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The 1979 Playboy Jazz Festival

By Jon Deshler
November 10, 2021
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I began producing my Jazz Passages Archive when I was 14 in the '70s, as a young trumpet student and photography enthusiast growing up in the San Fernando Valley. In June of 1979 serendipity aligned with a high school buddy/usher, which led to me attending the first Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. At 16 years old I had one day of roaming around the crowd at the Bowl, listening, and attempting to get some decent pics on film without getting in the way.

Included here: Bobby Shew Quintet, Willie Bobo, Flora Purim & Airto Moreira, Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea, Lionel Hampton Band, and Weather Report.

Later, I became a commercial photographer and worked for major corporations and institutions throughout my career in photography. Over the years I have reengaged in my roots periodically to add to my historic jazz archive. In recent years I have photographed live performance of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Barbara Morrison, Ernie Andrews, Jon Faddis, Ron Carter, and many more.

View Slideshow

Flora Purim & Airto at 1979 Playboy Jazz Festival

Weather Report at 1979 Playboy Jazz Festival

Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea At 1979 Playboy Jazz Festival

Bobby Shew Quintet at 1979 Playboy Jazz Festival

Lionel Hampton Band at 1979 Playboy Jazz Festival

Willie Bobo Band at 1979 Playboy Jazz Festival

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About Weather Report

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