Quite a bit has modified on the planet since Steve Diamond first reported on the New Orleans Jazz Pageant for the January 1st, 1979 concern of Excessive Occasions Journal.
Again then, present Jazz Fest juggernaut Tipitina’s was in its infancy—the historic music venue having solely operated for a 12 months on the time of Diamond’s piece—and the New Orleans music scene as a complete performed host to a wide range of completely different sights, sounds, and flavors that, for sure people at this time, stay a distant reminiscence—and for others—one thing they’ll need to learn or hear tales about to expertise.
“Jazz Fest is an annual celebration of the individuals of New Orleans, like Mardi Gras,” Quint Davis, longtime producer/director of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Pageant, mentioned. “It’s one of the highly effective financial drivers for town—just like the New Orleans Saints and tourism itself—producing over $300m in financial influence. For accommodations, eating places, music golf equipment, and musicians it’s an important a part of their annual earnings.”
Whereas loads has modified, many points of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Pageant stay the identical—together with a few of its most heralded performers gracing each Pageant and native levels across the metropolis all through the a long time.
Two such musicians to hail from the Crescent Metropolis, George Porter Jr. and Ivan Neville, each of whose prominence spans a number of a long time—Porter Jr. with The Meters within the 60s and 70s and Neville together with his father Aaron Neville and Uncle Artwork “Poppa Funk” Neville’s group the Neville Brothers within the 80s and 90s—stay as related then as they’re at this time, persevering with to function pioneers of funk and melodic freedom with the distinct funkiness of New Orleans.
The latest announcement of The Rolling Stones toplining the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Pageant 2024 is of explicit relevance to Neville—a member of Keith Richards’ band the X-Pensive Winos, keyboard participant on The Stones’ albums Soiled Work and Voodoo Lounge and whose band Dumpstaphunk could possibly be a contender to be occupy the stage time previous to The Stones’ efficiency.
To raised perceive how Neville and Porter Jr. made their mark on the New Orleans music scene, I launched into a journey to the Could 2023 New Orleans Jazz Fest to witness their particular person and collective musical output firsthand. Typically one of the simplest ways to grasp the legacy of storied performers is to interact with them on the supply—and there’s no higher approach to faucet into New Orleans’ legacy of meals, music, tradition and hashish than on the Pageant itself.
So as to accomplish my mission, I enlisted the assistance of longtime good friend and music supervisor—founder of Silverback Music, Jon Phillips—whose work with Porter Jr., Dumpstaphunk, Slightly Stoopid and a bunch of different expertise by the years—notably the OG incarnation of Sublime—has made him a fixture within the California reggae and New Orleans funk and dub scene.
If there’s anybody who may assist present a behind-the-scenes take a look at the Pageant, it was Jon—and given his pedigree and affinity for hashish, he’d additionally have the ability to present a window into the native nightlife following the Pageant units—these historic late night time performances you hear about fading solely when the solar rises.
What follows is an in depth account of our 2023 adventures across the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Pageant’s second weekend, and the distinctive expertise of the Pageant as seen by a Silverback lens—an expertise offering a recap of this 12 months’s fest and a take a look at what may be anticipated in 2024.
Wednesday, Could 4th: Crawfish Fest: Technically, the Jazz & Heritage Pageant doesn’t choose again up for its second weekend till the subsequent day, however you wouldn’t realize it from the summer season live performance crowd at NOLA Crawfish Festival—an unofficial prelude to Jazz Fest that has all of the hallmarks of a mini competition—artwork, tradition, delicacies, hashish—and naturally—music.
Once I meet up with Jon, he’s already vibing to the sounds of Anders Osborne ripping the guitar alongside George Porter Jr. and Ivan Neville on the one stage. It’s as if somebody threw a banger of their yard, purchased meals and drinks, and allowed their extraordinarily proficient mates to populate the lineup.
As we catch up over beers, Jon introduces me to Crawfish Fest’s pioneer, Chris “Shaggy” Davis, who offered insights on this native offshoot occasion’s origins.
“I’ve been boiling crawfish for 25 years, dabbled within the music scene and I’m mates with all of those individuals,” Davis mentioned. “I began doing this as a backyard-boil form of factor—having Anders and Ivan play my yard—and it simply grew.”
Apart from the handwritten indicators with the identify of the band onstage that’s swapped out every act (an ode to the Jazz Fest custom that continues to this present day)—and the lengthy desk beset with boiled crawfish, corn, and pasta sides—Crawfish Fest may positively be mistaken to your uncle’s yard barbeque that occurred to incorporate your complete neighborhood. In response to Davis, that degree of intimacy is form of the purpose.
