When I was a child growing up in Berkeley, California in the 1960's and 1970's my father used to take me to free concerts around town to hear the great jazz players of the time performing. When I was nine years old I started playing the saxophone, and my father would take me to jazz jam sessions to listen, learn and play with the jazz masters. This is how I learned to play jazz. Not in college, but at jazz jam sessions. I've been going to jazz jam sessions most of my life to continue learning and playing jazz in it's true artistic form. In 2017, I decided to start working on this project as a tribute to the great jazz masters that I've played with and learned from over the years. Many of them are no longer with us. 

This image project, called (JAZZ CATS) is an (image documentary) about the colorful jazz musicians that I've played with over the years. Most of these jazz musicians will never see fame or fortune in their lifetime, and playing jazz music is enough for them. My goal is to capture performance images at jazz jam sessions around Los Angeles over the next year, and publish a table top art book. All the images will be produced using (film) exclusively.

Traditional jazz jam sessions where the younger generation of jazz students can come on a weekly basis and learn from jazz masters are fading. My goal is to document this way of life (through images) for future generations to view and appreciate.