Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 21, July 3, 2014 - a funky good time at the end of my first day!

Three members of the Goodfoot Allstars, on stage from 9:45 to 11 p.m. I know that's Farnell Newton on trumpet, but I don't know the names of the other two. Farnell, can you help me, please? Thanks! And with the other guys in the other photos, too?

Found on the blues festival Web site: The Goodfoot Allstars are now in their 8th year of this high-caliber tribute to the Godfather of soul: James Brown! This band was formed from a large cast of Portland musicians that have played the Goodfoot the last several years, including such past members as Scott Pemberton, Scott Law, and Jans Ingber. You can expect to be funked to the core with an incredible collection of musicians delivering a big sound, phenomenal dance cuts, and the kind of music that just makes you wanna shake your booty into the wee hours! The Goodfoot Allstars are: Carlton Jackson, Asher Fulero, Tye North, Devin Phillips, Darvey Santner, Farnell Newton, Doug Lewis, and Bruce Withycombe.



Quite a crowd enjoyed every note of these beloved James Brown tunes!



Keyboards.



Guitars and bass.

By 10:45 p.m. I realized I had better head for the bus stop or I would miss the last bus of the night--I didn't want to have to wait for or pay for a cab. It all worked out and I was home in no time, ready to rest up for Day Two. However, it was not to be.

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. suffering from what turned out to be a mild case of food poisoning. I know it was mild because I've suffered for real through two other full-blown food poisoning episodes! Anyway, I never got to use the other three days on my ticket, I missed the fireworks on July 4. I could go on and on, but, to tell you the truth, I was just happy to get well enough to return to work on July 8, just in time to work three days before I realized that a painful urinary tract infection seemed to have taken up residence in my body. Turned out it was a kidney infection--I was sick as a dog for days.

By the time July came to an end weeks later, I had fully recovered from both of these episodes of ill health, my allergies had quit bothering me, and I slowly but surely worked at becoming stronger because I knew that on October 5, I'd be flying off to England and Scotland for a great tour, returning home late the night of October 16.

Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 14, July 3, 2014 - summer hat in the sunshine

Another cool hat at the Oregonian Front Porch stage, during The Bone Pickers' T-Bone Walker Tribute performance. I'm not sure what he's looking at, but I'm noticing that person swinging something at the right edge of the photo. What could it be?

September 11

We will never forget. I took this photo on the day before Independence Day. The American flag flew above the Oregonian Front Porch Stage at the blues festival.

Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 13, July 3, 2014 - Kevin Selfe himself performing with The Bone Pickers

Lots of Sunday evenings for over a year I've been at the Blue Diamond, my nearby neighborhood bar, enjoying the Sunday evening blues jam. Kevin Selfe and his band The Tornadoes host. It is a special treat to see him singing and playing at a different venue with other musicians, his talent and skill and love of music readily evident for every moment he's featured during The Bone Pickers' performance. They are a T-Bone Walker Tribute Band of great talent.

Here are some other candid shots of their performance. Sorry that I don't know their names.

Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 11, July 3, 2014 - jumpin' along to Blind Boy Paxton's music

Two more folks captured by my camera as they enjoyed Blind Boy Paxton's performance at the Oregonian Front Porch Stage. That little girl can jump! The woman was not yanking her up--she was jumping! I took this photo at 4:29 p.m., almost at the end of his show.

Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 10, July 3, 2014 - three more festival-goers wearing hats

Three more neat hats at the Oregonian Front Porch Stage; I took this photo at 4:03 p.m., about 30 minutes before Paxton's show ended. Here's what I think's going on with the three of them. The man on the left shows his enjoyment in his smile. The woman in the center looks at her smartphone, posting a photo she's just taken of Blind Boy on the guitar, singing along to his own accompaniment. And the man on the right pays close attention to everything he sees on the stage, hat securely tightened on his head.

Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 4, July 3, 2014 - It wasn't his hat that I noticed first, either--it was his tank top.

I moved from my previous spot so that I would look across the dance floor installed in front of the Oregonian Front Porch Stage. That's where I saw this man in the tank top dancing all by himself. I recognized him immediately because I've seen him three other times over the years, dancing either with a woman or alone, he doesn't let it hold him back if he has no partner and the music moves him. Twice I saw him at Music on Main, a free Wednesday event during the summer put on by the Portland'5 Center for the Arts, and also at last year's blues festival. He always wears a tank top in this style, plus a hat in that style. After I posted photos of him groovin' to the music at the first Music on Main, my older son Lamont informed me that the man lived in their neighborhood and was seen frequently walking from here to there. Then, after I told him that I'd seen him again last year, he said to me, "You know, I think he's moved or something because we don't see him any more." I think it's neat how much the man loves live music and dancing when it speaks to him. I took three photos, but this one worked best so that you have the context of the couple dancing there on the right which helps inform what the man in the tank top is doing. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 3, July 3, 2014 - It wasn't his hat that I noticed first.

Y'all, I feel pretty good about this photo. In fact, it's one of my favorites that I've taken, period. You're seeing it straight out of the camera. However, it's not the first photo that I took of this man over at the Oregonian Front Porch Stage which is located a bit north of the FedEx Crossroads Stage, nigh to the Rose Building (actually the historical John Yeon Building), home of the Portland Rose Festival, situated in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, home of the blues festival and lots of other outstanding outdoor events in Portland.



It was his elbow that I first noticed from the chair where I sat on the aisle in front of the stage. My thought as I noticed the shape of his elbow which was right in my line of sight, "Whoa! That's guy's elbow looks like an eye." So, I took this photo--admittedly, he was more perpendicular to the ground upon first sighting, but the music of 2014 IBC winner Tim Williams got him moving. Then I noticed his hat, thank goodness.