*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.
Mystery Horn
Fuji XPRO2, 50mm, f/4, 1/100s, ISO 1600
Because the Ceux Qui Marchent Debout gig in April was a record release party there were many guests on stage. One of these was a trumpet player with a really beat up trumpet (you can’t see it here because of the plunger) but boy did he have a clear and powerful sound (not that Bruno, the official CQMD trumpet player doesn’t!) I’m assuming he was an old band member, but I couldn’t catch his name. So he’s the mystery horn.
Low-End Look
Fuji XPRO2, 85mm, f/2.8, 1/80s, ISO 1600
I have a particular photographic fondness for sousaphone players. The bizarre shape and sheer size of their instruments makes for very graphic photos if you can catch their face in the middle of the twisted brass. This is Roufi of the fantastic funk band Ceux Qui Marchent Debout.
Ounsa’s Golden Voice
Fuji xpro2, 85mm, f/2.8, ISO 1600
The launch party for Ceux Qui Marchent Debout‘s new CD Don’t Be Shy was a blast musically. Photographically speaking it was a double challenge: it was the first gig I shot with my new Fuji xpro2, and the New Morning in Paris is not the best scene for photos. It took me a while to get my settings right and get a feel for the camera in low-light. The Fujinon 56mm f/1.2 is a stunning lens in general but its AF is slow, especially in low light (whereas the Fujinon 35mm f/2 performed flawlessly). Anyway, all this to say that I really started getting good shots once the guests showed up on stage. This is the fantastic singer Ounsa Mébarkia, and probably my favorite shot of the evening, even though it doesn’t feature any of the members of the band I was there to listen to.
Sax in the Shadows
Canon 7D, 80mm, f/5.6, 1/60s, ISO 1600
The lighting at that Madd Vibes Brass Band concert at La Batterie in Guyancourt was pretty amazing, and although Arnaud’s face is in the shadows on this shot, I still like it a lot.
Banjo Hero
Canon 7D, 80mm, f/4, 1/100s, ISO 1600
Bruno Clark aka Superclark is the banjo player in the fabled French funk brass band Ceux qui Marchent Debout. CQMD has joined forces with fishbone founder Angelo Moore to form the Madd Vibes Brass Band which I was lucky enough to see live recently. The music was beyond awesome, but one of the great things about shooting these guys (apart from the uniforms) was the fact that they were all mic’ed up wirelessly, which meant that they kept moving on and off the stage, giving me plenty of opportunities for different shots. I had a hard time capturing Superclark though, until the end of the concert when he went to stand at the back of the stage, bathing in multi-colored light.
Sousaphone Silhouette
Canon 7D, 80mm, f/16, 1/50s; ISO 1600
You’re going to start thinking I’m obsessed with sousaphones, considering how many shots of sousaphone players I post relative to the rarity of the instrument (see Kirk’s Work, Rebel Edward and Joe’s Rainbow). You wouldn’t be all wrong, although obviously it’s helped by the fact that a lot of the music I love features sousaphones and that it’s a very graphical instrument. Anyway, this was my first time live seeing the guys of Ceux Qui Marchent Debout, aka CQMD and their sousaphone player Roufi. It was actually a gig by the Madd Vibes Brass Band which is a combination of CQMD and Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore. Anyway, I tried to do something a little different here and outline only Roufi’s silhouette and that of his instrument. Quite pleased with the results, I must say.
Recent Comments