So JazzFest but without the Jazz

GADonis

Beautifully Broken
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
605
Location
Savannah, GA
I just got back from a week of New Orleans JazzFest. I did 5 out of 7 days. Yes, there is some Jazz at Jazzfest. There's a whole tent dedicated to it. But I didn't spend any time in it. No reason other than that was the way it worked out. I did spend a lot of time in the Blues Tent which mostly features Blues, but also seems to be a catch-all for any acts they evidently have no idea where to put. I also got to sit in with some friends on Frenchman Street and Bourbon Street. Here's a partial list of what I was able to catch:

Sonny Landreth. Not much to say other than it's Sonny Landreth
Kingfish Ingram. Man, he absolutely burned the place down. And he kept me from catching Cory Wong.
Dumpstaphunk. It was funky, I tell you what. On the main stage out in the sun.
Marcus King. They put up a new tent after Kingfish, but Marcus came along and burned it down.
Tedeschi Trucks. Just great stuff. Also on the main stage in the sun. I don't typically get along with the sun.
Buddy Guy. It was Buddy Guy, playing and saying Buddy Guy stuff on the main stage. He may have some bitterness about how the music business has treated him and his contemporaries. Likely well earned.
Santana. More sun. I believe if he sticks with it, he can make a go at this music thing. He played some pretty gold guitar. Oh, and he caused me to miss Larkin Poe who sounded like they may have destroyed the Blues Tent.
Eric Gales. The Blues Tent got burned down for a third time. But had some pretty laid back moments. Dude has chops outside of rockin' bluesy stuff.
Robert Randolph. I need more love every day of my life.
Keb 'Mo. So smooth. So good. The Blues Tent didn't get burned down but it I have no qualms about missing Dead & Co to catch his entire set. Played a PRS of some sort. Single cut, Semi(?) Hollow. Humbucker-Narrowfield-Humbucker.
Sue Foley. She was great. She's out of Austin
DK Harrell. He has BB's vibrato. In fact he has a lot of BB in him. He had a buddy who's name I didn't catch playing a PRS CE. Both guys were great.

There were others. At least 98% of the acts were really good. Now I need to rest up from my vacation.
 
I guess "jazz"fest became "blues"fest years ago.. because as un-popular as blues is, jazz is even more un-popular? Kind of weird. Everything evolves I guess (I love both blues and jazz, and the ORIGINAL jazz- from NOLA in the beginning of the 20th century-had plenty of blues in it).

I never got Larkin Poe.

Never heard of DK Harrell, but I'm going to check him out.
 
I guess "jazz"fest became "blues"fest years ago.. because as un-popular as blues is, jazz is even more un-popular? Kind of weird. Everything evolves I guess (I love both blues and jazz, and the ORIGINAL jazz- from NOLA in the beginning of the 20th century-had plenty of blues in it).

I never got Larkin Poe.

Never heard of DK Harrell, but I'm going to check him out.
It's really more PopFest or BigNameFest. There have been complaints for some time that the main stage has been taken over by Pop music and big name stars. I usually stay away from the main stage because of crowds so that doesn't really both me.
Here's a sample of acts for the two big stages this year: Lizzo, Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Ed Sheeran, Steve Miller, Kenny Loggins, Dead & Co., and Tom Jones. Ludacris, H.E.R., and Wu-Tang Clan also played on some of the smaller stages.
 
It's really more PopFest or BigNameFest. There have been complaints for some time that the main stage has been taken over by Pop music and big name stars. I usually stay away from the main stage because of crowds so that doesn't really both me.
Here's a sample of acts for the two big stages this year: Lizzo, Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Ed Sheeran, Steve Miller, Kenny Loggins, Dead & Co., and Tom Jones. Ludacris, H.E.R., and Wu-Tang Clan also played on some of the smaller stages.

While I like some of those, it's a shame..... no jazz at Jazzfest :(

At least when Tab Benoit plays there, he's not jazz but he's LOCAL, with his own brand of cajun blues.

But Montreux has gone the same way... are there any ACTUAL jazzfests left? I'll have to ask my buddies over on the JGF (Jazz Guitar Forum)
 
Back
Top