PHOTOS: EDDY GUTIERREZ | Bad weather marred the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for the second year in a row. Friday and Saturday were windy and cloudy, but massive storms heading from the west forced Sunday’s opening to be pushed back for four hours. The gates opened to a surprisingly robust crowd at 3 PM. Here’s a look at some of the highlights.
On Friday, the Soul Brass Band lit up the Lagniappe stage with a crowd-pleasing set that began with a perennial brass band favorite from back in the heyday of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band—“It’s All Over Now.” Trombonist Michael Watson played the whole show with his infant child strapped to his back. The kid seemed to be digging it like the enthusiastic crowd.
Kristin Diable (pictured at top) and Alex McMurray (above) both rocked out on the Gentilly stage. McMurray had Joe Cabral blowing baritone sax, Carlo Nuccio on drums, and Matt Perrine on bass.
Grupo Cuary, one of the numerous Cuban acts in town as the festival celebrates the musical island nation, brought roots chanting and percussion to the newly enlarged international pavilion. With ten musicians and singers, they played shakers, congas, and the box-like cajon while the vocalists encouraged the crowd in call and response.
Mokoomba of Zimbabwe is a powerful lead singer who alternated songs in a more north African style with tunes closer to the soukous of west Africa. The rock band lineup included a strong percussionist and the whole group sang backing vocals. At the end, the keyboardist came out front with a strap-on keyboard and injected 1970s style synthesizer lines into the mix.
On Saturday it was back to Cuba with Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro. This acoustic combo featured a tres player, an acoustic guitarist, a trumpeter, an upright bassist, a singer on maracas, a singer on clave, and a seated player who alternated playing cowbell and bongos. The trumpeter was very emotive while playing plaintive exclamation marks throughout each song. They wowed the crowd with musicianship and strong vocals.
The Conga parade was a kick. Over a dozen Cuban musicians marched around the infield with percussion instruments and a single Chinese trumpeter that played high-pitched blasts and encouraged the percussionists to raise a racket. The group parades around Santiago in the east of Cuba for Catholic feast days and were accompanied by a costumed man who appeared to be riding a papier-mache donkey.
The crowd on Saturday was one of the youngest I have seen in recent years. This was due in part to two of the closing acts. Fans of Maroon 5 packed the Acura stage, while the crowd at Gentilly swooned over Lorde’s (pictured above and below) first set at the Jazz Fest.
Abdullah Ibrahim has played twice before at the Jazz Fest—in 1984 and 1995. At his set in 1995, his sparse, meditative piano playing was drowned out by sound bleed. Sound bleed wasn’t a problem this time around, but perhaps he planned ahead anyway and brought a full horn section, which was augmented by New Orleans’ own Terence Blanchard subbing for an ailing Hugh Masekela.
They played songs with a long history in South Africa that were originally recorded by the Jazz Epistles. Blanchard was a strong addition playing bright and lively solos. Ibrahim, who is 82, was exacting with his touch, but laid back. He let the horn players do the heavy lifting.
George Benson was another late cancellation. Maceo Parker (pictured below) more than filled in. He blew his saxophone like the winds that would arrive the following day. Brittany Howard (pictured above) of Alabama Shakes delivered a rousing performance.
On Sunday, we arrived in time to catch the set by Dr. John. The last few years, since the death of his longtime drummer Herman Ernest, the good doctor has seemed musically adrift. He’s back to form with a mostly local band featuring Herlin Riley on drums, Roland Guerin on bass, Joe Ashlar on organ, Leon Brown on trumpet, and Eric Struthers on guitar. Alto saxophonist Charles Neville was a special guest.
Dr. John roared through some of the greatest hits in his catalog. Brown played a stunning solo on “Wang Dang Doodle” and Guerin, who is his newest bandleader, demonstrated his trademark slap bass playing on “Big Chief.”
The best of the fest for the first weekend goes to Cuban singer and rapper Telmary (pictured above). Her band, Habana Sana, featured a female conga player; a female pianist/ flutist/ vocalist and two backing vocalists/ percussionists along with rock band instrumentation. The energy was through the roof as the drum-tight band percolated over her mile-a-minute rapping. She had a few things to say in English including “I’m ready to jump for the Mardi Gras!”
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux (pictured below) and his Golden Eagles brought the weekend to a fine conclusion.
Tomorrow: Thursday picks!
