Jim Brock Photography

12/30/2025

A look back at a rough year with a brilliant soundtrack. Whatever was thrown at us, the music never wavered. This is what my lens caught and what I felt along the way.

December 30, 2025 Let’s just kick the elephant out the door and say that 2025 was, to say the least, a very rough year. From the get go, when the lowest of humanity barreled down Bourbon Street killing 14 on New Year’s Day, to the Palisades Fire nearly taking down our home (and the survivor’s ...

08/07/2025

The grandaddy jazz festival that was the 71st Newport Jazz Festival outdid itself this year. The performances, the postcard perfect weather, and for me, the opportunity to sit with jazz icons for portraits was an off the charts experience. Thank you to Fred Smith and LeRoy Downs of Just Jazz for opening some doors while I doing what I love in the 200+ year old walls of Fort Adams.

The recently concluded granddaddy of jazz festivals, the Newport Jazz Festival, delivered a stunning array of classic performances, sonic styles, emerging voices, and big‑tent influences. But it wasn’t without controversy. Putting Artistic Director Christian McBride’s Philadelphia Experiment, ...

08/06/2025

The legacy of Dylan and the spirits of Pete Seeger and George Wein were not far from the minds of anyone lucky enough to attend the 66th Newport Folk Festival. The weekend had a little bit of it all, including a shelter in place halting of the event while severe weather blew through, the songs for the moment urgency of the times and the man for that moment, Jesse Welles, a triumphant return by Mary-Chapin Carpenter to the Newport Folk stage 30 years after her last appearance, the many discoveries that make Newport what it is, including Mon Rovia and Jensen McRae, and that carney barker of folk, John C. Reilly emceeing the rousing "Songs For the People" all hands closer.

Once again, I was able to cover Newport Folk for No Depression. Yes, you have to sign up to view it, but its free, and No Depression and the roots music it represents, matters, and is worthy of your attention. Now, more than ever.

Roots Music and Stories

02/15/2025

Check out the jury selected photos for the 2025 Jazz World Photo travelling exhibition. Based in the Czech Republic and drawing submissions from 22 countries, the creative breadth and visual styles of each and every submission is truly impressive. This is Jim Brock Photography's second inclusion in the annual exhibition, and, both times, as the only US photographer in the mix. Winners will be announced April, 12th 2025, in Trutnov, at the Jazzinec jazz festival.

https://www.jazzworldphoto.com/gallery-2025/?fbclid=IwY2xjawId8mFleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSF1uYECQGe1w7KLRXD6pnyIF8sXHgF8ag8SRIKEHBeAvQE-jFbt63gKzw_aem_YLc6C_uhqXkIiC81-X7gYA

Gallery 2025 Posted on February 11, 2025February 14, 2025 by Marketa Mohoritova CONGRATULATIONS !!! Here is the collection of the 30 selected pictures of JAZZ WORLD PHOTO 2025 competition, which will be part of the traveling exhibition of the same name. Photos are published in alphabetical order of....

02/04/2025

Grammy weekend is always abuzz with special shows and events. But this year, some serious music therapy was in order. My treatment was covering the John Hiatt Tribute at the Troubadour Saturday night (thank you Americanafest Foundation). Just an amazing evening from Little Feat covering "Slow Turning" to open, Michael McDonald's show stopping "Have a Little Faith in Me", Sarah Jarosz's "Drive South", the back-to-back guitar bending of Joe Bonamassa and Tom Morello, Lyle Lovett taking the "Train to Birmingham", Los Lobos and the man himself getting "Down on the Riverbed" through to Hiatt and Brandy Clark closing with "A Thing Called Love". Hiatt is a songwriting hero to this dude and the evening couldn't have been more healing.

Jim Brock Photography coverage featured in the Variety review of the show.

A John Hiatt tribute put on as a MusiCares benefit featured Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, Tom Morello, Brandy Clark, Joe Bonamassa and Michael McDonald.

12/29/2024

2024, what a long, strange trip, right? Well, I took a look back at a year of shows and experiences I covered, and assembled some favorite shots over the soon to be 365. Whatever's next, it's been a helluva year.

From the Boss to The Stones, to getting my Third Mind completely blown, 2024 for this photographer, was, if not a feast of a year, then at least one helluva satisfying meal. Whereas most years I’ll look back and find a potent theme, a common thread of deeper meaning, this year has been a happy [.....

09/19/2024

A week ago, Oteil Burbridge and pals dropped into The Bellwether in DTLA. Now that the groundbreaking, consciousness lifting, mind splitting Dead & Co. Sphere residency is done, and the face paint is off, this barefoot warrior with the ebullient spirit had the room very happy. Here's my take, visual and otherwise, on a fab night.

September 12, 2024 This post also appears in MusicFestNews.com. Oteil Burbridge has always had a joyful stage presence. A barefoot warrior with an ebullient smile tethered to those bubbling six strings. The ground breaking, consciousness lifting, mind splitting Dead & Co. Sphere residency is done. T...

08/23/2024

Dezron Douglas
August 3, 2034

70th Newport Jazz Festival
Fort Adams State Park, Rhode Island

©2024 Jim Brock Photography
www.eyeonthemusic.com

08/14/2024

A deeper dive into the 70th Newport Jazz Festival for JUSTJAZZ.TV and Just Jazz Magazine. Steeped in the tradition of giants while holding the ears from Gen Alpha on up like no other jazz festival I've experienced.

To say there is something special about the world’s longest running jazz festival (with Monterey Jazz a close second) is stating the blatantly obvious. It is steeped in the tradition of giants, founded in 1954 by pianist and band leader George Wein who produced the event over six decades, remainin...

08/05/2024

The thing that always strikes me about the Newport Jazz Festival, is not just how people groove, but how they listen with such open ears and interest. Especially younger folks. While I was feeling the three days of Jazz shooting (and Folk the previous weekend), the cloud cover was a welcome relief. Day 3 had my share of higher musical moments mixed with shooting including taking in Julius Rodriguez earlier in the day, the now (not next) generation of Newport All-Stars celebrating 70 and the latest Jam Jawn from Artistic Director Christian McBride. But it was women's voices across all three stages in the afternoon - Laufey, the young chanteuse who brought the largest crowd to the Fort Stage, and the rhymes of No Name and L.A.'s own Alex Isley that made the biggest impression.

So, back home to the canyon and the 5K of clicks to go through. I'll miss everyone and see y'all back at the Fort in '25.