New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival | |
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Genre | Jazz |
Dates | April/May |
Location(s) | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
Coordinates | 29°57′N90°05′W / 29.95°N 90.08°W |
Years active | 1970–2019, 2022– |
Founders | George Wein |
Website | nojazzfest |
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New Orleans each year. [1] The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation Inc., as it is officially named, was established in 1970 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (NPO). The Foundation is the original organizer of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell Oil Company, a corporate financial sponsor. The Foundation was established primarily to redistribute the funds generated by Jazz Fest into the local community. As an NPO, their mission further states that the Foundation "promotes, preserves, perpetuates and encourages the music, culture and heritage of communities in Louisiana through festivals, programs and other cultural, educational, civic and economic activities". [2] [3] The founders of the organization included pianist and promoter George Wein, producer Quint Davis and the late Allison Miner. [4]
In addition to the Festival, the organization's other assets include radio station WWOZ 90.7 FM, the Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive and The George & Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center. The Foundation also raises funds by holding the Jazz & Heritage Gala every year and provides several educational programs and a variety of more targeted festivals.
Because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 marked the first year in the fifty-year history of Jazz Fest that the two-week festival has been cancelled. It was originally rescheduled to take place October 8–17, 2021, [5] but later cancelled completely. [6] 2022 saw its resumption after a two-year hiatus.
In 1962, Olaf Lambert, [7] the manager of the Royal Orleans Hotel in the French Quarter contacted George Wein, a jazz mogul and founder of the Newport Jazz Festival and the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island and asked him to bring his festival model to New Orleans. [8] Wein met with Mayor Victor H. Schiro, Seymour Weiss a hotel executive and civic leader, and a few members of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce to discuss the proposition. [8] They decided that New Orleans and the South were not ready for a jazz festival. It was a time in the city's history that was fraught with racism and segregationists reminiscent of the Jim Crow era. City ordinances were still in place that prohibited interaction between black and white musicians, tourists and locals and prevented revitalization of the economy in this manner. [8]
Two years after their initial meeting, Lambert again contacted George Wein and asked him to plan what was to be called the New Orleans International Jazz Festival for the spring of 1965. Racial tensions were on the rise, and the non-profit community effort was postponed because of "integration tensions". [9] In the meantime, the proposed Annual New Orleans International Jazz Festival moved ahead under the auspices of attorney Dean A. Andrews Jr. Community organizations such as the New Orleans Jazz Club were not invited, and the event failed to attract big names, which Andrews claimed was by design. "Our idea is not to bring in big-time musicians. We want to tell the story of the New Orleans sound, to show the evolution of New Orleans jazz." [10] [9]
In 1967, Durel Black, a local businessman and president of the New Orleans Jazz Club, convinced the local Chamber of Commerce that it was time to make another attempt at starting a jazz festival in New Orleans. The city would celebrate its 250th anniversary in 1968, and Black recognized it as an opportunity to promote the festival. [8] Wein was asked again to develop the festival; however, when it was discovered that his wife Joyce was African-American, the offer was retracted, and events director Tommy Walker was hired instead. [8] A jazz festival was planned, and evening concerts were held in 1968 under the billing The International Jazzfest with headliners that included Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and a variety of other artists. [8]
In 1969, a second International Jazzfest took place, resulting in a negative return on investment, despite its big name lineup. Durel Black contacted Wein yet again, assured him that his interracial marriage was no longer an issue, and asked him to take charge of the festival. [8] Wein agreed and was prepared and motivated to protect the culture and heritage in Louisiana. However, he also recognized the barriers that prevented the International JazzFest of '69 from flourishing. He concluded that the format of the festival had to be changed from the ground up, and that local collaboration was necessary for it to succeed. He contacted Allan Jaffe, director of Preservation Hall, [8] who arranged the necessary connections with Allison Miner, Quint Davis and several other promoters. [4]
