These dudes REALLY love Jazz Festival. I like the guy on the right, acting like this is just an everyday sight for him. Which it probably is, here in the Big Easy.
This will be more abbreviated than usual, given the hour. I'm back in New Orleans again for yet another Jazz and Heritage Festival. Meaning, its time to get my eat on while listening to great music. This year offers another great collection of musicians from all fields.
Here's the highlights of what I'm looking forward to this year:
Thursday: Theressa Andersson, Anders Osborne (outstanding guitarist), subdudes (country/folk/acoustic with a Louisiana flavor), Solomon Burke (original New Orleans R&B), Emmylou Harris, Mississippi Mass Choir, Jakob Dylan.
Friday: BeauSoleil (premiere Cajun band), Frankie Ford ("Sea Cruise" and "You Talk Too Much"), Marcia Ball, Bonnie Raitt, John Boutte (jazz vocalist), Tony Bennett (yeah, THAT Tony Bennett), Geno Delafose.
Saturday: Zachary Richard (zydeco-"Crawfeesh"), Buckwheat Zydeco, Cowboy Mouth (local hard rockers), Dr. John, the O'Jays, John Mayall, Deacon John, New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, Aaron Neville solo gospel performance.
Sunday: Neil Young and Crazy Horse ("Keep On Rockin' In the Free World"), Allen Toussaint, Ellis Marsalis (Wynton and Branford's dad), Soul Rebels, Sherman Washington and the Zion Harmonizers (the premiere New Orleans gospel group), D.L. Menard and the Louisiana Aces (old-time Cajun country), Dash Rip Rock (fun New Orleans hard rock party band), Buddy Guy, and the Neville Brothers.
Here's who I definitely will not be catching: Sugarland, Bon Jovi, Kings of Leon, and Ben Harper.
Naturally, I plan to spend lots of time eating: crawfish pie, crawfish Monica, Prejean's quail, pheasant, and andouille gumbo, crawfish sack, crawfish tamales, tasso, seafood jambalaya, and jama-jama (spicy African spinach dish). Better get my fat clothes out when I come home.
Generally, with all the standing around, and walking from stage to stage, my 44 year old back is shot by Festival's end. Still, its worth it for those gems that always reveal themselves each year. Isaac Hayes singing an extended version of "Shaft" as night fell on the festival; Paul Simon singing Slip Slidin' Away as the rains hit Jazz Festival; Randy Newman singing "Louisiana 1927" as the skies started to pour; Irma Thomas' and Marva Wright's "Tribute to Mahalia Jackson"; B.B. King; Rev. Al Green; Jerry Lee Lewis; Johnny Rivers; one of Ike Turner's last performances before his death; Phillip Manuel's "Tribute to Nat King Cole"; the last half of the Stevie Wonder show; Rebirth Brass Band; and any time that the Zion Harmonizers play.
Today I was able to get into town soon enough to check out the Wednesday in the Square free show. This is a weekly concert series sponsored by the New Orleans Saints, in Lafayette Square across from the federal courthouse (where I used to play volleyball with other young lawyers during my brief career as a New Orleans maritime lawyer). Tonight's show featured Marva Wright and Marcia Ball. There was quite a crowd, in what was obviously a Jazz Fest warmup for everyone. An odd mix of professionals using this as an impromptu happy hour, Festival-goers, and people who would have been in the park concert or no. It was fun getting here in time for this warmup.
I'll aim to post each night after the day's show. That may break down, but I'll do the best I can. I'll probably be more reliable at uploading the millions of pictures I always take. I already have some pictures from the Lafayette Square free show. In the meantime, I feel sorry for all you losers working at your hum-drum jobs instead of joining me at Jazz Festival.
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