With the weather cooling down a bit, the music, entertainment and arts scene in New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana is heating up.

On a grass roots level, this means the annual emergence of many of the state’s fall fairs and festivals. We heard recently that there were over 400 official festivals in Louisiana…they don’t call us partiers for nothing! As locals say, “Any excuse for a party will do,” even a hurricane, which at press time we seemed to have escaped once again this year. Just check out the partial list of October’s festivals: Oktoberfest, Andouille, Renaissance, Festa d’Italia, Gumbo, Swamp, Louis Armstrong Classic Jazz, Louisiana Heritage, Cotton, Rice, Yambilee. Some things they all have in common: good food and music—the staff of life as far as Louisianians go.

Speaking of festivals, the “Fest of Fests”, that is the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, has announced its 1990 dates: April 27, 28 and 29 and May 4, 5 and 6. The Jazz Fest folks haven’t gone into full swing yet in organizing the city’s greatest of all its musical celebrations, but towards the end of the year, you’ll be hearing more about the Jazz Fest in OffBeat.

New Orleans artists seem to really be hitting the pop recording scene lately. Harry Connick, Jr., with the recent LPs Twenty and the When Harry Met Sally soundtrack under his belt, is probably the most talked-about young performer to come out of New Orleans in a long time. Connick will appear October 22 at the Westin Hotel in a benefit for the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA) along with New Orleans’ other favorite son, Branford Marsalis. Both are graduates of NOCCA, come back home to help their alma mater. Branford, of course, is one of the sons of Ellis Marsalis, who now heads up the University of New Orleans’ jazz program. We also hear that the Friends of NOCCA are sponsoring an additional fundraiser at The Orpheum Theatre on October 23 which will feature all three stellar Marsalises: Ellis, Branford and Wynton—if his schedule permits. By the way, Ellis speaks on jazz and the new UNO jazz program in an in-depth interview by Vincent Fumar in this issue.

Other New Orleans artists have also recently issued new albums and they’re well worth checking out: Rebirth Brass Band’s and Johnny Adams’ new albums on Rounder; Snooks Eaglin’s new album on Blacktop; the subdudes’ on Atlantic (although they’re now based in Colorado, they’ll be at Tipitina’s on October 27). Many other local performers are in the process of putting down some tracks: Charmaine Neville is going into the studio soon for her first album; Dino Kruse and Marva Wright have been recording at Southlake Recording Studio; the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, George Porter and Shad Weathersby at Ultrasonic Studio. Lucky for us New Orleanians, almost all of these folks can be heard at clubs around town in October. Check out Shad Weathersby and the Hooligans at The Maple Lear on Tuesday nights (October 3, 7 and 31), Johnny Adams on October 13 and Ellis Marsalis on Saturdays throughout the month of October at Snug Harbor as a part of Jazz Awareness Month activities. These are but a few of the many activities planned around the city during New Orleans’ celebration of the music that originated here. As a part of JAM’s schedule, there’s the Louis Armstrong Classic Jazz Festival in the French Quarter on October 21 and 22. See the article in this month’s OffBeat on Jazz Awareness Month, or call 944-2369 for more information.

The music clubs in the city are also celebrating jazz—Snug Harbor, of course, has been the city’s haven for lovers of contemporary jazz for several years now, and features an outstanding line-up of artists for October. The rejuvenated Tyler’s at 5234 Magazine is under new management and has music every night except Monday and Tuesday. Tyler’s will host Latin jazz with Santiago every Thursday, and of course, the inimitable Mr. James Rivers every Friday and Saturday. Bart’s on the Lake seems be becoming another home to Mr. Rivers, where he’ll play on October 4. There’s lots of activity in other music clubs throughout the city: The Hard Rock Cafe features R&B man Oliver “Who Shot the La La” Morgan and his band every Sunday afternoon. The Hard Rock is gearing up for a 5K Road Race on November 18 to benefit their “Feed The Homeless” program (call 529-5617 for more info and check out next month’s OffBeat for more details). City Lights, “New Orleans’ number one dance spot” will feature live music every Wednesday as well, with pop band The Producers making their final performance at the club on October 25. Speaking of dance spots, one of the newest in town is the recently-opened House of Desire (we love the streetwalker logo) upstairs at 622 Conti Street. Carrying on the tradition of the trendy art gallery/club x art (still located on Girod in the Warehouse District), the House has a glittery New York feel…something that’s relatively hard to find in New Orleans. Strange but fascinating attire, costume contests and performance art…obviously the new spot to see and be seen.

