Jazz Fest | 04.24-04.26 | New Orleans, LA
Words by: Jim Welte | Images by: Adam McCullough & Tamara Grayson
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival :: 04.24.09 - 04.26.09 :: Fair Grounds Race Course :: New Orleans, LA
Jazz Fest 2009 by McCullough |
Musical and gastronomic possibilities abound, not to mention the cooking and craftsman demonstrations, displays from an array of artists from around the country, insightful interviews in the grandstand, and a level of people watching rivaled only by the train wrecks stumbling down Bourbon Street in the wee hours of the night. The likes of Coachella, Outside Lands and Lollapalooza certainly boast bigger names and budgets, but in an era where almost every major market has a blockbuster music festival to call its own, none can match Jazz Fest's authenticity, vitality and deep ties to the history of its setting.
Now in its 40th year, the 2009 edition of Jazz Fest continues to ramp up post-Hurricane Katrina, expanding to its full complement of 12 stages, up from nine last year, and seven days, up from six in recent years. The event's first of two weekends boasted music from nearly 200 acts, including the likes of Dave Matthews Band, Crescent City native Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Joe Cocker, Erykah Badu, James Taylor, Earth Wind and Fire, Pete Seeger, Hugh Masekela, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Etta James and many more.
Friday | 04.24.09
You could hear the percussion from well outside the Fair Grounds. A full-fledged Brazilian Carnival parade was sauntering down the walkway leading onto the race course, and the mass of people surrounding it made it difficult to tell who - or, more to the point, how many - were making such fantastic noise. It was Casa Samba, a New Orleans-based samba school that was showcasing its diverse troupe of drummers and dancers and delivering a swift wake-up call to the just-arrived attendees that it was game time.
Jazz Fest 2009 by McCullough |
Just a few hundred feet away, Northern California slide guitar master Roy Rogers was setting the Blues Tent on fire with scorching assaults on his own originals and covers of blues standards like Willie Dixon's "Built for Comfort" and Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues." Joined by longtime bassist Steve Ehrmann and drummer Billy Lee Lewis, the 58-year-old Rogers put on a virtual clinic on the slide guitar. Later in the set, with Louisiana legend Marcia Ball sitting in on piano, Rogers' playing was feathery on tracks like "River of Tears" and ferocious on "Walkin' the Levee," both of which are on his latest album, Split Decision. His set was easily one of the highlights of the weekend.
The pairing of the Drive-By Truckers and Booker T. on the Acura Stage was an intriguing one. Just as they did for veteran soul singer Bettye LaVette in 2007, the stalwart Southern rockers served as Booker T.'s backing band on his recent Potato Hole, his first solo album in 20 years. The group's 70-minute set featured music from both acts, with the Truckers' tracks proving most compelling and Booker's brief medley inciting the crowd to its feet. Truckers' co-founder Patterson Hood showed off his lyrical muscle on "Goode's Field Road," a timely and heart-wrenching tale of a guy contemplating blowing his brains out in the hopes that the insurance money will help his family get out from under a mountain of debt. "Honey, take care of the children, pay the house off when the salvage yard gets sold/ And you don't know nothing when the insurance man asks questions/ Bout what went down at the Goode's Field Road," he sang. Later in the set, Booker T. grabbed the spotlight for a run through several tracks off Potato Hole, as well as a funky take on the instrumental cut "Time Is Tight." Backed by the Truckers' vaunted three guitars, Booker's B3 organ built to a boiling crescendo and that had the Truckers sounding a whole lot more like the MG's.
Jazz Fest 2009 by Grayson |
If there was one performance that sonically captured the historical magnitude of New Orleans in American music culture, it was the late afternoon set by Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Ghanian percussionist Yacub Addy and his nine-piece ensemble Odadaa! The massive group played Congo Square, an epic 2006 composition that saw Marsalis and Addy attempt to bridge the rhythms of West Africa and the roots of jazz. The piece is based on the square in what is now called Louis Armstrong Park, where slaves gathered on Sunday afternoon in the 1800s, a place that Marsalis has called "one little desperate outpost of soul." Not surprising with such a massive undertaking, the music had its peaks and valleys in a live, open air setting. At times, the two groups seemed overly cautious of getting in each other's way. But when they found the pocket, with Odadaa! in full flight and the Lincoln brass surging in accompaniment, it was Basie meets Olatunji, a perfect marriage of big band jazz and West African percussion.
