John Edwin Mason: Documentary, Motorsports, Photo History

Silent Movie, Cool Jazz: The Free Bridge Quintet Plays Faust

This going to be fun. And I'm willing to bet my next paycheck that it's also going to be a fantastic artistic experience. On Saturday night, November 7th, the University of Virginia's Free Bridge Quintet will supply the music at a screening of F.W. Murnau classic silent film, Faust. The... Read more →

Cyrus Chestnut, Terri Allard, Free Bridge Quintet: Habitat for Humanity Benefit Concert

This was a just about the perfect afternoon and evening. Brilliant, original music, performed by musicians that love and admire, all for a truly great cause -- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. It happened a couple of weeks ago, and I should have gotten these photos up on the... Read more →

Nikon Packs It In, iPhone Bails Me Out: Shooting a Sound Check with the Free Bridge Quintet and Hod O'Brien

No excuses. When somebody gives you an assignment, you come back with photos. No excuses. So, yesterday evening, I'm shooting the sound check for the Free Bridge Quintet's concert "A Celebration of Dizzy Gillespie," and my Nikon D7000 decides that it doesn't want to autofocus with the Nikon 35/2 that... Read more →

Celebrating Dizzy: The Free Bridge Quintet & Hod O'Brien, in Concert, 21 October 2011

It's short notice I know, but, folks, you'll want to hear this... Tomorrow night, the Free Bridge Quintet will welcome guest pianist Hod O'Brien to the stage of the University of Virginia's Cabell Hall for a celebration of the life and music of Dizzy Gillespie. The gig starts at 8:00,... Read more →

John D'earth's "Green Chemistry." At the Premiere.

Every once in a while, I get it right. Last week I predicted that the premiere performance of John D'earth's Green Chemistry, his new suite for jazz band and soloists, was going to be terrific. As it turned out, "terrific" was an understatement. The fans who packed the University of... Read more →

World Premiere: "Green Chemistry," by John D'earth, with the University of Virginia Jazz Ensemble & the Free Bridge Quintet, Saturday Night!

That buzz you hear is people in the jazz world and at the University of Virginia talking about this Saturday's premiere of John D'earth's Green Chemistry, a large-scale work for jazz band and a quintet of soloists. As a composer, John has been on a real roll, lately, and there... Read more →

The Free Bridge Quintet @ the University of Virginia, 22 October 2010

(Note: This post is appearing about two weeks after I had hoped that it would, so I'm going to ask you to pretend that it's still sometime in late October.) The Free Bridge Quintet presented its fall concert, on the 22nd, and the whole evening was spectacular. Top to bottom,... Read more →