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By Kayceman
 Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
Jazz Fest 2006 by Zack Smith |
Jazz Fest comes in so many forms. That first taste of a warm Soft Shell Crab Po'boy. The sound of Big Chief Monk Boudreaux weaving the Band of Gypsys' "Who Knows" with Papa Mali on the second Friday afternoon. Rejoicing with the Coolie Family Gospel Singers in the Gospel Tent. Seeing that friend from New York who you haven't seen in years. Catching up with your boy from Lafayette. The old lady who almost had me crying as she spoke of "Before Katrina." The cabbie who shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and thanked me. Astral Project (once again the best music I heard all weekend) transcending in the Jazz Tent. Laughing at god knows what well past sunrise in front of Le Bon Temps Roule in what must have been a dream Townes Van Zandt had while huffing plane glue. It's all Jazz Fest.
But this year was different, special, sad, and totally beautiful. For years, no-decades, we have taken New Orleans for granted. Perhaps not "for granted," but when viewed against just how special New Orleans is, the Crescent City has never been fully appreciated. It is an easy argument to claim New Orleans as America's most important city. It is the birthplace of what will forever be known as America's most significant contribution to the World of Art: Jazz. Yet our government doesn't give a fuck. I'm sorry to be so crass, but there are only so many ways to describe the atrocity that is occurring in the heart of America's most precious gem. In the Ninth Ward, where the levees broke, it looks like Katrina hit a few days ago. It's been eight months - EIGHT MONTHS! - and there is almost nothing being done to rebuild the homes of the city's residents. Like the t-shirts and stickers and signs I kept seeing, "MAKE LEVEES NOT WAR," or the one with a little more bite, "Fuck Fallujah, Rebuild New Orleans," the people are pissed, and you should be too. And this, this is why the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was so important. After a history of taking from New Orleans - taking culture, taking music, taking Le Bon Temps (good times), taking the flavor, the food, the life, the love, we NEEDED to give back. We needed to spend our hard-earned money there, and heck, even tip a bit more than normal. We needed to let our friend know just how much we love her. We needed to celebrate New Orleans!
 Kirk Joseph :: Jazz Fest 2006 by Zack Smith |
If you've ever witnessed a New Orleans Jazz Funeral, you know it's something special. They don't mourn like Northerners or West Coast folks; they take to the street with horns and drums, drinks, and hats. Instead of sinking low and letting sorrow take control, they raise their spirits and celebrate the simple fact that today, while others have passed, I am alive! You will see widows crying as they sing and children dancing while they watch the casket go by. As I walked the streets of New Orleans late at night on my way to Tips for Gomez, or en route to a rare showing of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's Superwolf (which was astounding), this notion of the New Orleans Jazz Funeral kept coming to mind. As I tried to decipher the spray-painted markings on homes to indicate if the house had been checked for bodies (live or dead) or when I lost my breath looking at the water line six feet high on dilapidated abodes or when I drove past the Super Dome and remembered the war zone it had been, it would have been easy to fall victim to sadness; but instead, like the people who have made New Orleans, New Orleans, I raised a glass, picked up my head, and danced.
 Bruce Springsteen :: Jazz Fest 2006 by Michael Weintrob |
And I was not the only one. While exact numbers are hard to come by, it was clear that music lovers the world over heeded the call and flocked to New Orleans. 4,000 artists performed on ten stages over the two-weekend event. With headlining acts like Bruce Springsteen, Dr. John, and Dave Matthews on the first weekend and Lionel Richie, Paul Simon (playing with Buckwheat Zydeco and Irma Thomas), and Fats Domino (who fell ill and couldn't perform, but did make an appearance to say "Hello") on the second, the organizers of Jazz Fest did their part. Quint Davis, the head man at Jazz Fest, believes that when the numbers are tallied, they should match or exceed the festival's biggest turnouts. For a city that questioned if it would be logistically possible, or even appropriate, to hold the Jazz & Heritage Festival, the fact that so many artists and so many fans came to New Orleans is an incredibly positive sign. If New Orleans needs anything it needs her musicians to come back. It needs tourism to come back. It needs to be treated like the irreplaceable heart and soul of America that she most certainly is.
 Ivan Neville :: Jazz Fest 2006 by Adam McCullough |
Sitting in the Jazz Tent during the last performance of the 2006 Jazz & Heritage festival I found myself with a tear rising in the corner of my eye. The crowd was older, in their fifties and sixties, predominantly black, and having the time of their life. I thought about the music fans I meet in other places, the older ones (for the most part) don't dance. You couldn't have contained this group of celebrants in the Jazz Tent, and I once again realized this is New Orleans. This is Jazz Fest.