Nearby on the Gentilly Stage, Spoon was adding an entirely different flavor to the sonic stew. Built around sharp rhythms and frontman Britt Daniels' angular delivery, Spoon churns out concise blasts of compelling rock. A trio of horn players from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band joined in for a few tunes, adding even more rhythmic density to a band driven by it. "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" was downright funky, while "The Ghost of You Lingers" had a cinematic vibe. The band also unveiled several new tracks that didn't deviate from what this band does well. While Spoon rocked, Joe Cocker showed that he'll go into retirement kicking and screaming. The 64-year-old British rock-soul singer shrieked, grunted and growled his way through a set dominated by cover songs he turned into hits. On the biggest of them all, "With a Little Help From My Friends," the flush-faced Cocker wailed his way through the verses, leaning heavily on his outstanding backup vocalists. But when it came time for the chorus, he had thousands of friends to help him get along.
Continue reading for coverage of Saturday at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival...
An hour later, the Young Tuxedo Brass Band was giving a packed house at the Peoples Health Economy Hall Tent a lesson in the vivacity and importance of the brass band. Founded in 1938, the group is one of the oldest active brass bands in New Orleans, and is made up of mostly musicians that have passed the half-century mark. Led by trumpeter Greg Stafford, the 11-piece group tore through jazz funeral and brass band standards like "Over in the Gloryland," as the Lady Jetsetters Marching Club twirled their parasols and swayed through the aisles, picking up prospective marchers along the way. This was one of those moments that stamped a luminescent sheen on the rest of the day.
That sheen never faded, but if it had by the time Ile Aiye took the Jazz & Heritage Stage, it would have been rejuvenated in spades. The Afro-Brazilian percussion group hails from the city of Salvador in Bahia, Brazil and it plays with an unquenchable fire. The songs, rooted in the Candomble religion, feature call-and-response chants in Portuguese and Yoruba over blistering arrays of percussion. The 12-piece band didn't take its foot off the gas once, and was enough to rouse any skeptic. As Pharoahe Monch once said, "If you're holdin' up the wall, then you're missing the point."
Over at the Gentilly Stage, Wilco's set to close out the day was solid, particularly Nels Cline's lap steel playing on the opener, the country blues-tinged "Walken" and "Handshake Drugs." The Rebirth Brass Band was joined by co-founder Kermit Ruffins for a few tracks of its bombastic set, and on the heels of Young Tuxedo's set, Rebirth showed just how much the brass band sound has changed over the years, with a much heavier emphasis on grooves and hip-hop-style shout-outs to the crowd. Emerging trumpeter Shamarr Allen and Rebirth trombonist Corey Henry sat in with Galactic for a set that was an absolute master class in musicianship, while Jamaican reggae group Third World used its popular tune "Reggae Ambassador" to dig into a medley that included Damian Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" and Peter Tosh's "Legalize It."
And if the Young Tuxedos weren't proof enough that age is just a number, 90-year-old folk icon Pete Seeger, joined by his grandson Tao Rodriguez Seeger, performed a set of protest songs, many of which sadly seemed as relevant today as when he wrote them. Joined by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's Ben Jaffe on sousaphone, the group played "I Don't Want Your Millions, Mister," which saw the packed field sing along in unison to the timely line, "Give me back my job again." Rodriguez Seeger said, "That one goes out to Wall Street."
Continue reading for coverage of Sunday at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival...
But great music festivals often present a scheduling challenge to attendees, and the loaded back-end of the first weekend was a sign that Jazz Fest had returned to its pre-Katrina strength. Sunday's earlier sets were loaded as well, as Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indians served up a potent afternoon cocktail of deep, dubby funk, and Mexico City-based electro-rock outfit Kinky got people shaking their tailfeathers at the Acura Stage. Drummer Herlin Riley, born and raised in the Lower Ninth Ward, had played Jazz Fest numerous times over the years. But his mid-afternoon set was his first Jazz Fest show as a bandleader performing his material. "It sure feels good," he said, dedicating the set to guitarist and New Orleans musical legend Danny Barker, who would have been 100 this year.
The Avett Brothers drew the biggest crowd the Fais Do Do Stage saw all weekend. The quartet (guitar, banjo, upright bass and cello) made up for some early technical difficulties with loads of feeling. But they also showed themselves to be much more than just the "country with punk energy" tag they've been branded with in recent years. The songwriting on several tracks was outstanding, particularly "The Laundry Room," where Scott Avett sang loaded lines like, "Teach me how to use/ the love that people say you make." The band has been serving as the opening act on the Dave Matthews Band's spring tour, and deserves more ears.
While Staples channeled the spirit, Etta James' performance at the Gentilly Stage posed a question: how is it possible for a 71-year-old woman to be overtly sexual and for it not to seem comically awkward? In her cover of "You Can Leave Your Hat On," her hips swiveled and she had a two-handed grip on her breasts as she added the line, "You can leave your bra on." Later, she covered Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart," an ironic twist that put James' colossal career into perspective. Another septuagenarian, South African legend, Hugh Masekela, led his group through tight instrumentals like "Grazin' in the Grass" and fist-raising protest anthems like his 1987 hit "Bring Him Back Home," a call to free Nelson Mandela.
