benjamin, Marc Cary, Reggie Workman, Oliver Lake, Dezron Douglas, Brandee Youger, Aaron Diehl, Petros Klampanis, Bill Charlap, Quantic, Dhafer Youssef, Jose James, Anat Cohen, Nduduzo Makhathini, Harish Raghavan, Nasheet Waits, Big Yuki, Taylor McFerrin, Jesse Davis, Edmar Castaneda, Omara Portuondo, Roberto Fonseca, Melvis Santa, Frank Catalano, Joey DeFrancesco, Jeff Tain Watts, SFJAZZ Collective, Dianne Reeves, Regina Carter, Daru Jones, Ian Chang, Rafiq Bhatia, Kassa Overall, Theo Croker, Ben Williams, James Francies, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Dick Griffin, Saul Williams, David Murray, Al Foster, Ron Carter, Jeff ‘Tain Watts, Andy Bey, Fatoumata Diawara, Hiatus Kayiote, Keyon Harrold, JD Allen, Lenny Reece, Orquesta Akokan, Roamn Diaz, Adi Meyerson, Greg Osby, Jaleel Shaw, Jaimeo Brown, Jojo Kuo, Peter Apfelbaum, Bill Laswell, Curtis Lundy, Wayne Shorter, Jeremy Dutton, Carlos Sarduy, Aaron Comess, Jazzmeia Horn, Carlos Lopez, Miguel Zenon, Kamasi Washington, etc…