NoJazzFest for Old Men

Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Foo Fighters, Florence and the Machine, Bonnie Rait, Ziggy Marley, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Cee-Lo,and Ne-Yo. Where did all of these artists perform? Exactly -- at the New Orleans Jazz Festival! (Which, strangely enough, also enjoyed its "biggest crowd ever."

In addition, here are the other headliners that scrolled past on the homepage of the New Orleans Jazz Festival website:

• Jimmy Buffet
• My Morning Jacket
• Neville Brothers
• Paulina Rubio
• Zac Brown Band
• Alen Toussaint
• Irma Thomas
• Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
• Mavis Staples
• Rodrigo y Gabriela
• Warren Haynes Band
• Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
• funky Meters
• Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
• Steve Earle
• Ani DiFranco
• Galactic
• Preservation Hall Jazz Band
• Big Sam's Funky Nation
• Dirty Dozen Brass Band
• Marcia Ball
• Better Than Ezra
• Herbie Hancock

To be fair, the New Orleans Jazz Festival markets itself as a "Jazz and Heritage Festival," so I'm willing to cut them some slack. (A few of these groups clearly fall under the auspices of "heritage" artists who represent traditional jazz and dixieland.) But one can only stretch "heritage" so far until it snaps, and this lineup snaps, crackles, and then we end up with pop. Of the approximately 24 groups highlighted on the festival's homepage, there is only one serious mainstream jazz artist (Herbie Hancock) and two traditional jazz groups. I don't have anything against the groups in the other 87 percent (in fact, there are several whose music I enjoy very much), it's just bizarre to see them at a jazz festival whose official posters feature trumpet and trombone players in standard "throes of ecstasy" jazz gesticulation poses.

I understand the need to include crossover groups, but at some point, it's no longer a Jazz Festival, it's a marketing ploy. But what kind of marketing scheme uses music that isn't popular to market music that is? Ironically, their website is www.nojazzfest.com. Nojazzfest? Agreed.

Artwork: Jazz Fest 2012 by Terrance Osborne

 

Follow Kurt Ellenberger on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FraKathustra

Comments

[marklemagne]

04:30 PM on 05/14/2012

It reminds me of the decline and fall of Bonnaroo.

[Snowmonster]

11:08 AM on 05/10/2012

I'm a working new orleans musician and I played Jazz Fest with my Band The Palmetto Bug Stompers.We perform every week here in New Orleans at a Local place called DBA On frenchmen Street.Jazz Fest was huge this year.The Festival is more geared to Tourists.The Fest Happens then the Tourists come out and here the Real Jazz after the Fest is Over Nightly.Its really the only time of year we can make Good Money here.See just like Shrimping we have two good Seasons Spring and Fall the rest of the year we are struggling.So if they want to bring in Springsteen or Bon Jovi like the year before it's fine with us.The Bigger the Name the more people come to Town! alot of those guys were in for Millions for helping New Orleans Musicians after Katrina....So if they wanna be in Jazz Fest Then I say let them.
R.Snow
www.frenchmenst.com
www.frenchmenstreetmusic.com

[VioletGrey]

12:59 PM on 05/11/2012

Cant argue with that.

[Snowmonster]

03:55 PM on 05/11/2012

Yea Ya Right! Would make an observation though the Pay for Locals(Working Class N.O. Musicians)is crap to start the more you play the Fest The More You Make.But not ashamed to take a lil bit from having Springsteen or Rod Stewart or someone like that playing the Fest.man the Edge and Springsteen and Bon Jovi etc etc. all did a big part in bringing this New orleans Music Culture back.Their donations to Musicians here through Musicares kept us going doing the thing we loved the most at one of the worst Times for us .How do you tell them they can't play?

[Knothare1230]

07:54 AM on 05/10/2012

Wrong. "it's just bizarre to see them at a jazz festival whose official posters feature trumpet and trombone players in standard "throes of ecstasy" jazz gesticulation poses."
You mean Trombone Shorty-the NO native Jazz musician that performed there? I am sure I read about his performance on the HP site. He was the feature opening act. There has always been big names of performers that aren't jazz musicians at NOJ&HF. And They are the "Marketing ploy." See your one of your favorite artist and spend the majority of your time there checking out some local acts and hear some jazz music. And there is plenty of jazz music at the festival. Not a slight of hand trick, something done for the enjoyment of music lovers and for exposure & celebration the city's music. .

