Thursday, March 29, 2007
Ask diehard traveling music fans all over the world what April means to them, and chances are they will say it’s Jazz Fest. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival started in 1970, when Mahalia Jackson and Duke Ellington were among the jazz and gospel stars who performed for some 700 people in Congo (then Beauregard) Square.
Since then it has swelled to a citywide, two-week celebration of music that in 2001 drew 650,000 visitors.
Last year’s triumphant return after Katrina was seen by the world press as a glimmer of hope for New Orleans, and while the progress in rebuilding New Orleans seems to have lead feet, Jazz Fest has shown no sign of slowing down.
The first weekend kicks off on the Fair Grounds Race Course Friday, April 27, and runs through Sunday.
Iconic New Orleans acts like Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Pete Fountain and the Rebirth Brass Band are on tap, along with an impressive spate of big names spanning the pop music spectrum: Van Morrison, Norah Jones, Rod Stewart, Brad Paisley and Ludacris. Calexico will be on hand with their mix of mariachi, introspective writing and pop orchestration gorgeousness. Alt-country ingénues Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch (performing separately, but what a killer duet that would be!) will warm the back roads of your soul. Other must-sees include Pharaoh Sanders, one of the last living giants of jazz; and the unbeatable funk of Kermit Ruffins and his Barbeque Swingers. The best way to experience Jazz Fest, however, is to wander the tents and stands throughout the day, bowls of food precariously balanced in your hands, and a panoply of music in your ears.
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