1.) Blue Trane
Oil on Canvas and Panel
30” x 24”
A portrait of contemplation. The recessed painting is the isolation of thoughts amongst the larger abstract which can be the realities surrounding the isolation.
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.
3.) Fela Kuti
Oil on Canvas
30” x 24”
A portrait of the Nigerian musician and political activist, Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti. A creator of art, and speaker of truth to power, Fela and his family were physically attacked and jailed by the Nigerian military juntas ruthlessly, many times. He stood strong, made his music and beliefs known, and with his drummer, Tony Allen, they created the influential style of music known as Afrobeat.
5.) Miles Davis
Oil on Canvas
60” x 48”
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. In a career spanning nearly five decades, Davis was at the forefront of several major stylistic developments in jazz, including bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, third stream, modal jazz, avant-garde jazz, and jazz fusion. His legacy extends into rock, funk, classical, and hip-hop.
6.) While We Celebrate
Oil on 2 Panels
48” x 36”
With the wars that we are fighting on the other side of the globe, we are insulated, shielded, from the horrific realities that are terrorizing the daily existence of our foe’s population. Unless we decide to read or consume the news, we are unaware that someone’s child, parent, spouse, family member, or friend was just killed. Whatever the justification for war, the reality is that human beings on both sides are dying, and everyone should, at least, be aware and sympathetic. The background is abstracted from the Straight of Hormuz, which is one of our current wars.
7.) Golden Hour
8.) Red Bird
Oil on Canvas
24” x 30”
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and advanced harmonies. He was a virtuoso and introduced revolutionary rhythmic and harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. Parker primarily played the alto saxophone.
Parker was an icon for the hipster subculture and later the Beat Generation, personifying the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just an entertainer.
9.) Esperanza Spalding
Oil on Canvas
48” x 36”
Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984), sometimes professionally known with the stylized name of esperanza spalding, is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Award, a Soul Train Music Award, and two honorary doctorates: one from her alma mater Berklee College of Music and one from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
10.) Charlie Parker
Oil on Canvas
36” x 30”
One of the innovators of bebop, this painting in an attempt to capture the energy of his music.
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and advanced harmonies. He was a virtuoso and introduced revolutionary rhythmic and harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. Parker primarily played the alto saxophone.
13.) Whitewashing History
Oil and Acrylic on 2 Panels
48” x 48”
We have the ability to edit history to tell a new story of the way we hope it will be remembered. In this painting, the images are reproduced from the THREE RIVERS PETROGLYPH site in New Mexico. The images were carved into stone by Jornada Mogollon people 1000-1400 years ago. No one knows what happened to them. The markings, symbols they left behind are the only part of the story we have. What will we leave behind, will it be an accurate betrayal of who we are or what we did?
14.) Safe Zone
15.) Mingus
Oil on Canvas
36” x 30”
$2250.
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered one of the greatest jazz musicians and composers in history, with a career spanning three decades and collaborations with other jazz greats, such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, and Eric Dolphy. Mingus's work ranged from advanced bebop and avant-garde jazz with small and midsize ensembles to pioneering the post-bop style on seminal recordings like Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956) and Mingus Ah Um (1959) and progressive big band experiments such as The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963).
16.) A Closer Walk With Thee
Oil on Canvas
30” x 36”
$2250.
In New Orleans jazz funerals or second lines, there comes a moment when the march and music slows down to play “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” The figure in the painting leads the march, he takes down his parasol, and slows to a methodical step per bar of music. The mood is somber. The band behind him plays several verses at this tempo. Slowly, the beat and mood will build from sadness to a crescendo of celebration, dancing, and power. He raises and opens the parasol, and the mood becomes a celebration of life. The sadness is still there but it is time to send the deceased off with gusto.