Ronnie James, originally from New York, settled in the Washington, D.C. area after a career in the Air Force. He bought his first camera in 1976. Like many beginners it was a fully manual Pentax K-1000. Initially James enjoyed taking photos of scenes and events he encountered while stationed overseas, such as a bull fight in Zaragoza, Spain, locals at an outdoor market close to Osan Air Base in South Korea, skiing in southern Germany, or of F-111 jets rising off the RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom runway in full afterburner. A former musician himself (he played bass guitar with a brief stint on drums in the elementary school band) it wasn’t until 1980 that he began taking photographs of musicians. “I brought my K-1000 to an Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson gig in Phoenix. The multi-colored tungsten lights were overbearing on the daylight balanced film, but I was pretty proud of those pictures.” In the mid-80s during a tour of duty in England and while taking a photography course, he began photographing jazz concerts in London. In the early 90s James became passionate about photographing jazz musicians and getting his work published. Since then his photos have appeared in the major jazz periodicals and he is now a contributing photographer to Jazz Times magazine. His clients are the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Capital Jazz Productions and the East Coast Jazz Festival to name a few. James has also exhibited his work around the D.C. area. “I really enjoy being around the musicians on and off stage. It’s great talking to them not only about music, but about life and getting to know them on a personal level. I also enjoy their reaction when I show a picture I took of them that they really like. It’s good to know the artists still get a kick out of seeing themselves in pictures, some even after having been photographed for 30 years or longer”. All photos copyright © Ronnie James. All Rights Reserved. AAJ Exhibits T. Monk Institute East Coast Jazz 2001 Portraits in Jazz 1 Lions & Legends

George Benson closes day two of the Saratoga Jazz Festival, 1997. Roy Hargrove at the Freihofer’s Jazz Festival, 1999. John Scofield at the June 2000 Freihofer's Jazz Festival, Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The incomparable Oscar Peterson greets the crowd in 1999 at the newly renamed Freihofer’s Jazz Festival in Saratoga, New York. Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter rehearse for "An Evening of Ellington and Gershwin". I tagged along the following evening as this duo, part of an all-star cast of musicians, performed at the Vice President’s residence. The concert was the culmination of the weekend long 12th Thelonious Monk International Jazz competition in Washington, D.C., September, 1998. Malachi Thompson and Joe Ford of Nasar Abadey's SUPERNOVA discuss last minute changes before a gig at the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Washington, D.C., July 2, 2000. James Moody was a special guest of the Airmen of Note, The United States Air Force’s premier jazz ensemble. Here he takes a break from his saxes to sing his trademark tune ‘Moody’s Mood For Love’ at the Concert Hall on the campus of George Mason University in Virginia in April 1999. This double exposure of Christian McBride and Gene Jackson was taken during the semi finals of the 1999 Thelonious Monk International Jazz piano competition in Washington, D.C. McBride and Jackson was the rhythm section for the competitors.