wake up!

Ruh roh! Rumor has it that U2 has been booked for Fest. This may be good for turnout but it may also be kind of a nightmare for just hanging out and being mellow.

I’m not sure bigger is always better, but I’m glad to hear that Festival Productions is committed to making Jazz Fest happen on schedule next year: Planners promise bigger Jazzfest

We may need to get our plane tickets soon!

I even think there will be a Mardi Gras, but this is some good news (from The Times-Picayune):

The 2006 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will go on

by Zack Smith

"There will be a Jazzfest. We are committed to putting on the 2006 Jazz and Heritage Festival, whatever that may take," said Quint Davis, producer/director of the springtime musical extravaganza and president of Festival Productions Inc.-New Orleans, which produces the festival with AEG Live, the nation's second highest-grossing concert promoter.

Details are sketchy at this point.

"We don't know when, we don't know where, we don't know what format," Davis said. "There will be a Jazzfest in 2006. It will be in Louisiana. It will be as close to New Orleans as we can get it."

The producers would like to hold the event at its customary site at the Fair Grounds Race Course, but if that's not possible they are committed to holding it in Louisiana. "We'll be starting from the Fair Grounds and working our way out" in determining a location, Davis said.

This commitment comes from all of the major stakeholders in the festival, Davis said.

Davis and Jazzfest founder George Wein have met with AEG Live Chief Executive Officer Randy Phillips and other top AEG Live officials. AEG will continue to bankroll the festival, as it did in 2005.

The plan to go forward with the 2006 festival has the support of members of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, which owns the festival. Davis and Phillips have been in contact with foundation Executive Director Don Marshall, who has been in contact with board members.

The producers and the foundation also have committed to contribute to a fund to support festival staff, many of whom have been dislocated by Hurricane Katrina. Jazzfest planning typically begins in September.

Jazz Fest, Day 3
Originally uploaded by xian.

Oh, and per Jennifer's question about Saturday, nacatamal is a kind of central American tamal (as in tamales) wrapped in a banana leaf. B ate it, not me, so I can't really report on it, but she liked it.

iced coffee and four (huge) beignets
large rosemint tea
one nacatamal (b)
one seafood gumbo

Big Sam's Funk Nation (congo square)
Charles Teony of Recife, Brazil (heritage stage)
New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra (economy hall)
Fishbone (congo square), they started late, only heard 3/4 of a song

large cochon de lait po-boy (en route to the jazz tent)

Ellis Marsalis (jazz tent), piano, with Delfeayo Marsalis on trombone, plus a sax, string bass, and drums - they were playing "Sweet Georgia Brown" when I came in, standing room only, a great set

small cochon de lait po-boy (b)
small rosemint tea
small unsweetened mandarin orange tea

Deacon John (blues tent), just heard one song from outside, "Good Rockin' Tonight" - R was unimpressed
Donald Harrison & New Sounds of Mardi Gras (heritage stage)

cd store to check out all the Meters reissues, no new James Booker releases, Ellis Marsalis signing CDs of his quartet with son Jason on drums

The Sprint stage absolutely mobbed for the original Meters reunion set. We set up on the track. Here's what they played:

1. Fire on the Bayou
2. People Say
3. He Bite Me ->
4. Look-ka Py Py ->
5. Hand Clapping Song ->
6. Africa
7. Be My Lady
8. The World Is a Little Bit Under the Weather (Doodle-Oop) ->
9. Welcome to New Orleans
10. It Ain't No Use
11. encore: Cissy Strut ->
12. Hey Pocky a-Way

Dialed in by Look-ka Py-Py, really peaking by Doodle-oop, very crowd pleasing encore.

picked up dinner from Lebanon's Café on the way home

IMG_8605.JPG
Originally uploaded by xian.

Just uploaded 51 photos from today to flickr (the photo of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys is a link to my photostream over there). Took notes, will add them when I have time. Having too much fun to blog.

Update:

foodlog:
iced café au lait
three beignets
two softshell crab po-boys (b and me)
large unsweetened rosemint tea
seafood salad
large unsweetened rosemint tea
large cee-cee's snowball with wild cherry and pink lemonade syrup
small oyster po-boy (for b)
large cochon de lait po-boy (for me)
large unsweetened rosemint tea

musiclog:
Harry Hypolite (blues tent, on WWOZ, en route)
Vivid (congo square), santana-esque
Amanda Shaw and the Cute Boys (fais dos-dos)
Pocketfoxx (lagniappe)
New Bumpers Dixieland Jazz Band of Bordeaux France (economy hall)
Sonny Landreth (sprint stage)
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys (fais dos-dos), fantastic!
Driskill Mountain Boys (lagniappe), sweet bluegrass
Wilco (sprint stage), incredible!

dinner with S&l;E and R&M at Casamento's:
4 dozen oysters
3 half oyster loaves
2 gumbos
1 seafood platter