Robin and Dave

I got an email from Robin Adler the other day.

My good friend, the sweetest chanteuse in Fallbrook, will be playing a free concert at the Fallbrook Library this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. with her wonderful musician husband, Dave Blackburn.

They are not going to be doing their customary Joni set, maybe a couple songs, but instead other arrangements and even some of their own material.

I have photographed Dave and Robin a bunch of times but have never quite hit it. None of us very happy frankly.

Truth is that I am a lousy concert photographer. Didn't know what I was doing at first. Don't take direction well. Want to do my own thing.  All the crosslighting and shadows and high iso, it's not easy. Still learning. Ken and Mike are great at it. Me, not so much...

Anyway I like Robin when she is going fully soulful (which she does extremely well) and she likes more sweet, pleasant shots. Happy, if you will.

This shot is a compromise. Sweet and soulful.

I really don't know any musicians personally that play with the kind of integrity of this couple. Demanding and brilliant approach. Cerebral at times.

Dave was my guitar teacher and that is probably a blemish on an otherwise superlative career in instruction but he is also a musical genius. I don't always dovetail with him in matters of taste but he is light years ahead pursuing his vision.

I once wanted to do a Pink Floyd song at practice. Dave was not a big fan, listened to the track one time, for the very first time, and played it back to me perfectly, note for note, as good if not better than David Gilmour. Child's play. Oh, to have talent like that.

They can play anything, pop, jazz, funk, rock, fusion, soul, you name it.

Hopefully see you there.