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was established in 1970 under the guidance and vision of George Wein. The Festival achieved instant artistic success, despite its initial attendance of only 350 people. [11] Wein's vision was straightforward: he wanted a large daytime fair with multiple stages featuring a diverse range of locally produced music styles, Louisiana cuisine food booths, and arts and crafts booths, as well as an evening concert series that would appeal to everyone. Wein also sought to develop a new perspective that would add a level of excitement to the festival presentation, and appeal to both The Crescent City culture and those who simply wanted to learn more about the city's unique way of life. In addition to local customs, he emphasized African, Caribbean, and French culture, and was able to present the music, cuisine and crafts of various cultures to the world through Jazz Fest in a way that was enjoyable and exciting. [11]
"This festival could only take place in New Orleans, because here and only here is America's richest musical heritage." ~George Wein [11]
The first Jazz Fest took place in 1970 outside the French Quarter in a park "that was once the site of Congo Square – the space where, during the 18th century, enslaved people gathered to trade, dance, and play music from their countries of origin." [12] In 1972, after relocating to the infield of the Fair Grounds Race Course, Jazz Fest expanded by utilizing the entire 145-acre (59 ha) site. By 1975, the inaugural year of the Festival's limited-edition, silkscreen poster series, attendance was expected to reach 80,000. [11] From 1976 to 1978, Jazz Fest expanded to two full weekends in conjunction with the Heritage Fair, and in 1979, the Festival expanded to three weekends to celebrate its tenth anniversary. [11]
By the early 1980s, the Festival continued growing in popularity, earning widespread recognition as one of the world's cultural celebrations. From the 1970s to the 1980s, Jazz Fest contributed to an unprecedented boom in tourism that earned Crescent City the moniker "Creole Disneyland". [11] [13] In 2017, total attendance for Jazz Fest was about 425,000 over seven days, exceeding the total population of Orleans Parish per prior census estimates. [12] Pre-COVID-19, the attendance had grown to nearly 500,000. [14]
Over the years, the Festival has had its share of financial difficulties, as well as an identity crisis on stage and in the tents. [15] Local African-American activists accused the Festival of exploiting its performers and under-representing the communities that made Jazz Fest possible. [15] Internal conflicts also arose which left the 1982 Festival temporarily without board member Quint Davis, who handled the Festival's production. [8] In 1983, Davis returned and has produced it ever since. [1]
The year 2020 marks the first year in the Festival's fifty-year history to be cancelled because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was rescheduled to take place in the Fall 2021, October 8–17, which is within the Atlantic hurricane season. [5]
For every Jazz Fest from 1984 to 2020 & since 2022, there have been a series of posters released that are related to that year's event. These posters have become some of the most widely recognized pieces of art in the New Orleans/Louisiana area. They are sold at the festival and after the festival online and in many art stores around the area. Posters gain significant value as time goes on. [16]
The Festival features a variety of local food and craft vendors. The official food policy of the Festival is "no carnival food". [17] There are more than seventy food booths that include local dishes like crawfish beignets, cochon de lait sandwiches, alligator sausage po' boy (sandwich), boiled crawfish, softshell crab po'boy, Cajun jambalaya, jalapeño bread, fried green tomatoes, Oyster patties, muffulettas, red beans and rice, and crawfish Monica. [18] Vegan and vegetarian options are also available. All food vendors are small, locally owned businesses. [17] [19] Jazz Fest ranks second to Mardi Gras in terms of local economic impact. [20]
Craft vendors are set up throughout the grounds, as are craft-making demonstrations. There are three main areas including the Congo Square African Marketplace, which features crafts from local, national, and international artisans; the Contemporary Crafts area, which features handmade clothing, leather goods, jewelry, paintings, sculptures, and musical instruments; and the Louisiana Marketplace, which displays baskets, hand-colored photographs, jewelry and landscape-themed art. [17]
The Festival allocates large areas dedicated to cultural and historical practices unique to Louisiana. There are depictions of the many cultures that exist in the state, such as the Cajun culture, and the Los Isleños, who are descendants of native Canary Islanders. Some of the areas include the Louisiana Folklife Village, which focuses on state art and culture, the Native American Village and the Grandstand. The National Endowment of the Arts has recognized many the work of many of the folk demonstrators. [17]
Parades are also held throughout the event. They include parades by the Mardi Gras Indians, marching bands, brass bands, and social aid and pleasure clubs. [17]
Jazz Fest grew to become one of the best festivals to watch local artists and musicians, such as the Rebirth Brass Band, Juvenile, and Fats Domino, in addition to well-known musicians like Ray Charles, Tina Turner and James Brown in the Tremé backyard. [21] After 1972, the festival moved to the Gentilly community. By 2010, Jazz Fest had become more commercialized with headliners such as the Foo Fighters and Christina Aguilera, shifting away from its jazz-dominated roots. [21]
