| herein you'll find my photographical archive of the 2002 Ottawa Bluesfest...or at least those acts it is possible to photograph. unfortunately, great performers like Otis Rush could not be photographed because a black man wearing black clothing and a black hat standing before a black backdrop makes for a wasted picture. here are just some of the acts! (note: more to come as films developed) |
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| I was treated to some fabulous jazz piano gems by Kenny Blues Boss Wayne (seated, red blazer) and some good old fashion Delta blues by grand master Roy Waters on guitar behind Blues Boss. |
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| JW Jones, one of the few young white guys who actually sounds like he has a place in a Bluesfest. The Fabulous Thunderbirds were another, and both groups had incredible harp players - the Thunderbirds had a fellow who roared through a ten-minute harp solo instead of an intermission between the show and the encore. |
| ^ one of the biggest highlights of the entire festival was Coco Montoya, and I was absolutely THRILLED to take this picture. I stood up out of the crowd with my camera and I guess I caught his eye: he looked straight at me for 10 seconds while I got the focus and zoom right and when I was done I gave him a thumbs-up and he nodded, laughed, and rocketed into a blazing solo. A moment not to be forgotten! |
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| Billy Wirtz: ex-Hell's Angel, ex-Mafia drug dealer, presently a Presbyterian minister - and a guy with some seriously funny s**t. He is truly the funniest man I've seen in years and came on as a little relief from the oppressive heat between shows. |
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| A horrendously sun-stricken yours truly trying desperately to smile against the 112-degree burning sunshine. Note the girl immediately behind me struggling to breathe in the oppressive humidity. |
| Just a sampling of the dozens of first-rate acts I saw this year. I'll be front row centre at all of next year's Bluesfest...heat be damned! Return to the Bluesfest intro page... |
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| Like what you see? E-mail me! |
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| ^ The Blind Boys of Alabama - most of whom are actually blind - put on a soulful and tuneful show! |
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| Dan Beliveau - hands down, the coolest drummer of the festival, played with John Primer. He had a nifty trick whereby he'd flip the sticks between whacks of the drum...and you just can't fault that lime green shirt and white fedora! |
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| The legendarily laid-back J. J. Cale - what more need I say? |
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| John Primer, just about the very best act the Bluesfest had to offer and my new favourite bluesman! He's about 55 but plays the guitar like you wouldn't believe, with a voice cut from the very cloth that the blues originated from. Pity he wouldn't move out from behind that mic stand, though. |
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| Ronnie Baker Brooks, son of the late great Lonnie Brooks, put on a fantastically energized show...he came early in the day and was a welcome relief from the sweltering heat, which reached 46 degrees that day, factoring in the humidex. |
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| Sue Foley, over on the Southern Stage, laid down mellow but groovy folk-rock...one of the best female vocalists I heard there, along with Lucinda Williams - one of the very best shows from which I unfortunately do not have any pictures. |
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| Blue Rodeo, Canadian everymen. Unfortunately I miscalibrated my flash that night so of my eight pictures this was the best I could manage. A tip for concertgoing amateurs photogs: set your aperture a little wider than normal, set your light filter to be a little more sensitive than normal and calibrate your flash accordingly. Then cover up the flash with your hand so as not to illuminate the dust in the air in front of you! This is truly the only way to 'fool' your camera into believing there will be sufficient light. (Do as I say, not as I did!) |