Seattle Photographer

Here is another in a series of corporate executive portraits from recent assignments. As always it is a challenge to try and get something different that works and is satisfying as a creative portrait. Charlotte heads a group of five executives in the Real Estate business and I photographed her and all the members of her team in a beautiful home facing Lake Washington. It had wonderful light and great details. She was really great to work with. this was my favorite shot of her.

Photography by Daniel Sheehan creates photography for editorial publications and corporations and available for commercial photography assignments.

I was downtown recently on a typical rainy evening and made this shot of the light traffic on Pike looking west to the Market from the Washington Convention Center.

Photography by  Daniel Sheehan creates photography for editorial publications and corporations and available for commercial photography assignments.

I was happy to see how the NEA used one of my photos for the cover of their current magazine.
It was an interesting editorial photo shoot at the Wellpinit Middle School out in Eastern Washington on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Along with the usual still photos, I undertook the challenge to do some HD video storytelling as well on the second day of the assignment. It was about a struggling reservation school taking on the challenge of school transformation, determined to give students wings. They have some very fine editors at the NEA and it was a pleasure working with them/ Hope to do it again in the future. I also hope to get the chance to do some more story telling HD video this year as well.

Photography by  Daniel Sheehan creates still photography and HD video story telling for editorial publications and corporations and available for commercial photography assignments.

JAMES CARTER swings with his sax in performance Friday night at the Triple Door as he played with his “HEAVEN ON EARTH” band featuring John Medeski on Hammond B3 and Adam Rogers on guitar, bassist Ralphe Armstrong and drummer Lee Pearson. The sold out first show was extraordinary and well received by the standing room only crowd.

We are starting into the second week of coverage of the annual Earshot jazz Festival and there were a lot of good performances this past week. I want to post a couple of pictures from this week here. the James Carter show was the highlight for me.

Here are some program notes by John Ewing:
“In 2009 James Carter released a record called Heaven on Earth (Half Note Records). It featured a select group of New York based musicians including organist John Medeski, bassist Christian McBride, guitarist Adam Rogers, and drummer Joey Baron. Like many of Mr. Carter’s recordings, it differed greatly from the work that preceded it. His previous release, Present Tense (Emarcy, 2008) portrayed the saxophonist as a rugged traditionalist more than willing to work within pre-established forms without ego driven pyrotechnics. Continue reading at: EarshotJazz

Robert Glasper performing Sunday night at the Triple Door with Vicente Archer on bass and Mark Colenburg on drums. On the heels of his acclaimed Blue Note release, Double Booked, pianist Robert Glasper continues to infuse jazz with hip-hop sensibilities. Glasper played a set that confirms his place on the “short list of jazz pianists who have the wherewithal to drop a J Dilla reference into a Thelonious Monk cover,” (latimes.com) with skill and finesse.

More than seven years ago, when in his early 20s, Glasper gave notice while working with Russell Malone, Mark Whitfield, Marcus Strickland, and “neo-soul” star Bilal that he may ascend to jazz-piano fame. A lyrical, rhythmic player, he “excels in providing crisp, melodic statements [with] a nice, lighter touch, and in restraining his considerable chops in the service of space,” said All About Jazz. Raised in Houston, Texas, he has combined lyrical insights with complex, compelling rhythms to emerge as one of the freshest voices in jazz today. He possesses what the New York Times called “percussive intensity, fresh ideas, [and] improvisatory logic.”

The son of a gospel-singing mother, Glasper played piano in church before he reached his teens. At home, he heard gospel, Motown, and R&B, and he also got into jazz, rock, pop, and hip-hop. Moving to New York to study at the New School University, he began playing with Christian McBride, Russell Malone, and Kenny Garrett.

The CHICAGO UNDERGROUND DUO, Rob Mazurek, primarily on cornet, and Chad Taylor, on various percussion, products of the fertile Chicago improv scene, performed at EMP Saturday night as the Earshot Jazz Festival continues on it’s second day,
The duo, formed in 1997 as one arrangement of the members of the Chicago Underground Collective, describes its music as “an organic mixture of African, electronic, coloristic, jazz-influenced life supporting systematic, non-systematic feeling from two humans trying ever to expand outward and inward for the people and ourselves.”

