I see. i hear. i draw [series]
I’ve been known to go all around town, and anywhere in the world really, and sketch what I see and hear. I’ve got sketch books packed with drawings of my friends doing their thing, playing music, in all kinds of settings. Some I digitize, some I leave on the page inky, messy, and real. Sometimes there might be cocktail stains on the page, or coffee spilled on the corners, but it’s really what’s happening in the moment, and I think that’s pretty special. Would love to share it with you.
John Daversa Small Band straight from my notebook.
![John Daversa Small Band [made digital] at the Ebell Garden in Los Angeles](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5108343de4b032442945b2b3/1571876175063-27N5VA1VTM71M3MWO60C/IMG_4959.PNG)
John Daversa Small Band [made digital] at the Ebell Garden in Los Angeles
beautiful night for some jazz in the garden
Fall 2019 Ebell Garden in Los Angeles - KJazz Radio hosted Grammy Winner, John Daversa and his small band onstage. It was fun to hear so many of my friends make music on such a beautiful night.
about the drawing
I often shoot a lot with my camera. Listen a lot, and decide how I think the players look most joyful when they play. Because really, music is joy. Well, for the most part, performance, jazz, music, I love how joy is one of the emotions it ignites. I’ve got to thank my Grandmother for this, because without her influence I never would have become a musician and attended music school. She was the real artist in the family and was well-known for her Chinese brush painting in the Bay area. She taught me how to hold a pen, and how to give little characters faces. This one is for you Grandma, joy first.
No Vacancy Orchestra with James Torme at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood
No Vacancy Orchestra with James Torme made digital!
jazz in hollywood and singer showcase
The No Vacancy Orchestra put on a night of music this Fall 2019 at the Catalina Bar & Grill. I realized that night I’ve played with just about everyone on that stage! It was a night full of smiles and a few uh-oh, Los Angeles musician time to the rescue. But all-in-all some amazing guys doing their thing and swinging their butts off to a lot of the Great American Song book, although at times, in some very alternative keys.
about the drawing
I’ve got to say, I love drawing my friends. I did this one right at the bar during the set. We’ve got a saying, the young, good looking one in the middle, he’s mine. No, not him, the other one. My husband is a lead trumpet player in Los Angeles. And he’s pretty darn good. They even let him play on records, and movies, and tv shows and stuff. {I’m joking around here, but he’s awesome, and he’s a great hang.} The longer I live in Los Angeles, which at this point, I’m really an Angeleno, ‘cause I suppose, once you cruise past 15 years of being here, it’s yours now. So enjoy a little piece of Hollywood, with this drawing of a little big band.