Jim Brock Photography

08/24/2026

As the oldest jazz festival in North America (established in 1954), the legacy of the Newport Jazz Festival is uncontested. This photographer shares his perspective on covering Newport Jazz 2026 with the Jazz Journalists Association.

Headlines Newport Jazz Fest ’26, sounds and sights by Jim Brock August 24, 2026 The legacy of the Newport Jazz Festival is uncontested. Charles Lloyd, JJA Awardee emeritus As the oldest jazz festival in North America (established in 1954), Newport is simply hallowed ground. Louis, Ella, Miles, Col...

08/24/2026

Newport Folk is where I find my joy every last weekend of July, and those three days amongst the 200+year old walls of Fort Adams were especially magic this year. Sparkling conditions in the 70s throughout helped.

05/24/2026

Stanley Clarke's vision for a new international jazz festival in Santa Monica had been percolating for a few years. A few weeks ago it was fully realized. And then some. Jim Brock Photography covered the Friday and Saturday performances including a sublime evening honoring the centennial of John Coltrane at the Broad Stage featuring Lakecia Benjamin, Isaiah Collier and "Tenor Madness", and an ocean breeze accompaniment to sets from Sam Smylie, Miles Electric Band, Stanley Clarke with some rather special friends, and Kamasi Washington.

May 8-9, 2026 This post also appears in Just Jazz Magazine. Los Angeles County is home to 88 individual incorporated cities, and it is having a jazz moment. With the Blue Note coming up on its first full year in Hollywood, and so many other rooms buzzing, something has quietly been brewing with the....

05/17/2026

Beyond saddened and still not able to process the sudden passing of such a beautiful human being and brilliant trombonist, Ryan Porter. I didn't know Ryan well, but you didn't have to know him long to get his grounded and generous spirit, his absolute love for the music, whether in the community with younger players, or on the biggest stages in the world. He was always the same dude with a huge smile and grateful attitude. This is a staggering loss around here. Feeling so much love for his family, friends and bandmates since childhood, a musical bond deeper than the flesh.

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 [.....