Matt Perko Talks Photography and Playing Music

Photographer Matt Perko had the pleasure of shooting Charles Lloyd for our cover story this week. We asked him a couple of questions about that experience and his own musical talents.

You photographed Charles Lloyd for this week’s cover story. What was that experience like?  It was an incredible experience just to meet Charles, let alone photograph him. As a lifelong jazz musician, I hold him in the highest regard. We quickly connected over our shared love of music, art, and spirituality, and after I showed him a few images on the back of my camera, he said, “You are the director. Tell me what to do!” From that point, the nerves disappeared and it was a joyous collaboration.

When you are not photographing professional musicians, you yourself play the drums professionally. Tell us a little bit about that. Are you playing anywhere in town soon?  I’ve been playing the drums since I was 3, and I started gigging at 14. That was many years ago now, and I feel very fortunate to be able to play music to this day. I’ll be leading an exciting jazz quartet at Revolver Pizza on Thursday, March 16, at 7 p.m. I’d love to see you there!