Dusting off the old, very old, blog to write up a little review on Jazz Fest. This matters to a varied smattering of friends - you know who you are!
Wednesday
April 27th I landed in New Orleans and spent the afternoon with my good friend Jill in her funky cool apartment in the French Quarter. She is a native of NOLA, recently moved back home. We became good friends during her seven years living in Chicago. For dinner, we enjoyed akara, jama jama and peanut stew at Bennachin African restaurant.
Thursday
Elizabeth and I went to a Yoga class and then she had me over for an amazing juice from her Vitamix and fresh salad with a bloody Mary on her back patio. Elizabeth is also a student of Rod Stryker so we can talk prana, shakti, dharma all day long.
Friday
1st day of Jazz & Heritage Festival!
After a short, easy bike ride to the festival grounds, I went right up to the Acura stage to see George Porter, Jr. and his Runnin' Pardners. When I lived down here in 2001 (for just 4 months), I would go see George at The Old Point bar in Algiers weekly. The moment I stepped in front of the music, I was overcome with emotion. It was so many things. The last time I stood here was the first Fest after "The Storm" and we were all there trying to regroup. This mix of hope and anger and camaraderie and disbelief and joy that overwhelmed me in 2006 while Bruce Springsteen was onstage and Bob Dylan was onstage and everyone was pulling together and celebrating all that we love about this town, it's music and it's people just came right back in this moment. It was an exquisitely beautiful day and all my wonderful experiences in New Orleans merged in this moment with the music.
After hearing, "There Ain't No Place Like New Orleans" from the Runnin' Pardners, I ran across the fest to catch The Subdudes and then back over to the Congo Square Stage to see Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk. Here I stayed, dancing in the sun. Ivan introduced a song by saying, "we've never played this, but you have all heard it." And then went on to play "Zippity Doo Da" in a very funky slow groove that perfectly matched the my oh my, what a wonderful day.
Back over at the Acura stage, I watched Jeff Beck and the highlight for me was his bassist, Rhonda Smith. (she has also toured with Prince) Watch out Meshell Ndegeocello.
I caught a little bit of Mumford & Sons, which honestly didn't grab me but I did dig The Avett Bros. I had never seen them or heard of them but they had a great sound.
THEN, my man Robert Plant and The Band of Joy. Yea!! As a life long Zeppelin fan it's always a treat to see Robert or Jimmy - I've only seen either one of them live a handful of times. Last time I saw Robert Plant was at Ravinia with Alison Krauss. They have some intense energy between them (a "spellbinding collaboration") and they played off it to the fullest in their performance. It was in sharp contrast to the vibe between he and Patty Griffin, who is in this current line up. He didn't even look at her when they were singing together. And he seemed a bit guarded in general. None the less, it sounded great. They did lots of Zeppelin songs including Black Dog, That's The Way, Misty Mountain Hop, Ramble On, Houses of The Holy, and I'm In The Mood (For a Melody) from Robert's solo album The Principle of Moments - remember that? The encore was Gallows Pole. They also did several songs he and Alison had done, including Please Read the Letter.
Check out their story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKuMZaINLLY&feature=related
I stopped by the Hare Krishna house for some food on the way home. They had a live band playing this Fire on the Mountain riff while a woman sang, "Hare Krishna" to it. Aaah, I LOVE this town.
After the Fest, Jill and I went to the NOLA brewery for a party. It was FUN!!! Great people, great beer, great music. A dear old friend, Candise, invited me. We have traveled all over the world together and have seen hundreds of shows. It's been years since I've seen her and I decided it was time we reconnect. She graciously invited me to this party, her man happened to be playing. It was great to see her again and a very special treat to see him play - Alvin Youngblood Hart. http://www.alvinyoungbloodhart.net/
Saturday
The Radiators played at Le Petit Theatre in the French Quarter so it was an easy walk from where we were staying. They played Little Sadie right into Sympathy for The Devil! That's what I love about them boys.
Sunday
More Jazzfest! We caught some of Freddy Omar's set and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band before heading over to the Fais Do-Do stage where Honey Island Swamp Band was playing. This was the hidden gem of the day. hmm. How to describe? Rootsy, southern, easy goin', a bit country and a little funky. I will definitely keep an eye out to see them again. We saw Terence Blanchard in the Jazz Tent and then finished up with The Decemberists, Tom Jones and some serious boogeying with Red Barrat. They are a mix of Indian Bhangra and brass band I saw last summer at the Folk & Roots fest here in Chicago.
Sunday night we watched "Treme". It is an HBO series about this neighborhood in New Orleans six months after the storm. It is now season 2, so I'll have to get the first season and catch up. I'm hooked!
Monday I actually worked most of the day and Tuesday was a mix of work and visiting. I took a class at Wild Lotus Yoga and then met Elizabeth and family for sweet treats at Sucre. Jill and I went to Frenchman st. to soak in the last bits before my 6:30am flight. I liked the new Japanese bar, Yuki and we also went to The Balcony Music Club.
On the way to the airport early Wednesday morning, the cab driver shared his Brad story. Everyone has one. Brad Pitt lives right in the French Quarter and I imagine he really enjoys being able to just hang in the neighborhood like a semi-normal person. He and many other "famous" people feel like they can be out and about without worries of paparazzi. Just another cool and exceptional facet of this funky town. There ain't no place like New Orleans.