In another EarshotJazz Festival presentation, the superb quartet of Idaho saxophonist Brent Jensen and Seattle-based all-stars pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer John Bishop celebrated their latest Origin Records release, Motives on Saturday night at Tula’s. It was a superb performance all around of some wonderful music.

Already garnering stellar reviews, the disc is proof of “how many great jazz musicians there are throughout the United States,” according to Jazz Review. Jazz Chicago calls it a “true gem of a recording. This album entrances immediately from the start—beginning with Jensen’s tribute to free jazz pioneer and Ornette Coleman drummer Ed Blackwell…”

While the musicians are well-known to many in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, it is worth mentioning some of their credentials. Jensen currently serves Director of Jazz Studies at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls and has performed with a variety of jazz artists, including Gene Harris, Bill Watrous, Lew Soloff, John Stowell, the Manhattan Transfer and the Lionel Hampton Big Band. Pianist Anschell performs regularly with many of Seattle’s finest musicians and has also worked with Nnenna Freelon, Ron Carter, Benny Golson and Russell Malone.

Continue reading at: EarshotJazz Festival

Jazz Photography by Daniel Sheehan

Something new on the jazz scene is the The Kora Band , in a recent performance at Tula’s, Thursday Sept 9th. They are pianist Andrew Oliver, Brady Millard-Kish, bass, Kane Mathis, kora and guitar, Chad McCullough, trumpet and Mark DiFlorio, drums and percussion.

The 21-string harp played largely by the Mandinka people of West Africa is not usually seen in a jazz band but on Thursday The Kora Band celebrated the release of their newest album “Cascades” which contains a variety of West African pieces, modern repertoire from Congo and Cameroon, as well as originals by Mathis and Oliver with some subtle influences of jazz. Tula’s was crowded for the first two sets and the music was a delightful mixture of African and Jazz sounds and rhythms.

Drummer Mark DiFlorio and pianist Andrew Oliver spent one month staying in Africa and when they returned to the Northwest found the expressive melody of the kora,   resonating with them still. They sought out and found kora player Kane Mathis and along with Chad McCullough on trumpet and Brady Millard-Kish on bass, formed the Kora Band, marrying kora and other West African musical traditions with elements of jazz. They put out their first album “Just 4 U” in 2009.

“Performing on the 21-string Mandinka Harp Kane Mathis renders compelling interpretations of these traditional musics. Years of study with generous masters have given Kane a rare opportunity to share these traditions with other cultures. Kane began taking trips to The Gambia, West Africa in 1997 and has continued rigorous study of the Mandinka Kora. Over the past ten years his performances have earned him recognition by the Gambian president, The Gambian minister of culture, and both national television and radio of The Gambia. Kane’s primary kora teachers are Malamini Jobarteh of Brikama, The Gambia and Moriba Kouyate of The Gambia.” from Mathis’s website, Kane Mathis - www.kanemathis.com

Their performance at Tula’s aso kicked off a west coast touring schedule but they will be back at Tula’s on October 15th. I look forward to hearing them again back as they play on the opening day of Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Festival. To learn more about the band go to the websites of the band: The Kora Band - www.koraband.com and each of the musicians:

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Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, who photographs jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and Seattle Wedding Photography with an artistic photojournalist style.

Brian Heaney has a new group, Ask The Ages, that he wanted me to photograph so we made a series of informal individual and group portraits outside his house where the jazz group were rehearsing the other day for an upcoming concert on  Thursday, July 15, 2010 7:00pm – 8:30pm, at Egan’s Ballard Jam House, 1707 Northwest Market Street Seattle, WA 98107 Pioctured above left to right are:

John Seman, bass, Greg Campbell, drums, Brian Heaney, guitar and Matt Reid, trumpet.