Fellow South African Dave Matthews led his troupe through an entertaining set that proved why they have remained one of the biggest touring acts around for nearly two decades. At the Acura Stage, Matthews told the crowd about the band's decision to record their forthcoming new album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, in New Orleans. The album is a tribute to longtime saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who died in August 2008 from complications from an ATV accident. In addition to hits like "Ants Marching," the band played several cuts from the new record, including the bluesy "Why I Am" and "Funny The Way It Is."
Although its set too often veered into smooth jazz territory, Earth Wind and Fire rolled out its own litany of hits in its set at the Congo Square Stage. "Shining Star" was a gem, with the entire crowd chanting the chorus. Given the number of big-name closing sets, it was surprising that every one of them was packed, a great sign for festival organizers. The clash of titans also made for some telling moments. If you stood in the right spot on the racecourse, you could hear EWF singer Philip Bailey singing the chorus to "After the Love Has Gone," while DMB performed "Stay," on which Matthews playfully invites a lover to stay a bit longer. If only...
Continue reading for way more pics of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival...
Images by: Adam McCullough
Henry Butler | |
Marc Broussard | |
Booker T. and the DBTs | |
Donald Harrison Jr. | |
Mardi Gras Indians | |
Mardi Gras Indians | |
Jason Marsalis | |
Bonerama | |
Ladysmith Red Lions | |
Ladysmith Red Lions | |
Mavis Staples | |
New Bumpers Revival Jazz Band | |
Marlon Jordan | |
Nightcrawlers | |
Rockin' Dopsie Jr. | |
Roy Haynes | |
Tab Benoit | |
Willis Prudhomme | |
Joe Cocker |
Images by: Tamara Grayson
Amanda Shaw | |
Amanda Shaw | |
Henry Butler | |
Benji Davis Project | |
Irma Thomas | |
Pamela Landrum | |
Donald Harrison Jr. | |
David Egan | |
Ladysmith Red Lions | |
Lost Bayou Ramblers | |
Tab Benoit | |
Tab Benoit | |
The Vettes | |
Spoon | |
Semolian Warriors Mardi Gras Indians |
Continue reading for Saturday pics of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival...
Images by: Tamara Grayson
Erykah Badu | |
The Single Men Social Aid & Pleasure Club | |
Congo Square Vendors | |
Carol Fran | |
Crescent City Allstars | |
Dumpstaphunk | |
Shamarr Allen | |
The Dixie Cups | |
The Dixie Cups | |
Henry Gray | |
Irma Thomas | |
Imagination Movers | |
DJ Jubilee | |
James Taylor | |
Mr. Okra | |
Big Sam | |
Big Sam | |
Paul Sanchez | |
Ingrid Lucia | |
Thomas Fields | |
Johnny Winter | |
Walter 'Wolfman' Washington | |
Astral Project | |
Pete Seeger | |
Wilco |
Images by: Adam McCullough
Astral Project | |
Del McCoury | |
Galactic | |
Corey Henry with Galactic | |
Corey Henry with Galactic | |
Corey Henry with Galactic | |
Baby Boyz Brass Band | |
Dumpstaphunk | |
Dumpstaphunk | |
Dumpstaphunk | |
Irma Thomas | |
James Taylor | |
Rebirth Brass Band | |
Rebirth Brass Band | |
Kermit Ruffins with Rebirth Brass Band | |
Big Sam | |
Big Sam | |
Stephanie Jordan | |
Third World | |
Johnny Winter | |
Walter 'Wolfman' Washington | |
Wynton Marsalis |
Continue reading for Sunday pics of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival...
Images by: Adam McCullough
Storyville Stompers Brass Band | |
Storyville Stompers Brass Band | |
Robert Cray | |
Craig Adams | |
The Ebony Hillbillies | |
The Ebony Hillbillies | |
Hugh Masekela | |
Golden Star Indians | |
Golden Star Indians | |
Joe Hall | |
Pine Leaf Boys | |
Sonny Landreth | |
Papa Grows Funk | |
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux | |
Dave Matthews Band | |
Dave Matthews Band | |
Dave Matthews Band | |
Dave Matthews Band | |
Dave Matthews Band |
Images by: Tamara Grayson
Allen Toussaint | |
Deacon John | |
Earth Wind and Fire | |
Robert Cray | |
Danon Smith | |
Germaine Bazzle | |
E.O.E. | |
Guitar Slim Jr. | |
Sharon Jones | |
Etta James | |
Jake Smith | |
Kinky | |
Rockie Charles | |
Rockie Charles | |
Pine Leaf Boys | |
Papa Grows Funk | |
Sonny Landreth | |
Storyville Stompers Brass Band | |
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux | |
Dave Matthews Band | |
Dave Matthews Band | |
Schatzy |
Continue reading for a few pics of Late Nite in New Orleans...
Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse
Preservation Hall
Tipitina's
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