The community I live in has festivals most weekends from April through October. It’s a way of drawing tourists to out tiny Victorian village. I usually stay far away unless the festival is about art or antique cars –  or unless there is a parade, then I’m there:)

A few weeks ago it was the Jazz Festival. I had just returned home from a business trip and was thinking about what I could photograph on the weekend when I contacted my pal Judy. She asked if I was interested in going to a jazz concert at the Auditorium. I don’t know much about jazz beyond music appreciation classes in school and what I have seen on Treme, but it sounded like a good time to hang out so I decided to go. To tell the truth I thought about backing out all day, but I knew Judy really wanted to go.

The artist was Delfeayo Marsalis, I recognized the last name from his brother who used to be on the Tonight Show. I decided to take just my camera body and my portrait lens, I wanted something fast so I would not need to flash. I was glad to see that we were in the front row to the left – perfect spot to shoot or get close to the stage.

I took a few shots and was intrigued by the color – the lights were casting purple and yellow hues on the musicians and their instruments. I loved the colors and how they seemed to express the coolness and crispness of the sounds of the trombone.

About midway through the concert I decided to try the grainy film filter on my camera – just experimenting. There want a lot of light so I focused on trying to bring out just a bit of the mid tones. What I ended up with was something with a feeling of chiaroscuro. Highs and lows – a lot like the music.

What I discovered is that I like jazz, I liked it enough to put the camera down and just take it in. I even recognized Brer Rabbit on an episode of Treme.