Sometimes I sing.
I let my voice be heard.
I sing my song.

I had the pleasure of having this photo taken of me last year when my friend, Valerie Troutt, was doing a recording session at Studio 1510 in West Oakland. Big thanks to David Ewell for hamming it up on the bass.

A Special Jazz Salute to Black History Month – February 1 thru March 4, 2012 – Jazz Heritage Center Lush Life Gallery – 1320 Fillmore Street – San Francisco. Opening reception and panel discussion on February 2 from 6-9pm. The panel discussion will be from 6-7pm in the Jazz Heritage Center Media Room and moderated by Norman K. Brown. Please come out!!!

I am very excited to be in the company of fellow artists, James Gayles and Jim Dennis for this exhibit.

Photo highlights from the 4th Annual San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival at Yoshi’s SF on October 9. 2011. The festival included the lovely music of (top to bottom) Annie Brazil, Ann Marie Santos, and Lena Sunday.

Bluesman Alvon Johnson keeping it bluesy for Christmas at Yoshi’s Oakland.

José James – vocals
Kris Bowers – keyboards
Takuya Kuroda – trumpet
Solomon Dorsey – bass
Nate Smith – drums

Soulful crooner José James returned to the Bay Area for two nights in December. He and his band put on a spectacular show at The New Parish in Oakland. José performed his current hits and also new music from his upcoming album.

Vocalist Jua Howard at the Downtown Berkeley Music Festival in August 2011. If you have not heard Jua sing then you definitely want to check him out. He is currently working on his second album project. Please support live music!!!

Take a moment.
Celebrate your gifts.
I celebrate my mother who would have been 82 years old today.
My father would have been 92 years old earlier this month.
I am grateful to them and my first mom for my gifts and wisdom.
I definitely could not have done it without all of them.
Thank God!

As 2011 comes to a close, I want wish everyone a happy holiday season and all the best for 2012. This has been an incredible year of photography for me and I am expecting good things in the coming year.

Paula West

Jennifer Bryce

Denise Perrier

Faye Carol

I had the pleasure of photographing “Night with the Divas” – a concert benefiting Black Coalition on AIDS and Rafiki Wellness Center in San Francisco. The featured divas included Paula West, Jennifer Bryce, Denise Perrier, and Faye Carol. They were backed by the Marcus Shelby Trio featuring Marcus Shelby on bass, Adam Shulman on piano, and Jeff Marrs on drums. It was a spectacular evening of music serving a great cause.

For 25 years, BCA has been helping to address the urgent health needs of San Francisco’s Black community, beginning with HIV/AIDS. In recent years, through its Rafiki Wellness project, BCA has been providing information, education and support to individuals and families coping with a myriad of health disparities impacting Black communities―from HIV/AIDS to diabetes to breast cancer. For more information, please visit their website, www.bcoa.org.

José James & Jef Neve in their SFJAZZ Fall Season concert at the Florence Gould Theatre in the Legion of Honor in San Francisco last November. José James will be performing with McCoy Tyner on October 16 for the SFJAZZ Fall Season.