[Elvis Kabong]

10:17 PM on 05/09/2012

I live in New Orleans and rarely go anymore. It costs more than I wish to spend, it's usually too hot and without shade, overcrowded, the food and beer vendors charge ransom money, IOW, it's gotten too commercial. However, it's the "New Orleans" "Jazz" and "Heritage" festival. The New Orleans music scene is comprised of all sorts of genres just like the city is multi-cultural therefore any local artist or band is relevant as any Jazz artists or bands are. Ans any roots music bands or artists are performing in the Heritage aspect. From what I've heard it started originally as mostly a local event for locals, very casual, not overcrowded, the bottled water was given away and one could bring in their own beer and food but obviously $$$ appeared in the fantacies of the festival coordinators.

[Robobrewer]

08:50 PM on 05/09/2012

If I went there expecting jazz I would be pretty pissed. Why don't they just call it a music festival since it definitely isn't a jazz fest.

[Knothare1230]

08:07 AM on 05/10/2012

There is jazz there and it is indeed a jazz and NO heritage festival. You have 12 venues going on at the same time. The ratio is typically 4/4/4 4 jazz acts or performances, 4 acts that are traditional or traditionally influenced local acts ie zyedco music. The other 4 are mix of upcoming or mainstream artists that include many different music genres but still include jazz and jazz fusion artists. Lesson here --don't believe everything you read.

[Tom D'Antoni]

01:23 PM on 05/11/2012

I guess you missed the JAZZ TENT!

[mr squeakzilla]

08:16 PM on 05/09/2012

Geez, what a bunch of cranky posts here. Nobody says you have to go or watch it online. The main goal of an event like this is to go and have fun, listen to some good music, and eat some good food. If you want to be a purist go promote your own event.

[Billk29]

10:33 AM on 05/11/2012

So the answer to everything is just 'don't go' We have a folk festival in my town and in the last 5 yrs there's almost no folk at all being played. Sure the crowds are bigger with pop and rock guys there but really some types of music are being squeezed out of the public awareness totally by the pop wave.
If it ain't jazz call the festival something else.

[Cbino504]

08:04 PM on 05/09/2012

Obviously Kurt Ellenberger Hasn't got a clue. Yes we bring down big names to close out each day of the fest(7 in all). But in his list of 23 names that follow the headliners, he fails to mention that Neville Brothers,Alen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, funky Meters, Galactic, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Marcia Ball, Better Than Ezra are all LOCAL ARTISTS!!!!! this in not to mention the gross of smaller named artists that play on over 10 stages. This event also brings in many jazz and blues musicians from across the globe. One of my favorites from a jazz fest was Gangbe' Brass band from Benin in west Africa! For me Jazz fest is a celebration of music and its roots from the hollowed out logs beaten with ham bones in Congo square 200 years ago, to the smokey brothels on Basin Street in Storyville, to the corner of Rampart and Dumaine where at J&M recording studio Fats Domino in 1949 recorded his album 'The Fatman' and in 1955 Little Richard recorded "Tutti Fruiti". Of Course Dr John recorded there as well...and oh wait He also Played Jazz fest this year!! When someone comes to jazz fest, they can walk past stages and listen to the progress of 200 years of sound in all of its magnificent manifestations of which are influenced by what is coming out of this city even today!

[Master-T]

09:23 PM on 05/09/2012

No, it's you that hasn't a clue. Most of those "local artists" you name are jazz artists either. I mean, what is the matter with you? Are you for real? The Neville Brothers are not jazz. The Funky Meters are not jazz. Marcia Ball is not jazz.

Here's some jazz names for you:
Wynton Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
John Scofield
Pat Metheny
Terrence Blanchard
Roy Haynes

Any of those jazz artists are enough to headline ANY jazz festival in the world and put plenty of people in the seats. Not in America apparently, a place where people think Cristina Aguillera is jazz. For shame.

