"Photography and jazz!go hand-in-hand. They're both spontaneous, and you're always improvising." - Mark Sheldon (Frank Espich / The Star)

A remarkable jazz photo taken nearly 50 years ago in Harlem has inspired an Indianapolis photographer to try something similar here.

Mark Sheldon, a lifelong Indianapolis-area resident, is working to gather jazz musicians with local ties for a group portrait at the Indiana History Center on June 1. He's calling the project "A Great Day in Indy," and the best photograph he shoots will be made into a poster by Printing Partners -- and about 1,000 of them will be sold at $15 to $20 each.

Sheldon is lining up sponsors to cover the project's expenses; he's trying to interest any organization that agrees not to take a cut of the proceeds, which will benefit Indianapolis Jazz Foundation's educational and outreach programs.

Sheldon, 50, has taken photographs of jazz musicians for a couple of decades, selling photos to Down Beat, Jazz Improv, Northwest Airlines' World Traveler and other publications. His day job is working for Cadbury Schweppes, an international confectionery and beverage corporation.

"I grew up listening to the Beatles and Motown," said Sheldon, a Lawrence Central alumnus. "I didn't get into jazz until 20, 25 years ago. I was an adult before I realized what it was. Then it kind of bit me."

Most people with some sense of jazz history and photography are aware of Esquire magazine's invitation to any jazz musician who was available on Aug. 12, 1958, to assemble on 126th Street to pose for its "Golden Age of Jazz" issue.

Art Kane, at the start of an illustrious career, took the photograph, which showed 57 musicians posing on the brownstone's steps and spilling out onto the sidewalk in front. It included such old-timers as Coleman Hawkins and Count Basie, midcareer stars like Dizzy Gillespie and up-and-comers like Sonny Rollins.

So rare a constellation earned Kane's photograph a permanent place in the saga of jazz, just as that issue of Esquire showed magazine journalism as the first draft of history: 1958 was the perfect time to capture young lions in full roar as well as first- and second-generation jazz luminaries. Kane's photo was the subject of an award-winning documentary, "A Great Day in Harlem," and figured as a crucial plot element in Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal," a 2004 film starring Tom Hanks.

The aura of Sheldon's project has a little less luster. Many of the golden names of the Indiana Avenue jazz scene have died, but he hopes a strong representation of the current milieu will attest to the vitality of jazz in Indianapolis.

What's in it for the musicians? "It's driven by their desire that they will raise money for the jazz foundation," Sheldon replied. "Everyone is caught up in 'This is a historical thing.' No one has tossed it off as a goofy idea. People have been enthusiastic."

New Yorkers by adoption such as reedman James Spaulding and pianist John Bunch have expressed interest. Most of the participants are expected to be local, ranging across several generations, from drummer Dick Dickinson to composer-pianist Mina Keohane.

The presence of world-famous professionals such as trombonist Slide Hampton and organist Melvin Rhyne is in question, but Sheldon has a wide network of friends and supporters helping him round up his subjects. To date, about 40 have registered at www.agreatdayinindy.com, but Sheldon expects that number to double.

- By Jay Harvey