Portrait Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan creating portraits for publications and a Seattle Wedding Photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

Last year around this time, I was out at a bar in Seattle having a beer at the High Dive in Fremont, watching “The Buckets”, a local band my friend Michael plays guitar in. When the show was done I headed towards the door and saw these Zombies at a table and photographed them and wondered why they had been let in to the bar dressed like that. Then I hit the streets and it looked like the Zombies had taken over the city. I started taking photos as they walked by. There were thousands of them around. I did make it out of Fremont ok. It turned out that more than 3 thousand people participated that Friday night  in Fremont in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for most people in a zombie walk.

After the walk the zombies went for a viewing of some outdoor movies, Shaun of the Dead, and playing of Michael Jackson’s Thriller for zombies to dance to. More than a thousand zombies danced to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The event was scheduled before his death, and so it turned into a tribute to him.

As it turned out, Fremont broke the world’s record for the most zombies in one place with the new official record of 3,894 zombies. Then England stepped in and took away the record. So this Saturday is the second annual Red, White & Dead event. Seattle can then lay claim to the “Zombie Capital of the World” once and for all in the “Dead” Center of the Universe. The goal is to outdo the Brits, who hold the zombie walk Guinness World Record through the Big Chill Music Festival in England. From noon to midnight Saturday at Fremont Outdoor Movies (3501 Phinney Ave. N.), there will be an attempt to beat Guinness Book of Records with most “zombies” in one location. 3,575 are expected. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., zombies will dance and walk on sidewalks in Fremont, with North 35th Street closed from Phinney Avenue North to First Avenue NW. his year also marks the “Year of the Zombie” and Seattle seems to be the center of attention, as 2010 marks another first for Seattle with ZomBcon, the world’s first Zombie Culture Convention infecting Seattle on Halloween weekend at the Seattle Center and Experience Music Project with over 100 Exhibitors, 10 interactive fan workshops, panels, a SIFF-curated film series, and Halloween Masquerade , Zombie Prom party. We plan to have a collection of experts, authors, filmmakers, historians, celebrities and all the gear and fan fare for the Quintessential Zombie fan. Here are some pictures from last years zombie walk.

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Editorial photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, who shoots corporate and editorial photography and portraits for publications and Seattle Wedding Photography with an artistic photojournalist style.

I just found out that the July/August issue of  Seattle Homes & Lifestyles Magazine is running my architectural photography of the Madrona Modern home I photographed for Seattle interior designer Robin Chell of Robin Chell Design and  architects David Bennett and Kim Lavacot of Bennett Lavacot Architecture. In fact they have chosen the above picture for the cover of the magazine. It was a beautiful and sophisticated house to photograph with a quiet, simple elegance. Read the story here: Seattle Homes & Lifestyles

Architectural photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, who creates architectural photography and portrait photography for publications and Seattle Wedding Photography with an artistic photojournalist style.

Once again the Bellevue Jazz Festival is here and Kicking it off at the Meydenbauer Theater was The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra (SRJO), the Northwest’s premier big band jazz ensemble. Founded in 1995, the 17-piece big band is made up of the most prominent jazz soloists and band leaders in the greater Seattle area. SRJO played a concert of highlights from their 2009-2010 concert season, including hits from their November 2009 “Tribute to Ray Charles” concert (“One Mint Julep,” “Moanin”), their March 2010 “Big Band Monk and Mingus” concert (“Haitian Fight Song” by Mingus, “Misterioso” by Monk), their April 2010 “Birth of the Cool” concert (Boplicity, Rocker), and a new Michael Brockman composition for the SRJO titled “Passage Noir.” Featured soloists included trumpeter Jay Thomas, baritone saxophonist Bill Ramsay, pianist Randy Halberstadt, tenor saxophonist Hadely Caliman and Travis Ranney, trombonists Dan Marcus and David Marriott, plus alto saxophonists Mark Taylor and Michael Brockman. Here are some highlights from the concert.

For tickets and more information go to the Festival website; Bellevue Jazz Festival

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, who photographs jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and Seattle Wedding Photography with an artistic photojournalist style. See more work from this Seattle Photographer.