Pictures and Riffs Telling Stories in Santa Barbara

Art and jazz have had a strong symbiotic relationship, historically, as twin forms of free-minded expression sharing cultural spaces and events. For a prime local example of this continuing cultural bond, head over to the Community Arts Workshop (CAW) for a special pop-up event, called LUNCH: Black and White Film Photography, on Tuesday, August 29, from 6-10 p.m. Add food and libations to the occasion — wine from Satellite and a deluxe Mediterranean food spread — and call it a happening.

What to expect: fine art photography using actual film by Carl Perry, Nick Bodden, and Max Callas. From the aural plane comes live jazz courtesy of drummer (and also photographer) Matt Perko and band, who have been proving their ear-worthiness with hot shows at Revolver Pizza on the Westside of S.B. (Insider’s note: Both Perry and Perko are contributors to the Independent, usually via their impressive concert imagery).

LUNCH came together through the organizing will and energy of Perry, who had been itching to create an art/music/food event, and he settled on CAW as the perfect spot. “I reached out to Nick and Max and they were on board right away,” Perry recalls. “I wanted this to be a proper social event, a night that celebrates 35mm, local wines, good food, and excellent local music. Many phone calls and emails later, all those pieces fell into place, and I think we achieved what we set out to do.”

As Perry explained, the title LUNCH came to him while on a job at the Bacara, where a lone “LUNCH” sign lurked amid a med-tech gathering. “In my mind,” he says, “it made it seem like this room is where you came to observe and ingest information from your surroundings in lieu of actual food, which I thought was strangely inspiring.”

Art-wise, the temporary exhibition will feature images from Callas’s 2018 streetwise series Suspension, while Bodden “is going the abstract route with a mixed-media series of prints that he’s going to illustrate over with oil pen.” In a new series. Perry’s work will include images from a pandemic-era series he calls Isolated, along with documentary, interactive pieces.

From the musical corner, Perry comments, “Matt Perko was an ideal fit. I had known of him within the ether of local photogs, as one of the other guys that covered the Bowl shows, until I met him at one of Revolver’s jazz nights. He’s a brilliant player and an excellent photographer, so he was a natural fit for this event.”

And of the mediumistic intertwining at the root of LUNCH, Perry observes, “I think black-and-white photos and jazz exist on the same artistic plane. A good photograph is like jazz. Shapes, patterns, symmetry, tones.

“They draw a lot of parallels to each other. Having live jazz while showing photographs is a perfect sensory experience, which is one of the core concepts for this show.”

For info, see bit.ly/44eekZV.