[IfIonlyknew]

11:28 PM on 05/09/2012

I love Wynton....http://youtu.be/9bunJ2HILfk

[Knothare1230]

08:26 AM on 05/10/2012

No Sir, you don't have a clue. First find out what the festival is about. Jazz and New Orleans heritage.NO festival was originally conceived as a heritage festival for all of the music and musical history of New Orleans-it became Jazz fest out of reputation of the jazz acts there. So stop it. Your pretentiousness in the "only in America statement" is sad and dead wrong. You can see all the jazz you want to for over 8 hours, over 7 days a week with the at least 3 and many times 4 choices of which jazz and zydeco jazz venue do you want to see. So what is your point? That there is other types of acts there? Please get over it. And the Neville brothers and Funky meters are very much part of New Orleans heritage.

[wildwildwest]

07:51 PM on 05/09/2012

But! Bonnie Raitt was brilliant, and she played a TWO-HOUR set! I watched the whole set online! Heat and humidity be damned! Check out Bonnie doing "Used to Rule the World" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fhwvVXO1_E&feature=colike

[ktano0]

03:20 PM on 05/11/2012

Yes!!! It was the second time I saw Bonnie...I really felt I knew her a lot better after this concert, however.
It was a loose and super show. Bonnie made that big audience seem like a small club. Her humor and good spirits were genuinely uplifting.
Also, since I watched it on YouTube, I have to give a shout out to the tech people. The sound and mix were really great...I had to keep turning my system down, it was so dynamic.

[wildwildwest]

05:11 PM on 05/11/2012

She is a lot different now, from her earlier days, when she was a raging alcoholic diva. She was quite entertaining then as well. I saw her in Louisville, Kentucky.

Now, in recovery, she is still a diva, although a much nicer one. Love Bonnie!

ps: you are right, the sound was outstanding on the youtube show! You could almost hear Bonnie when she licked that pick...

[rafey]

07:48 PM on 05/09/2012

I stopped going to the fests when the jazz pretty much stopped dominating the program some time ago. I did enjoy the bluegrass and the hymnal music but I really travelled the distance for the truly outstanding jazz. I would also routinely make the trek to the old town to Preservation Hall!

[Xerxes409]

06:52 PM on 05/09/2012

a shallow minded opinion. Obviously, you've never been in the economy hall tent, or the wwoz jazz tent. Also, thanks for neglecting to notice just what the NOJHFoundation does for new orleans and specifically what they do for music education. Maybe i sense a tad bit of jealousy? Maybe we can recognize that Jazz in its definition inherently implies evolution and representation of new ideas. Yes, they need to sell tickets, and do so with popular music acts. Honestly why don't you actually look at the schedule, listen to the musicians you've never heard of, and open your mind. it might make you're music less pretentious and dare I say accessible to a younger generation of jazz enthusiasts. Who knows they may even invite you to perform.

[triplettam]

06:03 PM on 05/09/2012

Yeah, well, they still call MTV "Music Television."

[Victor Fiorillo]

01:28 PM on 05/09/2012

Bruce Springsteen has no place at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. Not because he doesn't play jazz but because he sucks. And here are 10 reasons why with video aids: http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2012/03/28/hate-bruce-springsteen/

[rafey]

07:49 PM on 05/09/2012

Agreed! I really wouldn't even label it "jazz."

[insidej0b]

01:23 PM on 05/09/2012

Cute article. That's about it. You want jazz at Jazz Fest? Go to the Jazz Tent, which has traditional jazz performers from morning to night. You want gospel? Go to the gospel tent. See a pattern here? Oh, and that's not just some guy playing a trombone on the poster. It's New Orleans' own Trombone Shorty. And it's not a marketing ploy. Jazz Fest has been this way for the 20 years that I have been going.

[lindseyjune]

04:02 PM on 05/09/2012

THANK YOU! I was thinking uhhhhh does he just not know that's Trombone Shorty??

[Knothare1230]

07:45 AM on 05/10/2012

Well said.Sadly, i haven't been able to attend in 5 years, so I am Jealous of you.

[Mr Muckle]

12:07 PM on 05/09/2012

I wonder why they even bother to include the word in the title anymore.

[hhl482]

11:41 AM on 05/09/2012

I see the point here - a jazz-fest with little jazz - but why the old-white-guy bashing? I'm white, I'm middle aged, and I love jazz - I'd be disappointed with that lineup myself.