Pismo Jazz Jubilee by the Sea

It was the fortieth year of this annual weekend event. I was able to attend only on Saturday, but I heard many of the bands and visited each of the venues. As in previous years, good music regaled Pismo Beach. Some of the bands have been performing the jazz festival circuit for decades, and still deliver a fresh sound. There were several aggregations that I had not heard before, and also many young musicians on the stages. They did not disappoint the audiences. Some credit goes to the Basin Street Regulars, the jazz club of the California Central Coast, for their sponsorship and support of young musicians.

As you will discover below, there were some photographs to be made. Jazz Festival venues are challenging locations for photography. The bands move in and move out quickly, and in short order there is a plethora of tangled cords, microphones, folding chairs and beer glasses (usually empty) littering the stage. This limits unobstructed views of the musicians. Add to that uneven lighting of the stage (the folding chairs at the side of the stage got their own spotlight at one venue) and the number of really good opportunities drops further. Well, it is, after all, about the music, not the photography. But!—I found situations that I thought might work well and, I'm pleased to report that most of them did. Below are a couple dozen photographs of Saturday's activities.