George Porter, Jr., the man credited with being the inventor of the funky bass style in the 1970s, is always a crowd favorite at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Look for him to play some blazing sets of music with the Meters and his own band, George Porter, Jr. and the Runnin' Pardners. - Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
My dear friend Brian Epstein (aka Captain Brian) has had the pleasure of tormenting me for a while now.
Ozzy Douses the Press Pit at the Voodoo Music Experience - Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
He loves to torment me by telling me about New Orleans events that I am missing with emails like, “Jazzfest is on now and the traffic and parking is so bad I am having to get a ride with the bands.” or “I was at the Voodoo Music Experience tonight and Ozzy was spraying the press pit. Me and the security guard barely made it under the stage in time and I had to shoot the rest of the show from back stage.”
Captain Brian captained a charter boat that often carried well known folks out for a day of fishing, but Katrina destroyed his boat and he returned to school and just completed his Master’s degree at the University of New Orleans.
While at UNO he also was a staff photographer for the university paper, though he has been shooting for years and has been an incredible photographer for all the time I have known him.
I was thrilled when he agreed to shoot for me during Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras and even moreso when he told me he liked it so much he’d be interested in being my local photographer in New Orleans in my absence.
I have wanted to attend The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for years myself but as things are working out I don’t think it is a possibility this year, so Captain Brian agreed to cover it for me.
For those who have never heard of The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, (AKA Jazzfest) it is, in my book, the premiere festival in the world of music.
While Jazz is part of its name, it is a smorgasbord of music that is certain to satisfy every music lover’s taste.
This year’s line-up includes Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, The Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion, Anders Osborne, Bonerama, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, David Sanborn, and it goes on and on – the list is HUGE!
While the music is going to be awesome, it doesn’t stop there!
New Orleans is known for amazing food and they really dish it out with shrimp, chicken, jambalaya, crab cakes, crawfish, oysters, gumbos, remoulades, tamales…
Before I start sounding like I should have been in Forrest Gump, let me just say that the food will be amazing and in abundance.
To top it all off, it is a true Heritage Festival and will feature the Louisiana Folklife Village and the Native American Village where folks can see the arts, crafts, and cultural events of Louisiana’s Native American tribes and of those who later settled in the state.
This years New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is going to be a not to be missed event and I am looking forward to Captain Brian’s coverage of it even as I am anticipating cursing him under my breath for tormenting me… again.
Get your tickets now so you don’t miss out on the premiere music event of the year!
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- Ozzy Douses the Press Pit at the Voodoo Music Experience – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- Jersey boy, Jon Bon Jovi, got the crowd roaring at the 2011 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- Several familiar faces in the New Orleans music scene performing a rollicking set of music at the 2011 Jazzfest. Lady Tambourine (left), Kevin O’day (center), and Big Sam (right) – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- If you feel like stretching your legs, then there’s no better way than to fall in line . . . A second line that is! There are plenty of opportunities to march behind one of the numerous social aid and pleasure clubs that parade around the festival grounds as they are led by a New Orleans brass band. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- Not only is the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival a place to hear established musical legends, but it is also a place to hear future legends. Pictured here are students enrolled in the University of New Orleans Jazz Studies Program, one of the premier programs of its kind in the world. Here they perform in the Jazz Tent at the 2011 Jazzfest with the University of New Orleans Allstars. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- Rock guitar legend, Jeff Beck, wowed the crowds at the 2011 Jazzfest. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- One of the ways that music lovers at the Jazzfest tell their friends “I’m over here.” is by carrying totems. Many of these are works of art that have evolved over the years. The Fess Head, modeled after late New Orleans piano legend, Professor Longhair, is just such one and is familiar to most diehard Jazzfest who have been in attendance over the years. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- American folk legend, Arlo Guthrie, played a set of music in the Blues Tent at the 2011 Jazzfest that cannot be described in words. Veteran Jazzfest goers experience this regularly. Music sets that leave one speechless are the rule rather than the exception at the festival. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- An absolute must-see set every year at the Jazzfest is Pete Fountain’s performance. At 81 years old this pioneer of the modern Dixiland Jazz scene in New Orleans plays like no other. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- The Indians are a comin’! The Mardi Gras Indians have been a New Orleans tradition since the mid-19th Century. Check out some of the various tribes’ performances throughout the festival at the Jazz and Heritage Stage. For a closer look at the finely detailed handiwork of these feathered, beaded costumes, head over to the Grandstands to check out various suits on display along with pictures and videos explaining the history of the Indians. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- With any luck, the voodoo man himself, Dr. John, will put the gris gris on you while he tickles the keys at Jazzfest. This piano master is a hometown favorite and every year perfoms a set that should not be missed. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- George Porter, Jr., the man credited with being the inventor of the funky bass style in the 1970s, is always a crowd favorite at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Look for him to play some blazing sets of music with the Meters and his own band, George Porter, Jr. and the Runnin’ Pardners. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- If you need a break from rock, jazz, blues, reggae, etc. then head over to the Gospel Tent, sit down, and fill your soul with heavenly sounds. Pictured here is Irma Thomas during her set in the Gospel Tent at the 2011 Jazzfest. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- Willie Nelson was one of many superstar performers to grace a stage during the two weekends of music at the 2011 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
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- A musician’s view. The popular New Orleans band, Bonerama, played to a sea of people during their set on the Acura Stage at the 2011 Jazzfest. Local favorites, national, and international acts can all be heard at the festival. – Photo by Captain Brian Epstein
John N. Collins is a writer, photographer, game & coloring book designer and a bad dancer.
Any resemblance to the King John character is merely a coincidence.
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