Oud Woman

From the 20 May 2009 concert by Eliyahu Sills & Qadim Ensemble at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, USA.

Monochrome Jazz

Jake's Bistro in Steilacoom is a pleasant little place and they have great food, but their stage lighting leaves something to be desired. I took a number of shots in the dim red light, and wasn't pleased with the result. But a little work in Photoshop to desaturate the image, and this shot of singer LaVon Hardison became something much more interesting. A little grainy, but full of the energy and style she exudes in her performances. I suppose the black & white also evokes a time past in some now-forgotten jazz dive...but I don't miss the thick layer of smoke that would have overlaid that scene.

Images of Music

Vocalist LaVon Hardison asked me to design the artwork for her latest CD, which has just been released. It's entitled Everyday Gifts and she gave me the challenge of finding visuals that represented the inspirational nature of the music without falling into cliches. We settled on a field of flowers for the main theme, which is used in several places. Inside the booklet is a complementary photo, an almost-abstract image of long grasses.



You may notice a certain song credit within. Yes, LaVon and I co-wrote one of the songs on the album, which was a wonderfully fun collaboration. The photography/design also was engaging and challenging, and leaves me eager for more. Do you need a cover for your own CD? Let me know.

You can find out more about LaVon and her music at www.lavonhardison.com