The festival has various performance stages including: [22]
Stage Name | Description |
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Festival Stage | Largest stage featuring national and local headliners |
Gentilly Stage | Secondary stage featuring national and local headliners |
Congo Square Stage | Features music reflecting the African and multi-cultural heritage of New Orleans |
Blues Tent | Focused primarily on blues artists |
Jazz Tent | National and local contemporary jazz artists |
Gospel Tent | Gospel musicians, performers, and choirs |
Jazz & Heritage Stage | Features New Orleans brass bands and "Mardi Gras Indians" |
Fais Do Do Stage | Zydeco and Cajun artists from Louisiana, along with national Americana acts |
Economy Hall Tent | Traditional New Orleans jazz artists and performances |
Lagniappe Stage | Eclectic mix of national and local artists |
Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage | Panel discussions and interviews with national and local artists |
Cultural Exchange Pavilion Stage | Features artists from each year's featured country |
Rhythmpourium Tent | Performances primarily from local artists and book/record signings |
Children's Tent | Performances aimed at young audiences |
Food Heritage Stage | Live cooking demonstrations featuring Louisiana food |
The Congo Square stage name pays homage to a gathering place where enslaved black people would meet to sell goods to buy their freedom, play instruments, and dance. Under the Code Noir, Catholic slavemasters allowed their slaves to have Sundays off. [23] That day off helped to preserve the tradition and spirit of African dancing and drumming. The name of the gathering area was changed to Louis Armstrong Park, where drummers traditionally perform on Sundays in honor of their enslaved ancestors. [23]
In 2015, Jazz Fest honored the 40th birthday of New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). [24] Displays included student artwork; live performances of spoken word and musical theater were featured at the Cultural Pavilion. NOCCA Alumni showcased their musical talents at the Zatarains/WWOZ Jazz Tent, where they paid homage to the legacy of Ellis Marsalis Jr. The festival has an ongoing partnership with local schools like NOCCA to give young artists an opportunity to showcase their talents to a larger audience. [24]
The festival has featured a variety of musicians and performers every year since its founding, ranging from Louisiana musicians to international pop stars. Many popular New Orleans musicians have played annually for long stretches over the history of the festival such as the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Ellis Marsalis, and The Radiators.
Applications to perform (from the general public) are limited to bands from Louisiana to promote and preserve local culture. [17]
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that presents the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The foundation was formed in 1970 as the festival's nonprofit arm. Festival founders George Wein, Quint Davis and Allison Miner trusted that Jazz Fest would be a success, despite a slow start in ticket sales. Their foresight led to the decision to establish the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation as a nonprofit, allowing the opportunity to give the proceeds back to the local community by way of cultural programming when revenue increased. [25]
Over the years, festival revenue increased, but the Foundation struggled to cover costs associated with its programs. [2] In 2004, Don Marshall was brought on board as the Foundation's executive director. [2] Other sources of funding come from galas and special events, corporate donors, individual donations and public and private grants.
The Foundation operates with a full-time staff and a four-part board of directors that includes a voting board, advisory council, Past Presidents Senate and an Honor Council. [25] Its mission statement says: "The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc. promotes, preserves, perpetuates and encourages the music, culture and heritage of communities in Louisiana through festivals, programs and other cultural, educational, civic and economic activities." [26]
The Foundation maintains active involvement with the local community through its assets, programming and educational enrichment. [27] The local programs range from teaching Jazz to local teens, to preserving recordings, artifacts and interviews. [1] The programs aid in economic growth by providing jobs for local artists and entertainers while offering entertainment to citizens. [1]
The following resources were created by the Foundation as sources of funding to provide year-round programming that focuses on cultural education, economic development and cultural enrichment. [28]
WWOZ is a non-profit community-supported radio station in New Orleans. It is owned by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The station specializes in music from or relating to the cultural heritage of New Orleans and the surrounding region of Louisiana. The playlist includes jazz, blues, local, regional and world music.
