During his visit from Australia this summer, the award-winning, Canberra-based photographer Ray Strange hung out around the jazz bars of D.C. He sampled and documented the District’s atmosphere and music with a fresh, discerning eye.
His photos provide an outsider’s glimpse of the vibrant everyday jazz scene that sits on our doorstep. Far away from the plusher, Ticketmaster-ed world of the area’s more lustrous venues, D.C.’s smaller clubs provide year-round music in intimate surroundings, where interaction between the band and audience is both welcome and inevitable. Just a glance at CapitalBop’s calendar lists a typical 50 to 60 shows each week, evidence that jazz in D.C. certainly has a present, alongside the proud past that was displayed so well in the recent, award-winning documentary Oxygen for the Ears.
Ray’s photos feature the city’s wide range of musicians — the young apprentices, the seasoned players, and the downright legends; some with day jobs, others somehow surviving on a tune and a prayer, and others climbing the ladder to success. Sometimes the venues are half-empty, sometimes they’re overflowing. Neither the audience nor the performers can predict exactly what the night will offer — which is part of the joy. (Full disclosure: My band, Veronneau, was one of Strange’s subjects, as you can see below.)
Remembering his week in D.C., Ray is appreciative. “Almost without exception, the musicians of D.C. welcomed me into their space or better, ignored my sometimes invasive presence. I was just some guy with a camera who obviously liked their kind of music — and a cold beer or two,” he said. “My photos are my best tribute to these musicians…. The spiritual home of so much American music is alive still”. 
Trumpeter Joe Brotherton and keyboardist Peter Edelman perform at Zula on 9th Street NW. Courtesy Ray Strange
Bill “Magic” Lavender Bey and Olivier Brown jam on Sunday afternoon at Columbia Station, where “Phillip the Tip Jar” provides a meager income. Courtesy Ray Strange
Veronneau — from left, Pete Walby on drums, Lynn Véronneau on vocals, and Ken Avis (this article’s author) and David Rosenblatt on guitar – performs at Bistrot Lepic in Georgetown. Courtesy Ray Strange
Colie Williams sings at JoJo, a restaurant and bar on U Street. Courtesy Ray Strange
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