DaveR
04-24-2008, 06:27 PM
Sound and Light
An exhibit of photographs captures jazz musicians in action
Hartford Advocate
Thursday, April 24, 2008
By Robert Cooper
http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=7453
http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/sortable/image/HT17nightOwl.jpg
There is something about jazz musicians that makes them such interesting subjects to photograph. Jazz artists just look so cool, so intense, and so elegant in photographs. Don't believe me? Look at the album covers of artists on the Blue Note record label from the '50s and '60s to get a feel for what I'm talking about. Local photographer Maurice Robertson expertly captures that coolness in his photo exhibit Expressions in Sounds, which is currently on display at the Loomis Chafee School in Windsor.
Robertson, who began taking pictures more than 30 years ago using an Instamatic camera before graduating to his current 35 mm Pentax, has gathered an impressive collection of jazz legends and current artists. In the exhibit are pictures Robertson took during concert performances of Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Ray Charles, Art Blakey, and Joshua Redman.
Not one to be confined to just one genre of music, Robertson's photo collection also includes rock legends Carlos Santana, African singer Angelique Kidjo, mambo legend Israel "Cachao" Lopez, and a very early picture of Prince during the Dirty Mind/Controversy days of the early '80s.
"I've been into music since I was about 5 years old, living in Jamaica," said Robertson who, aside from being a photographer, has been a DJ at 91.3 WUHS, where he has been playing jazz for more than 30 years. "My father turned me on to jazz at an early age, but he also listened to R&B, calypso and reggae. Music is special, and people shouldn't just limit themselves to one genre."
Robertson also got his love for photography from his father who used to take pictures of the family.
"My father wasn't an artistic photographer, but he planted the seed in my head," said Robertson.
The photos that Robertson has compiled are very artistic, with a variety of vivid colors and blurred images, as he is one to experiment with different techniques, claiming he's from the school of trial and error.
"About 90 percent of my photos are taken using available light, and I also use different shutter speeds to create certain effects," he said.
Robertson considers taking photographs of musicians to be very spiritual in that it involves working with light.
"We can't be more close to the creator than when capturing wonderful creative beings at work," said Robertson.
Because of Robertson's radio show and his former gig as a writer for a jazz magazine, he has been able to get access to concert performances. He's also gotten to know the artists on a personal level.
"It's a kinship that we share," Robertson said. "These artists are my friends, my family, and they are allowing me the opportunity to expand as a human being."
Although Robertson has had his photos in exhibits before, the one at Loomis Chafee is his first solo exhibit, and it took three years for the exhibit to take place after he was first approached by an official at the school to exhibit his work.
"I'm thankful that it took them three years to give me the exhibit," said Robertson. "It gave me some more time to hone my craft."
Diona Edwards, a sophomore at the high school, may be too young to know many of the artists, or have an appreciation for jazz music, but she said she thought the pictures were beautiful.
"I can feel the intensity of the musicians, it made me want to hear what they were playing," she said.
Spreading an understanding of this music and documenting its history both motivate Robertson to share his photos.
"These photos are a preservation of a legacy," Robertson said. "I'm exposing the origin of a lot of popular music. It is important that people realize that this music didn't just come from nowhere."
Send your comments to
editor@hartfordadvocate.com
Expressions in Sound will be at the school's Sue and Eugene Mercy, Jr. Gallery inside the Richmond Art Center until May 2. The hours are Mon. to Fri. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. evenings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Sun. from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
An exhibit of photographs captures jazz musicians in action
Hartford Advocate
Thursday, April 24, 2008
By Robert Cooper
http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=7453
http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/sortable/image/HT17nightOwl.jpg
There is something about jazz musicians that makes them such interesting subjects to photograph. Jazz artists just look so cool, so intense, and so elegant in photographs. Don't believe me? Look at the album covers of artists on the Blue Note record label from the '50s and '60s to get a feel for what I'm talking about. Local photographer Maurice Robertson expertly captures that coolness in his photo exhibit Expressions in Sounds, which is currently on display at the Loomis Chafee School in Windsor.
Robertson, who began taking pictures more than 30 years ago using an Instamatic camera before graduating to his current 35 mm Pentax, has gathered an impressive collection of jazz legends and current artists. In the exhibit are pictures Robertson took during concert performances of Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Ray Charles, Art Blakey, and Joshua Redman.
Not one to be confined to just one genre of music, Robertson's photo collection also includes rock legends Carlos Santana, African singer Angelique Kidjo, mambo legend Israel "Cachao" Lopez, and a very early picture of Prince during the Dirty Mind/Controversy days of the early '80s.
"I've been into music since I was about 5 years old, living in Jamaica," said Robertson who, aside from being a photographer, has been a DJ at 91.3 WUHS, where he has been playing jazz for more than 30 years. "My father turned me on to jazz at an early age, but he also listened to R&B, calypso and reggae. Music is special, and people shouldn't just limit themselves to one genre."
Robertson also got his love for photography from his father who used to take pictures of the family.
"My father wasn't an artistic photographer, but he planted the seed in my head," said Robertson.
The photos that Robertson has compiled are very artistic, with a variety of vivid colors and blurred images, as he is one to experiment with different techniques, claiming he's from the school of trial and error.
"About 90 percent of my photos are taken using available light, and I also use different shutter speeds to create certain effects," he said.
Robertson considers taking photographs of musicians to be very spiritual in that it involves working with light.
"We can't be more close to the creator than when capturing wonderful creative beings at work," said Robertson.
Because of Robertson's radio show and his former gig as a writer for a jazz magazine, he has been able to get access to concert performances. He's also gotten to know the artists on a personal level.
"It's a kinship that we share," Robertson said. "These artists are my friends, my family, and they are allowing me the opportunity to expand as a human being."
Although Robertson has had his photos in exhibits before, the one at Loomis Chafee is his first solo exhibit, and it took three years for the exhibit to take place after he was first approached by an official at the school to exhibit his work.
"I'm thankful that it took them three years to give me the exhibit," said Robertson. "It gave me some more time to hone my craft."
Diona Edwards, a sophomore at the high school, may be too young to know many of the artists, or have an appreciation for jazz music, but she said she thought the pictures were beautiful.
"I can feel the intensity of the musicians, it made me want to hear what they were playing," she said.
Spreading an understanding of this music and documenting its history both motivate Robertson to share his photos.
"These photos are a preservation of a legacy," Robertson said. "I'm exposing the origin of a lot of popular music. It is important that people realize that this music didn't just come from nowhere."
Send your comments to
editor@hartfordadvocate.com
Expressions in Sound will be at the school's Sue and Eugene Mercy, Jr. Gallery inside the Richmond Art Center until May 2. The hours are Mon. to Fri. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. evenings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Sun. from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.