“That’s the entire plan,” Davis mentioned. “You possibly can go to some other gig round this city, however that is the one you’re going to really feel such as you’re within the yard. You’re not seeing some bullshit band from out of city—you’re in New Orleans proper right here.”
Thursday, Could fifth: Locals Night time: In the course of the first official day of Jazz Fest’s inaugural second week kick-off, we swung by Santana’s set, having simply interviewed Carlos Santana for the August 2023 concern of Excessive Occasions Journal. Aware about a incredible backstage viewing of his efficiency, he and his band rocked hits from a long time previous to the current in entrance of a large crowd.
After taking a puff of Select Cannabis Sativa Lemon Haze vape, we snagged a Jazz Fest culinary staple—The Crawfish Sack, Oyster Patties, and Crawfish Beignet Trio—which, in accordance with locals, is a dish out-of-towners particularly go to the Fest for. It packs a critical taste profile and is sort of wealthy, so we have been happy on the meals entrance at some point of the day.
Later that night, we caught up with Silverback Music at Toulouse Theater and witnessed the spectacular harmonies as soon as once more on show by Ivan Neville and his bandmates in Dumpstaphunk, this time taking part in songs from Ivan’s new ‘Contact My Soul’ album. The intimate crowd liked the vitality of the brand new tracks and flocked to the band following their set—the scent of weed smoke lingering within the air.
“I did a whole lot of smoking again within the day—because it was all over the place—and I assume it nonetheless is since you possibly can’t assist however scent it any given night time inside and out of doors the venues we play,” laughed Ivan Neville. “And most of my band enjoys the advantages of hashish.”
One member who’s all about the advantages is Ian Neville, Ivan’s cousin and rhythm guitarist.
“For me, the pre-show pow wow smoke hangs carry a form of cohesive vitality to the general night time,” he mentioned. “It simply provides one other layer of interconnected vitality on prime of how music already does that—and after all of the music is completed—edibles to assist me sleep like a human.”
Friday, Could sixth: Orpheum and The Civic: With the primary day of the second weekend formally within the books, we took Friday to discover the sights and sounds of venues past the Honest Grounds.
Our first cease was the Orpheum Theater to witness George Porter Jr.—as a visitor artist with Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule—drop a trippy vibe of tunes to a packed home. The psychedelic-inclined viewers was punctuated by a girl “shimmying” to the beat of Porter Jr.’s basslines and Warren’s phenomenal lead guitar, teleporting her and different members of the group to a different dimension.
It was a great distance for a person who—within the ‘70s whereas taking part in bass in The Meters, additionally labored Jazz Fest as a stage supervisor earlier than rocking crowds on those self same levels.
“Once I was first working as a stage supervisor, I used to be additionally working as a full-time musician,” Porter Jr. mentioned. “A variety of occasions I’d be operating from my stage to play bass on one other stage as a result of somebody was late.”
“I keep in mind one 12 months, Quint Davis mentioned, ‘No matter stage I’m going to, Porter is on that stage. Why am I paying him to be at his stage?’”, Porter Jr. mentioned with amusing.
As Porter Jr.’s music profession advanced and blossomed from stage supervisor and musician to full-time artist, so did his urge for food and intrigue for hashish.
“Hashish was my drug of selection ‘til I met cocaine in 1975, and I want I’d have stayed smoking pot,” he mentioned. “Whereas at this time in my thirty fifth 12 months of sobriety, I totally help the legalization of hashish.”
Porter Jr.’s drummer—Terrence Houston—is far more immersed within the 2023 hashish scene and enjoys a puff or two earlier than hitting the stage.
“I’m naturally hype so I like sturdy Indicas to settle down earlier than a present,” Houston mentioned. “I often smoke a couple of KD (Kevin Durant) 3.5 of OG Kush in a Pure Camo Wrap to get me within the zone.”
We then adopted Jon as he packed up Porter Jr. and introduced us to The Civic Theatre, the place Porter Jr. reunited with Ivan Neville and Dumpstaphunk to carry out “Poppa Funk & The Night time Tripper”, a fab tribute to legendary New Orleans musicians Artwork Neville and Dr. John, each of whom handed away in 2019. A lot to the delight of the tie-dyed crowd, Grammy Award-winning musician Jon Cleary additionally joined the ensemble to assist jam out a mixture of Artwork Neville and Dr. John covers.