As the music of nine horns soared, I found myself playing a sort of modified hide-and-seek with this little guy who looked to be about eight years old. He was there with mom and dad and his little sister who couldn't stop dancing. As a rousing rendition of "When The Saints Go Marching In" closed down the final day of the Jazz Tent, my new friend had a drinking straw in his mouth and was playing the horn lines, in time! As he would blow a note, I'd reciprocate, and I was again reminded, THIS is Jazz Fest. Children, families, strangers - all of us being filled with the music of New Orleans. It's the music that makes the community and the community that makes the music; and it's this relationship that makes the Crescent City so incredibly special. You just can't get this anywhere else in the world.
Jazz Fest 2006 by Zack Smith |
Bruce Springsteen's latest release, We Shall Overcome, was on display at Jazz Fest. Many feel it was the pinnacle moment of the weekend, perhaps the year. While the physical state of New Orleans and her future are still in question, her soul and her ability to rise up, to overcome, has once again been answered. The city was built on the sweat and tears of slavery. New Orleans has long been the forgotten city. Drained by corruption and a blind eye, she suffers some of the most severe poverty in our nation, but it's these circumstances that have forged the sound of jazz. The music, the food, and the culture of New Orleans has grown out of these hardships. You can not have one without other. The pain is the glory. The poverty is the sound. The sadness is the transcendence. If New Orleans can thrive and use her history to create jazz, she can and will rise from the destruction of Katrina. Just like the Jazz Funeral that finds folks singing and dancing, We Shall Overcome.
For a great read and the source of inspiration for much of this article, please check out Why New Orleans Matters by Tom Piazza.
For more on New Orleans by Kayceman, check out his extensive conversation with Dr. John at Harp.
JamBase | New Orleans
Go See Live Music!
Continue reading for Super Dee's Ode To New Orleans...
Ode to New Orleans
By SuperDee
Charmaine Neville
Jazz Fest 2006 by Zack Smith |
The voice of Irma Thomas is coming over the WWOZ radio waves from the Acura Stage as we weave our way through New Orleans via cab to the fairgrounds on the last day of Jazz Fest 2006. She is singing a dirge-like version of "The City of New Orleans."
Good morning America how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.
As we drive, we see the enormous piles of garbage bags, the broken windows, the rows of abandoned cars underneath the overpass, and the crude spray-painted markings on the houses indicating whether or not people were found in there – dead or alive. As we near the fairgrounds, the foot traffic gets heavier and the revelry feels close. We pull up to the taxi line as the song ends, and with misty eyes, we stroll over to the entryway.
Passin' trains that have no names,
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles.
Paul Simon & Irma Thomas by Michael Weintrob |
It's not hard to understand why people hold New Orleans, and Jazz Fest specifically, so close to their hearts. It's a wonderland for music lovers, a feast for food lovers, and a melting pot of amazing people to meet and dance with. Whether you are black or white, poor or rich, Jazz Fest (and New Orleans in general) is where you can come to feel welcome and happy. Even in these very troubled times, there is reason to celebrate.
Ride their father's magic carpets made of steel.
Mothers with their babes asleep,
Are rockin' to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel.
Theresa Andersson & George Porter Jr.
Jazz Fest 2006 by Michael Jurick |
Musically, this is one of my most memorable Jazz Fests. Many of the bigger, national touring acts did their performances on the first weekend. Without lots of "obligations" to go see favorites, this left the door wide open for possibility. Two separate visits to the legendary Maple Leaf gave me the boogie I was looking for - the first with the Original Uptown Allstars featuring Ivan Neville and Nick Daniels among the others. The second visit on the very tail end of the weekend in the wee hours had a stage full of ridiculous players including Johnny Vidacovich (drums), Brian Coogan (keys), Will Bernard (guitar), Mike Dillon (percussion), Stanton Moore (drums again), Robert Walter (keys again), and possibly more throughout the night. And this was after seeing a Karl Denson, Robert Walter, Adam Deitch combo at DBA, which was after seeing an enthralling Femi Kuti performance at One Eyed Jacks. Yes, the nighttime is the right time!
Robert Randolph & Warren Haynes
Jazz Fest 2006 by Adam McCullough |
My favorite show of the weekend was at the fun and rowdy Rock 'n Bowl at Mid-City Lanes. This is one of those shows that popped into my inbox from the Stanton Moore email list and stuck in my brain like a Soft Shelled Crab Po'boy. The band leader du jour was the sizzling Anders Osborne joined by John Gros, Stanton Moore, Kirk Joseph, Tim Green, and oh my, so many more throughout the set. It was dirty and sweaty and funky and full of soul – a sound that you can only get in Bayou Country. The beer was flowin', Jambalaya was cookin', and bowling balls were rollin' down the lanes making for a perfect New Orleans snapshot.
