Jim Marshall/Morrison Hotel Gallery

Like Jim, I was brought up on music. All kinds of music. Everything from classical, to jazz, to rock’n'roll. This can’t do nothing but help anyone who wants to get involved in the music business, whether it be in promotion, or visual imagery or whatever. It gives you a deeper appreciation of all music without preconceived “categories” or prejudice built in. In other words, there is no “contempt prior to investigation”. Jim was one of those guys. Brought up on a slew of jazz masters, such as John Coltrane and Miles Davis, this kind of genre of jazz can do nothing but expand your musical horizons, and with Jim, it did.

Jim often said when it comes to his casual shots of rock stars, especially back in the day of no clearances and mgt. constantly on your back, that he adored natural settings..no flash, no contrived poses…just natural light, and whatever happens, happens. He so desperately wanted to be invisible in situations like this, where the artist is at peace, having fun, and simply recognizing that Jim is not even in the room. This takes time and patience, situations like these..they don’t come easily…I’ve been in similar circumstances…Soundgarden comes to mind…got to spend two days with the entire band, doing not just live photography, but pose, and daily experiences on life on the road. It comes down to an issue of trust, me and the the band, and that I’m not trying to take advantage of them, or provoke anything. You simply want to be invisible, like Jim. It takes a lot of balls to stand your ground, convince the bands and managers that your purpose is just, that you’re damn good at what you do, that you appreciate the band, etc…and try your best to capture everything in a natural setting, with no flash. Jim had this in spades..I’d like to think that I do too, although the times have changed dramatically. Back in the day, when Jim was at the height of his powers, there weren’t as many restrictions, let alone problems with access as there are now..but this is all besides the point…the focus is on Jim Marshall.

His live photography is something to behold..the shots he took of Jimi Hendrix at Monterey as evidence enough. Go ahead, find them on line. Take a look. Shots like this, with Jimi lighting his guitar on fire, simply don’t exist in this day and age, because of rules such as “first three songs, no flash” Such bullshit, from publicists in general. Like Jim, I like to fight the fight. I take as much enjoyment in “convincing” whomever is in charge of my accomplishments and what I’m about, as doing the actual live photography.

Long live Jim Marshall, the legacy of his live music picture taking. My goal is to live beyond the age of 70, and still have the desire to uncover new bands, and be on the front-lines. Jim did this and then some.

Friday, Aug 7th

Saturday, Aug 8th

Sunday, Aug 9th

0h Jesus- where do I begin- where do I begin?
The ever so crafty Maestro returned to Chicago after 15/16 very long years to perform at the Chicago Theatre, the first of two sold out shows.. The concert was superb on so many levels:

1. Leonard’s glorious deep baritone riveting and true as always
2. Leonard’s backing band delivering every nuance with such sensitivity
3. The simple, yet striking back-lit curtains, sometimes making you feel like you’re in a cathedral, just to name a few..

You’ve got to admire this man, at 74, having patience and conviction to sing his glorious songs with such panache… And wow- such eloquent stories to tell- along with occasionally a wry sense of humor- as is the case with the song “Everybody Knows” – halfway through the song, he’s singing “….everybody knows, everybody knows, that’s how it goes, everybody knows- the flu’s coming……” In my section,everyone’s busting out in laughter- and you can see a sly grin on Leonard’s face- not just about the joke- but that Leonard is confirming that his audience is paying attention to his lyrics- as if it is a test.

That he began each and every song on bended knee- praying down to the ground in reverence also says a lot- as if to ask for forgiveness for the dread that he must convey in the approaching song- slowly getting up each time, as if dusting himself off- to have the faith and courage to explain in lyric another complex relationship gone awry.

You can tell by his presence that he is a deeply humble man- I stood in amazement watching him countless times remove his hat, and stand raptured over every solo from his band- whether it be his back-up singers, or his fellow musicians…and talk about a backing band- Javier Mas, from Spain… a genius on the Laud- a complex spanish folk 12 string guitar which added extra nuance to Leonard’s songs at every turn…Neil Larsen- impeccable as always on his Hammond B-3…Roscoe Beck on Bass, both electric and acoustic upright- bringing the steady rhythm to this music- and also acting as bandleader.

During the end of the first set, Leonard introduced his band individually, removed his hat, and bowed his head to them, with patience and much appreciation. This simple gesture at every turn says an awful lot- and people can learn from this- that life, with all of its torments, upheavals, tension, is actually good…so embrace it.

As Leonard so eloquently sung at the end of the first set in the song “Anthem”: “Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack, a crack in everyhting, that’s how the light gets in, that’s how the light gets in, that’s how the light gets in…

Man oh man- it feels good to be alive…Thank you Leonard Cohen…