Donald Harrison Jr. is an African-American jazz saxophonist and the Big Chief of The Congo Square Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Thaddeus Bunol "Tad" Jones was an American music historian and researcher. His extensive research is credited with definitively establishing and documenting Louis Armstrong's correct birth date, August 4, 1901.
Irma Thomas is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans".
George Wein was an American jazz promoter, pianist, and producer. He was the founder of the Newport Jazz Festival, which is held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. He also co-founded the Newport Folk Festival with Pete Seeger and Theodore Bikel and was instrumental in the founding of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Congo Square is an open space, now within Louis Armstrong Park, which is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter. The square is famous for its influence on the history of African American music, especially jazz.
The culture of New Orleans is unique among, and distinct from, that of other cities in the United States, including other Southern cities. New Orleans has been called the "northernmost Caribbean city" and "perhaps the most hedonistic city in the United States". Over the years, New Orleans has had a dominant influence on American and global culture.
Louis Armstrong Park is a 32-acre (130,000 m2) park located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street from the French Quarter.
Tipitina's is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
OffBeat is a New Orleans, Louisiana monthly local music magazine founded by Jan V. Ramsey in 1987. The magazine, published by OffBeat, Inc., focuses on the popular music of New Orleans and Louisiana, which is generally R&B, blues, jazz, rock, hip-hop, funk, and many other traditional styles of music popular in Louisiana. OffBeat was the first magazine in New Orleans to resume publishing after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, despite losing all its staff and its printer.
Music tourism is the act of visiting a city or town to see a music festival or other performances. This sort of tourism is particularly important to small villages such as Glastonbury, as well as bigger cities like Glasgow. The fairly recent jam band phenomenon is a contemporary example that encourages music tourism. Music festivals are attended by many tourists annually. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour are prominent instances of music tourism with their impact on global economy.
Quint Davis is an American festival producer and director based in New Orleans. He is best known as the producer of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival founded by George Wein. Davis has been involved in the production of the event from its start in 1970. He is the CEO of Festival Productions, Inc. - New Orleans, the company that produces the Jazz Fest.
Elizabeth Allison Miner was a music promoter and manager who was instrumental in the early production of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the later career of pianist Professor Longhair.
French Quarter Festival is a free, annual music festival held in early April, located in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1983 with the first festival held in 1984, the festival features primarily New Orleans music, such as jazz, blues, and zydeco from hundreds of local musicians, as well as food from dozens of New Orleans restaurants.
Satchmo SummerFest is an annual music festival held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in celebration of the jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong. It is held in early August in order to coincide with August 4, Armstrong's birthday. It was founded in 2001, in conjunction with Armstrong's centennial celebration.
Roots of Music, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization based in Orleans Parish, New Orleans, Louisiana. The organization operates an after-school program which provides academic tutoring and music mentoring for at-risk middle school students ages 9–14.
Doreen J. Ketchens is a virtuoso American jazz clarinetist who performs Dixieland and trad jazz. She has performed at concert halls, music festivals, and U.S. embassies, as well as in decades of weekly performances in Dixieland's tradition in the Royal Street Performing Arts Zone in the French Quarter of New Orleans with her band, Doreen's Jazz New Orleans. Ketchens has performed for four U.S. presidents– Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter– and was described by Nola.com in 2012 as a cultural ambassador of New Orleans.
Yvonne Busch was a jazz musician and an influential music teacher in New Orleans.
Inez Catalon was an American Creole ballad singer, who was one of the most well-known performers of the genre known as Louisiana "home music". These are a cappella versions of ballads and love songs, drinking songs, game songs, lullabies and waltzes performed by women in the home, passed down from earlier generations to provide entertainment for the family before radio and television existed. Home music is not considered part of the public performance repertoire of Cajun and zydeco music because the songs were sung in the home by women, rather than in the dance halls of southwestern Louisiana which featured almost exclusively male performers.
Kevin J. McCaffrey is an American filmmaker, writer, editor, and oral historian based in New Orleans. His documentary and archivist work primarily focuses on Louisiana history and culture, with an emphasis on the region's culinary history and environmental issues. McCaffrey's work has received both national and regional recognition. He has worked with a number of notable organizations dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Louisiana and New Orleans, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Louisiana State Museum, Historic New Orleans Collection, WYES-TV, Loyola's Center for Environmental Communication, and the Louisiana Folklife Commission.