*Roufi in the Spotlight*
Fuji Xpro2
Ceux Qui Marchent Debout is a live experience like few I’ve ever seen. Don’t get me wrong, their records are great, but the live energy is just something else. Roufi is the sousaphone player, in charge of the low low end.
*Sylvain, Alone*
Fuji XPro2
Sylvain Luc is one of the most amazing jazz guitarists alive. The stuff that comes out of his brain and fingers puts most other musicians to shame and yet he seems like a very humble guy. He wasn’t actually alone at that gig but rather in a duet with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc. Still, I don’t normally do wide shots of musicians like this, but I felt this worked really well.
*Marcel’s Gospel*
Canon 7D
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see the Palata Singers in a small provincial Church. They’re a gospel quartet from Congo, singing in their native Kicongo. I’m not a religious man, but there is something in Gospel that is inexplicably moving to me. I liked this photo of Marcel Boungou backlit by the modern stained glass and protecting his eyes from the light, as if a metaphor for his own belief in the Lord.
Two-Stick Julian
Fuji xpro2, 160mm, f/2.8, 1/160s, ISO 6400
Shooting drummers in badly lit clubs is always tricky, because things move too fast for the camera to capture. Getting good shots is a combination of anticipation, repetition and luck. Here I managed to get Julian Addison with both sticks up and an interesting facial expression, I consider myself lucky!
One Hand Up
Fuji xpro2, 50mm, f/2, 1/100s, ISO 3200
TJ Norris is the newest in the Dirty Dozen Brass Band lineup, but he’s a fine addition, both on trombone and on vocals. I like this shot because you can see the audience in the background. I need to do more shots like this, wide enough that you can see the musicians are not playing in isolation.
Blowing in the Deep End
Fuji xpro2, 75mm, f/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 6400
There’s something super powerful about the sound of the baritone saxophone, that vibration that you not only hear but feel within you. Roger Lewis, aka The Dirty Old Man is one of my favourite baritone players. He has the power, but also the refined register, when he chooses to exert it. At that gig in Paris, he played a beautiful high register solo on a super low key version of Drown in my Own Tears sung by Greg Davis and backed by Takeshi Shimmura on guitar.
Wide Eyed-Wink
Fuji xpro2, 90mm, f/2.8, 1/160s, ISO 6400
It’s quite rare that when I’m taking concert photos a musician will look straight at me. At least it used to be before I got that big 50-140 zoom lens. At that Dirty Dozen Brass Band gig, I harvested several shots where the musicians were clearly looking at me. This one of Greg Davis has a bit of an old Louis Armstrong feel.
Kevin’s Shades
Fuji xpro2, 105mm, f/2.8, 1/125s, ISO 6400
Kevin Harris is the tenor sax in the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and possibly the jazziest of them all. He always plays in a cap and shades, and when I shot this I couldn’t help but think of Bleeding Gums Murphy, the saxophonist in the early episodes of the Simpsons. Must be the frizzy hair.
TJ’s Bone
Fuji xpro2, 75mm, f/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 6400
I love shooting trombone players in large part for the diagonal opportunities they offer. TJ Norris was no exception during this Dirty Dozen Brass Band gig. Forearm muscles ain’t bad either 
Kirk’s Gaze
Fuji xpro2, 150mm, f/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 6400
Kirk Joseph is not only a legendary New Orleans musician, he’s also a legend and innovator amongst sousaphone players. His playing was mellow and funky that night, and when I found an opportunity to get close and frame him, he looked at me in this whimsical, inquisitive way.
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