The fairgrounds experience was as perfect as ever. I was able to make several deposits of my favorite foods – the Crawfish Monica, strawberry lemonade, the combo plate of spinach artichoke casserole, gratin Louisiane, and Creole sweet potato pone. I braved the crowds at the main stage to see moments of Deacon John, Paul Simon, and the surprisingly moving Lionel Richie who took over the Jazz Fest closing duties at the main stage from Fats Domino who unfortunately had to cancel his performance. (Hope you are feeling better!) I got to see Astral Project at the Jazz Tent, Dumpstaphunk at the Congo Stage, Warren Haynes at the Blues Stage, the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars at the Fais Do Do stage... each performance soaked in spirit.
And all the towns and people seem
To fade into a bad dream
And the steel rails still ain't heard the news.
The conductor sings his song again,
The passengers will please refrain
This train's got the disappearing railroad blues.
New Orleans, LA :: Photo taken during the
2006 Jazz Fest by Michael Weintrob |
That spirit helped fuel the decision to take a post-fairgrounds drive through the lower Ninth Ward section of the city. We had made a lovely acquaintance with a cabbie named Bob who has been displaced to Atlanta but came back to work during the two weekends of Jazz Fest. Bob graciously and delicately drove us through what can only be described as a ghost town. The images outside of the cab windows were shocking as we twisted through the neighborhoods – houses with tops ripped off, houses on their sides. He drove us right to the spot where the levee had been breached – "ground zero" – and it looks as though a nuclear bomb had hit there. Have no doubt, this is eight months after the storm, and things are NOT okay.
Second Line Marching Parade
Jazz Fest 2006 by Michael Weintrob |
This year's Jazz Fest left me both ecstatically happy and undeniably depressed. It seems near impossible, the task of bringing the city back. A simple rule to follow may be to work first on bringing the people back. With the people will come the food, the music, and the spirit of this unique and beautifully haunted city. Let's clean up and build. It may take a long time, but with lots of loving and caring hands on the job, there is hope. There is always hope.
And to Margie – the kind, sad woman I met on the fairgrounds with the glistening yet horrified eyes – who told me she feels like she has no country, I say, "You are not alone." There are millions of people in the U.S. who feel their tax dollars are not being used for the right priorities, who feel like their votes are not being counted, who feel like our interests abroad can't possibly be as important as those right within our borders. While our government would rather spend billions on the other side of the planet, there are people right here – probably you reading this right now – who care very deeply about the future of New Orleans. YOU are the ones that will be the advocates, the builders, the financiers, the organizers, and the volunteers. If the large crowds at the fairgrounds this year are any indication of the love and hope for New Orleans, well then there is indeed a beautiful future that lies ahead.
Good morning America how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.
Habitat for Humanity
Mardi Gras Service Corp
Common Grounds
NOLA Relief
JamBase | Do What You Can
Go Save New Orleans!
Continue reading for Zack Smith's Jazz Fest 2006 images...
THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2006
IMAGES BY ZACK SMITH
Jazz Fest 2006 |
Lil' Stooges Brass Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Lil' Stooges Brass Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Ensemble of Ghana :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
CJ Chenier :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
The Original Pinstripe Brass Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Elvis Costello :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Detroit Brooks - Brooks Family Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Terence Blanchard :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
New Orleans Klezmer All Stars :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
New Orleans Klezmer All Stars w/ Henry Griffin (dancing)
Jazz Fest 2006 |
Jazz Fest 2006 |
Art Neville & George Porter Jr. :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Smitty Dee's Brass Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Jazz Fest 2006 |
Panorama Jazz Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Jazz Fest 2006 |
Trombone Shorty :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Continue reading for Michael Weintrob's Jazz Fest 2006 images...
THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2006
IMAGES BY MICHAEL WEINTROB
The New Orleans You Don't See...
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
New Orleans, LA - May, 2006 |
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival That You Know and Love...
Dr. John :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Bruce Springsteen :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Bruce Springsteen :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Elvis Costello :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Roger Lewis - Dirty Dozen Brass Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Kermit Ruffins :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Koko Taylor :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Herbie Hancock :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Keb' Mo' :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Deacon John :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Duane Dopsie :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Little Feat :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Keith Urban :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Irvin Mayfield :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Ian Neville :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Marcia Ball :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Snooks Eaglin & George Porter Jr :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Paul Simon & Buckwheat Zydeco :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
The Edge (U2) :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
The Edge & Dave Mattews :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
The Edge helps re-open
Preservation Jazz Hall :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Eddie Bo :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Leo Nocentelli :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Continue reading for Adam McCullough's Jazz Fest 2006 images...
THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2006
IMAGES BY ADAM McCULLOUGH
BeauSoleil :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Charmaine Neville :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Dr. John :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Irvin Mayfield & Trombone Shorty :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Preservation Hall Jazz Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Yerba Buena :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Dave Matthews :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Clarence "Frogman" Henry :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Stanton Moore - Galactic :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Subdudes :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Big Sam :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Kermit Ruffins :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Preservation Hall Jazz Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Allen Toussaint :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Walter "Wolfman" Washington :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
JJ Grey - Fog Fest :: Jazz Fest at Night 2006 |
Coolie Family Gospel Choir :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Freddie King :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Angélique Kidjo :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Lil' Brian & the Zydeco Travelers :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Little Feat & Jimmy Buffett :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Amanda Shaw :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Theresa Andersson :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Donald Harrison :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Warren Haynes :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Robert Randolph :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Robert Randolph :: Jazz Fest at Nite 2006 |
Blind Boys of Alabama :: Jazz Fest at Nite 2006 |
Keller Williams :: Jazz Fest at Nite 2006 |
Ivan Neville :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Paul Simon :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Pete Fountain :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Treme Brass Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Treme Brass Band :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Wanda Rouzan :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Jeff Austin - YMSB:: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Adam McCullough is currently auctioning off two signed Karl Denson photographs with all proceeds going to Habit for Humanity in New Orleans. If you are interested please click here: Photo 1 and Photo 2.
Continue reading for Rob Chapman's Jazz Fest 2006 images...
THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2006
IMAGES BY ROBERT CHAPMAN
Galactic :: 04.29 :: Tipitina's :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Eric Krasno :: Jamakazi :: 04.30 Howlin' Wolf |
Instruments A Comin' :: 05.01 Tipitina's |
Instruments A Comin' (Mali, Ellman, Vogel) :: 05.01 Tipitina's |
Instruments A Comin' - Papa Mali :: 05.01 Tipitina's |
Instruments A Comin' - Big Chief Monk Boudreaux :: 05.01 Tipitina's |
Dragon Smoke :: 05.02 :: Blue Nile |
Dragon Smoke - Ivan Neville, Eric Krasno & Robert Mercurio
05.02 :: Blue Nile |
Greyboy Allstars :: 05.04 :: The Riverboat Cajun Queen |
Maple Leaf Jam :: 05.04 |
The Radiators :: 05.06 |
Jessica Lurie, Karl Denson & Eric Krasno :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Jazz Fest 2006 |
Jazz Fest 2006 |
The Super Dome :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Continue reading for Michael Jurick's Jazz Fest at Nite 2006 images...
THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2006
IMAGES BY MICHAEL JURICK
The Radiators :: 05.04 :: Southport Hall :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
The Radiators :: 05.04 :: Southport Hall :: Jazz Fest 2006 |
Mardi Gras Indians :: 05.04 :: Southport Hall |
Mardi Gras Indians :: 05.04 :: Southport Hall |
Mardi Gras Indians :: 05.04 :: Southport Hall |
Dirty Dozen Brass Band :: 05.05 :: CAC |
Dirty Dozen Brass Band :: 05.05 :: CAC |
Dirty Dozen Brass Band :: 05.05 :: CAC |
Stanton Moore - Galactic :: 05.05 :: CAC |
Ellman & Moore - Galactic :: 05.05 :: CAC |
Moore & John Mayer :: 05.05 :: CAC |
John Mayer (with Galactic) :: 05.05 :: CAC |
NOLA Allstars :: Ivan Neville :: 05.05 :: Howlin' Wolf |
NOLA Allstars :: George Porter Jr
05.05 :: Howlin' Wolf |
NOLA Allstars :: Theresa Andersson
05.05 :: Howlin' Wolf |
NOLA Allstars :: Johnny Vidacovich
05.05 :: Howlin' Wolf |
Steve Molitz - Particle :: 05.06 :: The Republic |
Scott Metzger - Particle :: 05.06 :: The Republic |
Particle :: 05.06 :: The Republic |
Jake Shimabukuro :: 05.07 :: Tipitina's |
Dumpstaphunk (Ivan Neville) :: 05.07 :: Tipitina's |
Dumpstaphunk - Ivan Neville :: 05.07 :: Tipitina's |
Dumpstaphunk - Art Neville :: 05.07 :: Tipitina's |
Dumpstaphunk - Nick Daniels :: 05.07 :: Tipitina's |
Dumpstaphunk :: 05.07 :: Tipitina's |
Dumpstaphunk :: 05.07 :: Tipitina's |
Dumpstaphunk - George Porter Jr & Tony Hall
05.07 :: Tipitina's |
Dumpstaphunk :: 05.07 :: Tipitina's |
JamBase | New Orleans
Go See Live Music!
Check out JazzFestLive.com for live records from Jazz Fest!
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