Sassy Evildoers & Saucy Porkchops

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
April 24-26
New Orleans, LA

It was fortuitous that when Serenity and M's called me up for New Year's, the topic of the New Orleans Jazz Fest came up. Before we knew it, Serenity and I had organised to meet up for the first weekend of the annual festival, which runs over two consecutive weekends during late spring. New Orleans is unlike any city I've visited before, with its loose liquor laws (where else can you drink in the street?), unique food and some downright weird locals. I'm probably one of few people who didn't like New York City when I was there, finding it simply too much, with its wall-to-wall people and indifferent locals. Had I been travelling with someone, I have a hunch my impressions of the city would have been different. In some ways, New Orleans is similar - it doesn't stop, and just about anything goes, so I'm pretty sure that my impression of New Orleans could have also been quite different had I not been in such good company. I could have easily stayed on longer, and I must admit that I'm getting pangs thinking about this weekend's lineup for the remainder of the festival, but I think my kidneys and my arteries are thanking me for leaving when I did.




The Lost Bayou Ramblers

We'd never heard of these guys before, but happened across them at the Fais Do-Do stage which featured a lot of bluegrass and zydeco music over the weekend. One thing I noticed as we walked past this stage during the weekend, was that every single band playing, and the crowd, were doing a whole lot of moving and seemed to be having a blast. These guys were a hoot.



Drive-By Truckers with Booker T.

Like R.E.M., the Drive-By Truckers also hail from Athens, Georgia. Although they seem to have a pretty big following locally and regularly play around Atlanta, I'd never seen them before the festival. We were fortunate enough to see them play with Booker T. (of Booker T. & The MGs) and one thing we noticed was how much these guys sound like a cross between You Am I and Dallas Crane. Also, their frontman exudes a lot of charisma, and his enthusiasm is infectious. Tempted as I've been to run out and buy some of their records, I worry that it'll be a letdown after seeing them play so well live.




Joe Cocker

Although he's no spring chicken, Joe Cocker still has his own distinct, and very physical style - like the way he scrunches up his face, and moves his hands around when he sings. To his credit, he's also assembled a crack band with him, from his Ben Kingsley lookalike drummer, to his sassy bass player and that saxophonist. Cocker's 90-minute set saw him roll out all his biggest hits, like "Unchain My Heart", "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window", "You Are So Beautiful" and "The Letter". His version of "Come Together" was great, but even though I had to Google it to figure out where I knew the words from, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "As Long As I See The Light" was definitely my favourite.




Big Sam's Funky Nation

While standing in the line waiting to use the commode, a woman near me was commenting on how she really didn't understand the appeal of funk. As for me, I find it's the type of music that one can't really enjoy alone. Conversely, if you're in the outdoors on a beautiful spring day, with hundreds of other people around you, and the volume is cranked way up, it's not hard to get into at all. I'd never heard of Big Sam's Funky Nation before, but they came highly recommended after Serenity had seen them the previous weekend at New Orleans' French Quarter Festival. They didn't disappoint, pumping up the crowd, and getting everyone bustin' some serious moves.




Interviews

One great thing about the jazz festival is that there were a stack of interesting interviews going on each day in the fairgrounds' grandstand. It was a rare opportunity to see the likes of folk legend Pete Seeger, John Stirratt (Wilco), Sharon Jones, or members of the famed New Orleans brass band The Dirty Dozen, chatting away for an entire hour. Bless the organisers of the festival for including this in the program. To be so close to such greatness, and see these folks away from the glare of stage lights, has me lost for words. Like all interviews, you get a chance to learn some trivia - like where the creepy shortwave radio recording on Wilco's "Poor Places" comes from. As John Stirratt described it, the recording was taken from Israel's Mossad (not sure how Wilco got their mitts on it though) and the interval between signals would give an indication of when military forces needed to act. Stirratt himself made a really affable interview subject, even though he frequently commented on how bad he was at it. His shuffling around on the seat gave the impression of someone who's much more comfortable letting someone else do the talking. Interviewing him was Rolling Stone's David Fricke - who as Serenity said when we passed him on the street a couple of nights earlier, could easily pass as a geek scientist. It's probably largely due to his distinct hairdo.



I was also really keen to see Sharon Jones during the festival, since I'd missed out in the past. Hence, it was a real treat to see her interviewed. It was such a privilege to see her talk and to see that beautiful beaming smile up close.



Wilco

Even the girl a couple of rows behind us who was very vocal in urging Jeff Tweedy to disrobe (huh?!), couldn't detract from a magnificent show. Wilco was what had led me to the festival, and they were superb. We were treated to yet another corker version of "Hoodoo Voodoo" towards the end of the show, complete with a guitar duel, as well as the roadie who strode on stage and had his moment in the sun (see below). Jeff Tweedy also singled out a hapless female punter who was being escorted away by some security guys, jokingly referring to her as the "evildoer" - good to see that word's still in the lexicon, and all the funnier since a couple of us have been bandying it about at work recently. Below are the songs they played, based on what I scrawled on my forearm during the 90-minute show - needless to say, the sensation was similar to what I had at Athens - I found myself wishing it wouldn't end.

Walken
Handshake Drugs
Company In My Back
You Are My Face
Pot Kettle Black
Shot In The Arm
Side With The Seeds
Jesus Etc.
Impossible Germany
California Stars
Forget The Flowers
Box Full Of Letters
The Late Greats
Hate It Here
Heavy Metal Drummer
I'm The Man Who Loves You
Outta Mind Outta Site
Hoodoo Voodoo
Casino Queen










Mavis Staples

Prior to seeing Mavis Staples, all I knew about her was that she was part of the famous Staples Singers back in the 50s/60s, and was pretty active in a lot of civil rights protesting around the time that Martin Luther King Jr started making waves. During her set, she talked about how when she was a young girl, her father would tell her and her sisters how he approved of the young Dr. King, and how his message was a good one and they should take part in spreading it. All these years later, she's still doing it, and delivering it with an incredible voice.





Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

Another incredible voice is that of the diminutive Sharon Jones. With her infectious energy, enthusiasm and massive voice, she's a treat to watch, hauling members of the crowd up to dance with her at various points during the show. She sets a cracking pace and is more than ably backed (which isn't the right word for it anyway) by the very slick Dap Kings. Highlights included numbers like "How Do I Let A Good Man Down", "This Land Is Your Land" and "You're Gonna Get It". So glad I finally got to see her!






All of this essentially adds up to a weekend I'm still recovering from, but worth every nanosecond.