With the Mardi Gras Season in Full Effect....

Let's talk about Jazz Fest!

Let's just start by saying that the first weekend of last years Jazz Fest was the worst weekend of my 24.6 years, and then leave it at that. Putting that behind us, the line-up for this year was announced yesterday morning and with addition of a bunch of Indians and Jazz Bands I've never heard of, here (with notes!) are this years headliners:

Friday, April 25
Buckwheat Zydeco, Sheryl Crow (Did I just make this up or did I read that Lance Armstrong is dating one of the Olsen twins), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (I wrote about their colabo here), Burning Spear, Ozomatli with Chali 2na (I'm so old school I know all the songs Ozomatli did with Chali 2na, too bad their going to play all their new shitty radio songs), Tab Benoit, Anders Osborne (not related to Ozzy, once told me he liked my hat), Big Sam’s Funky Nation (Big Sam is a house, but his Funky Nation changes from year to year), Leo Nocentelli’s “Rare Gathering” feat. Bernie Worrell, Ellis Marsalis, The Iguanas (I'm pretty sure they recorded that Gin & Juice cover that everyone thought was Phish or STI), Twangorama, Zydepunks, Shamarr Allen, Otra (One of the most awesome Jazz bands you will never hear of.)

Saturday, April 26
Dr. John (Born: Malcolm John Rebennack Jr.), Billy Joel (Born: William Joel), Keyshia Cole (Brother Sean Cole was part of Tupac's Entourage), O.A.R. (I don't know about you, but I love it when white boys put reggae breaks in their alt-country songs), The Count Basie Orchestra feat. Patti Austin (?), Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen (Great name), Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters, Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, Astral Project (Basically a bunch of music professors made a band, all of the members in Galactic were tought by a member of Astral Project), DJ Bomshell, Eddie Bo, Benjy Davis Project, Tricia "Teedy" Boutté & Ytre Suløens Jass-Ensemble of Norway, Berklee College of Music Jazz Ensemble.

Sunday, April 27
Irma Thomas (New Orleans' answer to Aretha Franklin), Tim McGraw (I hope Faith's in town), Al Green (!), Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint (Allain Toussaint wrote, among many other things, Lady Marmalade), Del McCoury (Made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in 1963), Hot 8 Brass Band, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux (Once hit me in the head with a tambourine) & the Golden Eagles, New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, Jo “Cool” Davis (Not noteworthy in anyway except to mention that he is gigantic douchebag.)

Thursday, May 1
Randy Newman (...takes a long hard look at Randy, fat man walkin over...), Widespread Panic (I haven't seen Widespread play since before Houser died), Tower of Power (If you've never heard "What is Hip" I strongly recommend it), Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers (I mentioned them briefly in this historic post), Porter- Batiste-Stoltz (I Once sang Hey Pocky Way with Batiste), Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, Fredy Omar con su Banda, Walter Payton(?!?) & Filé Gumbo, Hot Club of New Orleans, John Ellis feat. Jason Marsalis, New Orleans Rhythm Conspiracy (Great name), Billy Iuso & the Restless Natives (I once played keys with these guys, too bad I was too drunk to stand up), Small Souljas Brass Band (I'm not sure but I hope so hard that this is a group of thugged out kids who play like the Soul Rebels.)

Friday, May 2
Art Neville (Original Meter), Stevie Wonder (better than Ray), Michael Franti & Spearhead (How ya feelin??), Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave., Marva Wright & the BMWs, Terence Blanchard & the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Papa Grows Funk, Sunpie’s Tribute to Clifton Chenier, Zigaboo Modeliste (Original Meter), Bonerama (If you've never heard Bonerama then I feel sorry for you), Soul Rebels (If you don't know, you betta ask sommebooooddddaaayyy), Ingrid Lucia, Coco Robicheaux & Spiritland, Theryl “Houseman” DeClouet (Used to sing with Galactic back when they were awesome), New Orleans Jazz Vipers feat. Sophie Lee, New Orleans School of Circus Arts (Awesome!!)

Saturday, May 3
Marcia Ball (Of Freda and the Firedogs), Jimmy Buffett (Yawn... /ducks), Diana Krall (Elvis Costello's Wife), Steel Pulse, The Roots (feat. ?estlove's Afro), Bobby McFerrin (Sorry wrong number) and Chick Corea (Miles Davis' piano player), Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Was named #3 blues guitar player in the world after B.B. King and Slow Hand... at AGE 17!!!, now married to Mel Gibson's daughter), Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Aaron Neville’s Gospel Soul, the subdudes, Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Charmaine Neville, Treme Brass Band (Mardi Gras favorite), Tribute to Max Roach (arguably the best drummer ever) feat. Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis

Sunday, May 4
The Neville Brothers (appearently there are some other Neville Brothers who play soccer, one of whom is a captain for Manc.U., I only bring this up so that I can mention that their dad was a professional cricket player named, I shit you not: Neville Neville), Santana (I want a PRS guitar, with a dragon inlay... nice), The Raconteurs (Broken Boy Soldiers is a badass song, but Steady as She Goes is a terrible song, hmmm....), Galactic (Used to be awesome back when they had the Houseman), The Radiators, The Derek Trucks Band (I'd be as good as Derek Trucks too if my dad was in the Allman Brothers), Keb’ Mo’ (I can go both ways on Keb), Rebirth Brass Band, Sonny Landreth (Billed by Warren Haynes, who himself is no slouch, as the best slide guitar player ever), Snooks Eaglin, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet feat. Bela Fleck(!), Kenny Neal, Sherman Washington & the Zion Harmonizers, Rotary Downs, Grupo Fantasma, The Revealers