Jazz Fest 2023

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be in New Orleans for the 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. It’s a music festival rich in tradition with artists from all genres and styles. It’s an experience everyone should have at some point in their life. Let’s recap…

Friday - With the weather nearly perfect, I was ready for anything as I began my journey around the festival. First up was Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie. Delafose is a zydeco accordionist and singer who began playing at the age of eight. His music screamed Louisiana and certainly got the day off to a great start.

Up next was Margie Perez & Her Trio Latino. A native Washingtonian, Perez (a child of immigrants from Havana) grew up with music as diverse as Celia Cruz to The Beatles. She certainly dipped her toes into all types of music during her set. Music with Latin melodies mixed with blues and more, it was an intimate music experience.

The Storyville Stompers Brass Band have been a staple of New Orleans since 1981. They play New Orleans music in the traditional style, a music considered the foundation for jazz. Even though it wasn’t in the Gospel Tent, you felt as if you were being blessed by such an amazing group of musicians. I guess you could say that music is a religious experience and this band helped contribute to it.

Arsene DeLay has an incredibly soulful voice and with an acoustic guitar and a backing bass player, she captured the AARP Rhythmpourium tent through her performance. Her soaring vocals poured through the entrance/exit areas and caught the attention of many as her audience grew as her set came closer to ending. A phenomenal talent.

Lizzo - Holy moly - Lizzo. We got right in the middle of it all - main stage, smack dab in the middle of one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen. From the start, Lizzo had us eating out of her hand. She roared through over 20 songs including favorites “Good As Hell” and “Juice”. But it was some of the other tracks that I appreciated more, including “Special” and “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)”. Her set was empowering and inspiring. The all-female band was hot, led by a blazing guitar playing 19-year old. Toward the end of the set, a fan named Jeannie Carroll gave Lizzo a copy of her book with a nice message thanking her for everything and "showing up even when you don't want to." The pop star was visibly touched by the sweet moment, as were we all. And you can be sure she broke out the flute, because, this is Jazz Fest baby! Her set left me leaving day one with a huge smile.

Saturday brought rain, but it didn’t totally dampen the spirit of the festival! The beauty of Jazz Fest (and somewhat of a curse) is that you’ll be torn at some point in the weekend as to who to see perform. Friday night, when we were at Lizzo, we could have walked 5 minutes to see Wu-Tang Clan and five minutes more to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Maybe it just means you need to go again another year.

There were four stand-out artists on Saturday, starting with Da Lovebirds. Robin Barnes and her husband Pat Casey are a soulful R&B duo that brings a sultry, intimate vibe to their audiences. A good-sized crowd got even better when they heard Barnes' voice (along with a steady rain) inside the AARP tent. The music and voice had you swaying and smiling all set long.

My best, new discovery of the weekend is a trio whose music is best described as cowboy campfire tunes, but they were clearly at home on stage in front of a wet, excited crowd. The harmonizing was gorgeous and reminded me a bit of CSN. The guys had the crowd holding on to every note and after leaving the stage, we all wanted more. I’m not sure they imagined it would have gone down this way, but out they came for an encore. Their cover of Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” was stunning - we all sang along and as the final notes and applause drifted outside the tent, I knew we had seen something special.

Later that day, post-rain, we made it to the main stage to catch a little bit of Ed Sheeran. Armed with his guitar and shit-ton of pedals, Sheeran captured the audience with his hits along with some deeper tracks. Sheeran’s voice is so good and his craftsmanship around his playing and looping of sounds was really cool to see live. I’ll admit that we got there a bit late so I missed my favorite song from him, “Castle on the Hill” but got to hear some of his bigger songs including “Sing”, “Perfect” and “Photograph”. A pretty cool way to end day number two.

Day three brought back sunshine and beautiful temperatures. It also brought some of my favorite music moments from four acts.

Starting in the early afternoon with Honey Island Swamp Band. Formed originally in San Francisco after being displaced from New Orleans by Katrina, the band is the perfect combination of roots, blues and the right amount of spice from New Orleans. You get a little flavor of Little Feat and Black Crowes. A highlight from them is their new single “Second Son” with fantastic harmonizing and a cool groove. Check these guys out.

Next we headed over to the main stage for Ivan Neville and Dumpstaphunk. What a killer set from the New Orleans natives. The band was hot and so damn cool at the same time. This set is what I’ve imagined Jazz Fest is all about, closing with “Dancin’ to the Truth”. Neville really lets the band shine on every song. The jams are endless and when this band comes to your town, don’t hesitate to get tickets. They’re amazing.

One I had marked early on was Gary Clark Jr. who followed Dumstaphunk. The guitarist can give you anything you want, from blues and rock to soul and everything in between. The wailing guitar stormed out over the massive crowd with passion. Highlights included “Bright Lights” and “The Healing” which had Ivan Neville join Clark on stage. It was explosive and inspiring.

Did you know Kenny Loggins is doing one last tour? What better place to kick it off than Jazz Fest. Loggins looked fantastic and his band was outstanding. He lulled us in a bit with some deeper cuts, but it’s when he hit the ones you know - “Heart to Heart” and “Danny’s Song” where you felt he grabbed the crowd. The crowd got into it even more as soon as “I’m Alright” kicked in. There was a perfect sway and a bit of soul into the song with Loggins belting it out. As we headed towards the parking lot, we got what we wanted to hear, “Danger Zone” and “Footloose”. As a guy who grew up with 80s music, it was a fitting ending to my weekend.

This was my first trip to Jazz Fest and it won’t be my last. The festival, the people, the city - it all works so well together in true harmony. There’s something magical about it all.