Photo Credit: Seth MacMillan |
Increasingly I find myself moved by music, as I
barrel along. For many years I have been a professional photographer. Not
surprisingly these two roads had to cross.
Matt Munisteri, The Ear Regulars. NYC, 2016 |
I just happen to like a style of music that isn’t
fueled by sales. Yesterday’s music from long ago, the 30’s and the 40’s, it
hits some hidden dusty chord in me. Gypsy jazz, and Swing. The complexity and
the energy pull me in. Musically
transported to another era. From a time when talents like Django, Charlie
Christian, Duke Ellington glamorously played to large audiences and traveled
constantly due to demand for their artistry.
Renaud Crois. Django in June, Northamption, MA, 2016 |
I am in awe of the musicians who keep this
music alive. Truly a labor of love. They are completely inspiring. Their skills
at playing these charts, acquired from years of practicing their trade, are completely
disproportionate to what they are paid for gigs these days -- if they’re paid.
These photos are a humble quixotic attempt to
honor these woefully under-appreciated musical talents. Trying, usually
unsuccessfully, to convey more than a simple visual description of them. When
successful, some of the emotion/joy they convey on stage is transmitted two-dimensionally.
Please support live music. Whatever your taste
in music is. Wherever it transports you …. Buy the artists’ CDs. If we don’t
support them, who will?
Thanks, so much, for stopping by… Jeffrey
Djangolaya. Washington DC, 2015 |
This is Week 20 of 52 Artists in 52 Weeks.
Thank you for reading and sharing Jeffrey’s story today. To connect with him
and see more of his work, please visit the following links:
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