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Summerfest 2015

By Carl Fisher

November 1^st, 2015

making connections

It was quite the beginning. I was challenged by having to really tweak the settings on my D90 so that I could capture the action the nighttime action without a flash. Thank goodness for digital cameras. Took a while to sift through the almost theres to get to the presentables.

Keeping the beats going after the main event.

Hot box

Talk about portability. I can remember those shoulder-hoisted boom boxes from back in the day. They were never this large. And they didn’t have a live band inside. Who needs tape when it’s practically in your face?

Washingtonian

Kamasi Washington was certainly one of the highlights of the festival for me. I first heard him on the Gilles Peterson show and when I found out he was going to be at Summerfest, it was a no brainer that I was going to be there. He didn’t just have one show. He had two. One with the Next Step and another with the West Coast Get Down. Frankly I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two groups since they both had pretty much the same performers, but I’m not complaining.

taking it in

There was much to take in and it was a good idea to get comfortable while doing it.

kickin it

Summerfest is mostly about the music, but it’s not the only thing. Okay. There’s the beer, the food, the merch, but there’s also the dance. Most of it comes from folks who can’t help but be moved by what they are hearing. Some of them shouldn’t really be seen dancing in public, but they get cut some slack at festive events like this.

Artisanal

Oh. And there was some visual art, although you really had to search for it.

SJ Continental

Most of the action happened outdoors, but there were a number of indoor venues that made for a more intimate experience. The Continental played host to the Jazz Beyond stage, which featured up and coming talent such as Current Personae.