Jazz Fest in New Orleans

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is carrying out its 40th year of existence with two full weekends of every type of music imaginable. Throngs of music lovers from all over the world descend on the racetrack fairgrounds in New Orleans, the type of mass economic spending (think Mardi Gras) the city needs in order to continue to rebuild itself.

I don't even go to the fairgrounds to check it out.

Along with throngs of music lovers come throngs of world-class musicians; some make Jazz Fest their one and only yearly migration to New Orleans for a week of sitting-in and scene-making.

The scene doesn't happen during daylight hours at the Fest. The night time is the right time in general down here, an amplified early morning crowd gathers in multiple locations, Uptown and Downtown.

I would never present Jazz Fest as something other than the most incredible union of tradition and talent, gastronomy and every musical taxonomy. Even on rainy days at the fairgrounds, muddy waves lapping at your feet, the tangible sense of life-celebration is everywhere.

But for whatever reason... actually I can think of a couple... the night time is the right time. Searing sweaty jam sessions burn, all over the city, until dawn. Close your eyes and you're in Milton's Playhouse, circa 1941. Before bars closed at 2am, before sitting-in was an antiquated quest, when the night time was the right time, as it is now, the time for music, mojo, juju or whatever you call the deep bayou Delta energy.

In New Orleans
You sweat when you sleep, you sweat when you dance.
So put on those dancin' pants and
Keep your head.
It must be said.
New Orleans can sleep when it's dead.
-Trevor Jones 4/30/09