Photo Potpourri: CHAPTER 22Music in the park

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

CHAPTER 22
Music in the park

All photos in this chapter are © by Joe Konz

Music and theater were at the top of my list of favorite photographic pursuits in Garfield Park. The first concert I photographed there was a performance by Ann Williams at the MacAllister Amphitheater on July 16, 2004. The following month, on Aug. 21, in the Sunken Garden, I photographed the Naptown Strutters jazz ensemble featuring Tom Mullinix.

On June 18, 2005, I was back in the Sunken Garden shooting a performance by Indianapolis electric violinist Cathy Morris. She and her jazz ensemble stood on the Sunken Garden overlook and played to a lawn-chair audience below in the Garden itself.

The show started around 7:30 p.m., so the sun was starting to fall low to the horizon, visually handicapping the musicians, who were facing west on the overlook. At one point early on, Cathy asked the audience if anyone would loan her a pair of sunglasses, and one person succeeded in getting her a pair (see second photo below). She wore them for most of the rest of the show.

Cathy Morris,

June 2005

I got my favorite photo of her show (above) before she solicited the sunglasses. I shot this image with a year-old Canon Rebel 300D equipped with a variable f-stop Canon 75-300mm zoom lens. The camera and lens were among my first digital photography purchases in June 2004.

Eight more frames from that shoot appear below, showing Cathy on the Sunken Garden overlook with a jazz ensemble in the background.

Cathy and her ensemble, including her brother on keyboards, did another show in the Sunken Garden the following summer, on July 15, 2006, and this time I took some shots level with her on the overlook as well as from the Garden (first eight photos below).

Cathy Morris,

July 2006

The Wright Brothers,

August 2006

Naptown Strutters featuring Tom Mullinix,

August 2004

A perspective (above) shot and close crop (below) shot from the Aug. 21, 2004, Sunken Garden performance by the Naptown Strutters featuring Tom Mullinix.

Ann McWilliams,

July 2004

Above: Ann McWilliams and her band (above) did a free show at the MacAllister Amphitheater in July 2004.

Above: While McWilliams and her band performed, spectators were invited to stroll to the amphitheater's rear lawn and participate in an IndyParks project to create a wholly citizens-created paint mural that the parks department planned to hang as an amphitheater backdrop the following month, replacing the flag you see in these pictures above. The mural, which was to be titled "Music," never made it to the stage, for reasons I never learned. Doing some painting here are (from left) Adam Clemens, then 10, son of Russ and Page Clemens, who live just south of the park; Mike Rogers, a neighborhood resident, a volunteer at park concerts and a member of Friends of Garfield Park Inc.; and Jackie Elliott. Standing on the left is Chris Smock, then a senior program coordinator for IndyParks Arts Services, who was overseeing the project.

Epic Fail, with Julie Young

August 2009

Indianapolis author and free-lance writer Julie Young (above and below) joined Epic Fail to sing lead vocals on three songs during the Indianapolis Eastside band's concert for the fourth annual Choose Respect / Back to School Rally in Garfield Park. The stage was set up in the open air at the south end of the park along Pagoda Drive. With Julie in the photo above is Epic Fail's lead singer Nick Smith.

Above: Wolfgang Amadeus Murray handled drums for Epic Fail at the Back to School Rally in Garfield Park.

Epic Fail lead vocalist Nick Smith (above) with lead guitarist Aaron Hernandez (first photo below), bassist Mike Herrera (next photo) and rhythm guitarist Andrew Day.

American English,

June 2010

Above and below: Beatles tribute band American English performed at MacAllister Amphitheater on June 4, 2010. The band returned for another show on Sept. 1, 2019.

Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra,

June 2008

Above and first seven photos below: The Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Orcenith Smith, performed at the amphitheater on June 19, 2008.

Indianapolis Brass Choir,

August 2013

On Aug. 22, 2013, the Indianapolis Brass Choir performed (above and first nine photos below). Trombonist and associate conductor Charles "Rusty" Briel (sixth photo below) took a turn conducting from music director and conductor Robert Grechesky (who is in the eighth and ninth photos below).

Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra,

August 2010

In the shade on the far west end of the Sunken Garden on Aug. 14, 2010, the Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra performed (above and nine photos below), joined in several selections by vocalists Lydia McAdams and Rick Vale.