“The music scene in New Orleans is on hearth, and is considerably contagious, seeing that each one of our musical mates from around the globe can’t get sufficient of New Orleans particularly round Jazz Fest time,” mentioned Ivan Neville. “Everybody’s making an attempt to get a style as a result of there’s nowhere else prefer it.”
And that’s what makes Jazz Fest such a singular expertise—virtually every little thing on the competition is homegrown in New Orleans.
“Principally every little thing is New Orleans and Louisiana based mostly,” Quint Davis mentioned. “The meals, conventional Jazz, 2nd line marching brass bands, Mardi Gras Indians on parade, Cajun and Zydeco music—all traditions distinctive to New Orleans and Louisiana, the place Jazz was born. However largely distinctive is the general grooving vibe of the gathering.”
Saturday, Could seventh: Jazz Fest: Custom is that at the very least someday of Jazz Fest will present rain, and that day was Saturday. The drops got here early and infrequently as we adopted the Silverback Music crew to shelter backstage and witnessed George Porter Jr. taking part in to a sea of raincoat-covered followers.
Whereas the rain didn’t let up, Porter Jr.—in addition to following act Anders Osborne—stored the music flowing. Osborne left completely nothing within the tank, letting his guitar shred with the identical depth because the monsooning pellets.
The watering continued by the night however luckily let up briefly following Osborne’s set and we have been in a position to snag gumbo and a shrimp quesadilla earlier than shuffling beneath a meals tent.
It was inconceivable to maneuver with out changing into utterly soaked, so we stayed beneath the trent and watched Lifeless & Firm play one in all its remaining exhibits (ever) to the resilient followers—who regardless of the rain—nonetheless managed to puff deliciously-scented grey clouds into the air.
Day 5: Sunday, Could eighth: Jazz Fest: Sunday we have been on our personal, experiencing the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Pageant as locals.
We started our journey wandering by the Heritage part, admiring the native craftsmanship of brass instrument lighting fixtures and wood guitars.
Swinging by the refreshment sales space, we determined to ask some grownup drinks into our journey within the type of white wine.
Our refreshing whites led us to the primary stage, the place Mumford and Son was wrapping its set. As we made our approach by the group, the band introduced out Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty, each of whom accompanied the UK band on a closing cowl of “Home Of The Rising Solar.” You would really feel the goosebumps all through the group as they yelled “Down in New Orleans.”
We then made our approach to Tom Jones, who rocked some new music along with his innuendo-laden classics.
After Tom, we made a fast cease on the Blues Tent to witness Melissa Etheridge incomes the group with a riveting efficiency of “Come To My Window,” after which swung by the sounds of Herbie Hancock within the Jazz Tent—the one “seats” accessible being the standing room a number of yards exterior.
Closing out the competition, the pleasure of New Orleans was on full show, with Trombone Shorty rocking the Primary Stage and bringing out Batiste for a vocal and instrumental duet because the closing quantity. Because the solar started to decrease, the weed smoke started to rise and the group was in full appreciation of the native icons giving again to their metropolis.
2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Pageant: Postmortem
In the end, the 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Pageant was each a neighborhood and business success, one which proved that New Orleans natives care extra about native artists than anything. It’s why Dumpstaphunk is such a New Orleans institution and why guys like Ivan Neville and George Porter Jr.—OGs of the New Orleans music scene—play deep into the night time and have an air of accessibility to them: As a result of they care concerning the fan expertise.
“New Orleans music is a cultural household,” Quint Davis mentioned. “We have fun our founders, similar to Irma Thomas, Deacon John, and Cyril Neville, and hold the brand new generations coming—one related to the opposite. Jazz Fest is a gathering floor for your complete New Orleans music neighborhood—conventional and trendy Jazz, Gospel, Zydeco, Blues, R&B, Latin, Brass Bands, Cajun, Mardi Gras Indians—every celebrating their cultures and their household ties.”
By way of celebrating the followers, the workforce behind the Jazz & Heritage Pageant itself additionally does a incredible job of constructing the surroundings immersive, participating, and enjoyable. There’s one thing for everybody. Whether or not you come for the music, the artwork, the pulled-pork po’ boys or the frozen daiquiris, experiencing all that Jazz Fest has to supply is to deal with all your senses. Add a bit weed to the combo and also you’re all of a sudden witnessing life in 4D: A tantalizing combination of sounds, tastes, and smells that may depart you coming again for extra 12 months after 12 months—with Could 2024 now on the horizon.