OVERVIEW

It’s that time of year again, when music lovers and cultural tourists pour into the Big Easy the last weekend of April and first weekend of May for food, melody and memory-making. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, or “Jazz Fest”, as its affectionately known by fans all over the globe, started in 1970, growing from a modest group of 350 to more than 600,000 annual attendees. However, the historical significance of the Jazz Fest dates much further back than even the dawn of New Orleans Jazz in the early 1900’s, back to the 1700’s when an integrated world danced in the public squares of the Treme, sweet summer sweat permeated only by the rhythm of African drums and Caribbean beats.

The first Jazz Fest included musical acts in a singular Gospel tent on Congo Square.  That inaugural event must have been quite a show with artists like The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Duke Ellington, Mahalia Jackson, Pete Fountain, Al Hirt, Clifton Chenier, Fats Domino, and The Meters taking the stage to perform. Today, the festival has expanded genres to incredible variety showcasing blues, R&B, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, Afro-Caribbean, folk music, Latin, rock, rap, country, bluegrass, and of course both contemporary and traditional jazz. Oh, and then of course there’s the food: muffulettas, red beans and rice, and crawfish Monica, beignets, alligator sausage po' boys, softshell crabs, jambalaya, crawfish pie and file gumbo.

It’s no coincidence that one of the most popular music festivals in the world is held in New Orleans.  To give us a history lesson is host of Jazz Insights, our friend and professional musician, Dr. Gordon Vernick.  A true musical epistemologist, Gordon is most passionate about education, teaching “the audiences of the future” about his beloved jazz.  Answering the complex question about “the birthplace of jazz”, our interview hits high notes of colorful provenance concerning New Orleans musical legacy, and how events in history lead to the diversity we hear today.

“We  always playin’ together, why don’t we try to get together and try to organize the band and get something happenin’?,” asked our second guest, Roger Lewis, of Charles Joseph in a conversation leading them to found The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.  What they did was play more than just music.  They played a sound that was brand new, and people danced to it. In an interview that is quintessentially New Orleans, we hear about the early days, how New Orleans has changed and yet remained the same, plus we get some good eatin’ insights about where to hit when you’re at the Fest.

If  you like history, music, and great conversation, we’re sure you’ll enjoy this show. Laissez les bon temps rouler.

Header Photo credit: David Grunfeld, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune.