Best Jazz Fest Ever?
The 40th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell was one of the best ever. Great talent and fabulous weather brought out the biggest crowd in years – more than 400,000 people. The festival is the main source of revenue for the Jazz & Heritage Foundation, which works year-round to promote the music and culture of Louisiana. You can help by joining our membership organization, Fans of the Fest.
Fans of the Fest
This year, we tried something new at the Foundation Pavilion at Jazz Fest: A raffle and contest. One raffle winner was Michele Miola (pictured) of San Francisco. She and her husband are retired, visiting New Orleans for two months and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. They won a signed and numbered 2007 Congo Square poster featuring Philip Frazier of the Rebirth Brass Band – one of our most popular posters ever. Cleo McQueen of Gulfport, MS, also won a poster, which she will donate to Chappy’s Restaurant in Nashville, owned by New Orleans natives who relocated after Hurricane Katrina. Ms. El Tahra Ibrahim of New Orleans correctly answered five Jazz Fest trivia questions and won a $1,000-level membership to Fans of the Fest.
Community Day of Service
On April 29, the Jazz & Heritage Foundation and radio station WWOZ co-hosted our first annual Community Day of Service. Members of the Foundation’s board, staff and the community helped to build houses at the Musicians Village, a project of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. The Foundation also announced that through its Raisin’ the Roof program, a dozen musicians who didn’t originally qualify for a Habitat mortgage are now proud homeowners in the Musicians Village.
Foundation Gala
At the Foundation's 11th annual Gala fundraising concert, on April 23, Allen Toussaint led an all-star R&B revue that included Irma Thomas, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Robert Parker and Wanda Rouzan, along with Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. While on stage, Toussaint (pictured with Foundation president Ron Sholes) - a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer legendary for his songwriting and producing - signed an Epiphone Limited Edition Music Rising Les Paul Standard, which was donated by Music Rising
, a nonprofit formed by U2's the Edge, music producer Bob Ezrin and Gibson Guitar chairman Henry Juszkiewicz to replace instruments lost in Hurricane Katrina. The guitar was one of the top-yielding items in a silent auction to support the programs of the foundation.
Gospel Is Alive
Mavis Staples wowed the crowd at the Foundation's annual Gospel Is Alive concert, held April 27 at Tulane University's Dixon Hall. The free concert for senior citizens also featured the Rev. Lois Dejean and the Mahalia Jackson Youth Choir. Staples, of the legendary Staple Singers, also performed at Jazz Fest.
Sync Up Conference
The Foundation hosted its second annual entertainment industry conference during both Jazz Fest weekends. Sync Up: The Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange featured presentations on the international festival market, nonprofit record labels, music in video games, copyright protection and more. Leading event producers from Australia, Brazil and Europe joined their American counterparts in lively panel discussions. Pictured are New York event producer Danny Kapilian, Rosebud booking agency founder Mike Kappus and Swiss festival producer Nicolas Gilliet. The updated Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange web site - a resource to connect professional musicians with performing and licensing opportunities - was previewed at the conference.
'Kind of Blue' Lecture
Jazz journalist and author Ashley Kahn presented a Tom Dent Congo Square Lecture on the making of Miles Davis’ legendary album “Kind of Blue,” now celebrating its 50th anniversary. In his talk at the Jazz & Heritage Center on May 4, Kahn (pictured) traced Davis’ path from his arrival in New York in 1944 through the recording sessions in 1959 – including the people and music that influenced his artistic choices.
Red Tyler Tribute
On May 9, the Foundation’s Jazz Journey concert series saluted the late saxophone great Alvin “Red” Tyler with an evening of music and stories at the Contemporary Arts Center. Germaine Bazzle (pictured) joined Clyde Kerr, Jr., June Gardner, Ed Perkins, Steve Masakowski and other friends and musical colleagues who recalled Red’s smooth tone and gracious presence.
Heritage School of Music
Shamarr Allen joined the students and faculty of the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music in a May 16 fundraising concert at New Orleans’ Ernst Café. The event, organized by the Friends of the Heritage School parents support group, generated thousands of dollars that will be used to provide college scholarships for Heritage School participants. Allen (pictured) is a Heritage School alum who will be joining Willie Nelson's band for a summer tour with Bob Dylan.
Jazz Fest Weddings
The Jazz & Heritage Archive is looking for wedding photos from Jazz Fest. If you know someone who got married at Jazz Fest, we’d like to see pictures for potential inclusion in a future exhibit at the Jazz & Heritage Gallery. Please e-mail a copy of the photo, along with the names of everyone in the picture, the date it was taken and the name of the photographer to ceremonies@jazzandheritage.org.
Upcoming Events
The third annual Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival, June 13-14, features BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Rosie Ledet, Terrance Simien, Steve Riley, the Lost Bayou Ramblers, the Pine Leaf Boys and many more.
Our Down By the Riverside concert on June 13 at Woldenberg Riverfront Park will feature Lafayette troubadour Zachary Richard. The concert, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., is free and open to the public.
Our fourth annual Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, Oct. 17-18 at Lafayette Square Park, will feature slide guitar ace Sonny Landreth, Mississippi bluesman Robert Belfour, New Orleans-born songwriter Chris Smither and many more.
The second annual Treme Creole Gumbo Festival will be Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Jazz & Heritage Center. This free festival celebrates gumbo, New Orleans culture and all that jazz. Kermit Ruffins and many others will perform. The event coincides with the Foundation’s Jazz & Heritage Holiday Bazaar, a great place to shop for Jazz Fest collectibles.
Plans are under way for our third Fiesta Latina, a free festival of Latin music, to be held in November in Kenner, Louisiana. Stay tuned for details.
Thank You
Our sincere thanks to these new Fans of the Fest members, Doug Schwab and Doris Bauer (who both joined at the Founders Circle level) and these donors of note: Pat & Jim Besselman, Kristi Williams and Thomas & Jane Vetter. Their generous support helps us continue our year-round efforts to support Louisiana music and culture. You can help - join Fans of the Fest today.
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