Jammin' at the Cotton Club.....

These life sized sculptures by Dirk Dahl have to be seen to be believed. He has lovingly captured the feel, the sound, and the spirit of Jazz greats, when Jazz was great. When I was a teen, my cousin, Fred, took me under his wing and brought me to the famous nightclub, Storyville, in Boston in the late.....forget it..... I'm not going to tell you the decade! There, and at the Worcester Auditorium, and at the Newport Jazz Festival we saw Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman and his Thundering Herd, Louis Armstrong, and so many more of the top musicians in the new world order called Jazz. Years later my friend Dirk was hearing about these same musicians and their performances at the Cotton Club in Florida. He started on a quest to honor each of his favorites and here are images of a couple more of his truly amazing sculptures. I can hear the music.....

Art equals Jazz equals Art

Do you remember the "Cotton Club" from Miami, Florida? My parents and their friends often spoke of what great jazz could be heard there, and I even got to visit once, when I was a small child. But Dirk Dahl, of California, took it way more seriously. He has collected jazz memorabilia for most of his life and is addicted to the sound of the music from the 30's and 40's. He also is a self-taught sculptor, and has created larger than life and extremely powerful figures of some of the Jazz greats, in his personal tribute to this unique sound. His animated pieces are collected world wide, and the JEPG here is of his wind section. Just how cool is that! Google him and watch these figures actually take shape on his videos......you won't be sorry! Wish he were coming to a venue here soon!

Unbelievable Outsider Artist with Music on His Mind

It's really unbelievable what an artist can construct from wood, wire, concrete, and string. Dirk Dahl makes these fascinating figures from his imagination, and he also makes his rendition of famous jazz musicians that are pretty amazing. Two postings of the first, and a trio of the second will speak for themselves.

Another Self-taught Art Beaded Piano

That last image was breathtaking, I know! I have gotten so many positive responses to New Orleans artist, John Lawson's beaded piano, that I'm posting another one, this time a Baby Grand. He calls it "Booker" and if you look carefully you will see the portrait of this Jazz musician on the top of the case. John's next show is at Honfleur Gallery in Washington, DC from November 15th to January 2nd, and will include re-traced drawings encased in encaustic wax, photography, and sculpture using the salvaged Mardi Gras beads. What a talent!