Best of FEST... The City of New Orleans

For 10 days – the 6 days of JazzFest and the four days in between – The Crescent City really was at the center of everything. Artists, both locals and those from out of town, gave all they had to express the love and connection they have to this place. Visitors from out of town were here for two reasons, the onne they always come for- good music – and the secondary one of solidarity and support. In the way in which post 9-11 we were all New Yorkers, for ten days in New Orleans, we were ALL New Orleanians.

And some of the greatest moments of Jazz Fest came out of that fact…

The second liners of Economy Hall – I had the strange opportunity to be in the Economy Hall Traditional Jazz Tent more often than I normally go. This is because I was helping care for Pat Jolly's mom, Honey. Three times a day for four days of the fest, I wound up in the Economy Hall tent to feed Honey who recently had a stroke but who, in lifelong New Orleanian fashion, was not about to let that deter her from her traditional seat at the foot of the Trad Jazz stage. For some strange reason we seem to have always picked the moment when the bands onstage kicked up the tempo and called for people to second line around the tent. The thing is, these folks clearly come to Jazz Fest for nothing OTHER than to second line in Economy Hall. Over and over, the same folks (folks I have encountered in similar situations – other Jazz Fests, French Quarter Fest, Nickle A Dance on Frenchman Street – in the past) grab their brightly decorated umbrellas, their handkerchiefs and scarves, and even their fancy shoes, and parade round and round the tent to the kicked up second line rhythms laid down by Dr. Michael White, George French, Bob French, Pete Fountain and more. These are dedicated, hard core, FUNtrepeneurs and frankly, they are MY kinda folks. All ages… all sizes… al sexes… all races. The only requirement is that you're willing to strut your stuff and shake your booty. As an example of the resiliency of New Orleans and New Orleans culture, the second liners of Economy Hall are postively unrivaled.

On a similar track, the concluding set in the WWOZ Jazz Tent, featured an all star line up of brass band players (as well as a couple of ringers like Maurice Brown) that positively rocked the house. The final number, a rip it up version of "Saints" elicited it's own form of chaotic, crazy celebrative second line and the explosion of energy that came out of it felt like it was enough to keep the levees up in the next storm all by itself (it's not… but it sure felt like it).

And that brings me to another point… New Orleans' quintessential theme song, "When the Saints Go Marching In" demonstrated a power and a life all it's own. From Bruce Springsteen's brilliant acoustic tribute featuring verses that most people had never even heard (verses which highlight the song's ultimately subversive gospel message) to any of a dozen traditional renderings, to the full tilt boogey blow out at 7:00 on Sunday, the song captured the audience every time and became a way of proclaiming solidarity, passion, and determination. Every rendering declared, as did the Fest itself, come hell and high water… WE'RE HERE TO STAY!