Sepp Werkmeister made his name as a leading jazz photographer of the 1960s and ‘70s. Traveling to the biggest and best concerts and festivals, he became a fixture in the community and counted among his subjects Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Oscar Peterson, among many others. Many of Werkmeister’s photographs were taken in New York City, home—then as now—to a thriving jazz scene.

While most photography and music enthusiasts will be familiar with Werkmeister’s photographs of jazz greats, the Munich-born photographer’s New York cityscapes—captured during the same period—remain an underappreciated pocket of activity. Presenting more than ninety full-color photographs from the photographer’s archives, New York places Werkmeister’s work in a wider context. The book collects Werkmeister’s well-loved photographs of the city’s jazz scene, but it also shows the photographer seeking to convey a panoramic view of the city—from the wealthy and well-heeled of urban society to the homeless and hopeless in rubbish-strewn alleyways.

New York is the first publication devoted to Werkmeister’s New York cityscapes, and it restores this little-known treasure of history and photography.

Ulrich Pohlmann is head curator of the photo collection at the Stadtmuseum, Munich.