Mt. Hood Jazz Festival Monday, August 13, 2007

Christian McBride (left) and Ron Blake cast a shadow in the spotlight Aug. 4 at the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival in Gresham.

I haven't posted much recently, so here is a big posting.

A little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to photograph the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival in Gresham. The festival ran two days, but I was only there for the final evening. What I saw was pretty cool, though, and the weather was nice for the outdoor venue.

You can read more about the festival here.

I spotted the image at left while I was standing in the wings of the stage. It could have been super-cool, but there was so much clutter on- and off-stage that things got in the way—mic stands, sound equipment, lighting equipment, etc. Oh well.

Here are some other images from the evening.

Christian McBride (right) cracks a smile as he plays with Geoffrey Keezer (left), Terreon Gully, and Ron Blake (not pictured) at the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival in Gresham.

Of the three bands I saw, I liked the Christian McBride Band the best. Christian himself was awesome, and I was particularly impressed by Geoffrey Keezer on keyboards.

(right) Paula West performs on the main stage Aug. 4 at the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival.

Paula West was on stage when I arrived at the event. Photographing singers is always difficult because when they're doing their thing they always have a big microphone in front of their face. This was the best angle I could find, but Paula still has a big pole going through her head.

(left) At 10 months old, Jackson Kultala of Gresham was one of the youngest in attendance at the Festival.

(And they say the festival is having trouble attracting a younger audience!)


(right) Dorado Schmitt wowed the audience with his brand of gypsy jazz. He appeared with the Django Reinhardt Festival All-Stars. (below) One of the band members, Ludovic Beier, plays the accordina. He also performed on accordion.

Before seeing Beier play, I had heard of an accordina, but never seen one in person. It's kind of a cross between a button-accordion and a harmonica. It was pretty cool.

(right) Renowned French violinist Pierre Blanchard plays with the Django Reinhardt Festival All-Stars.

The picture of Blanchard is probably my favorite image of the evening. I tried something similar with Ron Blake (saxophonist with the Christian McBride Band) but it didn't work as well.