David Briggs, Jr., founder of the New Orleans Original Daiquiris retail shops, has announced the construction of Jaxfest, a 30,000 square foot complex where a single cover charge (about $3) will admit the visitor to an entertainment mall atop the Jax Brewery. The complex will contain a sing-along bar (a la Pat O’Brien’s—maybe with Daiquiris in “hurricane” glasses?), a sports bar, a dance club and a live music venue with a tropical Latin music theme. Yeah, partying, music, food…that’s why a lot of us locals stay here…and a lot of folks want to move here! The Maple Leaf, known for years to New Orleanians as one of the best spots to hear blues, R&B, Cajun and zydeco, has a new twist for October: The Bygg Band from Norway will perform Scandinavian-style versions of the Cajun two-step on Thursday October 5. Sounds bizarre…but it’ll be interesting to see how Europeans interpret down-home rural Louisiana music. We know they eat crawfish in Scandinavia—it’s a delicacy in fact—but do they also have rubboards? Guess we’ll see…

It seems there’s more and more interest from “foreigners” (and to a New Orleanian, that means somebody from Biloxi) in our music and entertainment…as well as the arts. A film crew from Hong Kong is in town looking for New Orleans jazz…Woodenhead, New Orleans’ contemporary jazz quartet, just got back from a very successful tour in Central America…the New Orleans Music Convention Association is preparing their CD of New Orleans artists and is packing up to go to Berlin in late October to market New Orleans music in Europe. NOMCA’s also planning a major trip to the world’s largest music industry trade show, MIDEM, in Cannes, France in January 1990, if the sponsorship money comes through. And the art works of the young inner-city artists at the Warehouse District’s Ya Ya Gallery were featured in Life Magazine last month…and will be in an upcoming issue of Paris Vogue.

Speaking of the visual arts, the biggest event of that season is almost upon us—the Contemporary Arts Center’s Art for Arts’ Sake event on Saturday, October 7 will be one of their biggest ever. Galleries all over the city are participating in the event with new shows and receptions. Read Eric Bookhardt’s new arts column and check the OffBeat listings for more info on the gallery scene. The CAC’s New Music Festival is gearing up for November, with a world premiere musical composition by local composer Jay Weigel to be performed by the New Orleans Symphony. More details next month…New Orleans’ so-called “cultural season” also builds up steam in October, with the biggest event being the triumphant return of the New Orleans Symphony in its newly-refurbished home, the Orpheum Theatre. The first classical performance is in late September, with the Broadway Pops series featuring excerpts from ‘‘Damn Yankees” and “Billy the Kid” (narrated by none other than Billy Martin); performances October 26-29 at the Orpheum (call 525-0500 for ticket information).

And back to more of Louisiana’s more “indigenous” musical arts, an exciting announcement was recently made by Huey Farrell, of the French Quarter’s Hotel Ste. Helene. Toronto developer and owner of the Hotel Ste. Helene Ian Hardcastle is currently developing New Orleans’ first regular venue for gospel music (other than the city’s churches) in the 200 block of Bourbon Street. Tentatively named “Bourbon Street Gospel and Blues,” the club (we guess you can call it a club) will regularly feature all of the city’s great gospel groups. They’re being assembled by Sherman Washington, who sets the schedule each year for the Gospel Tent at the Jazz Fest. The place was inspired by the Gospel Tent at the Jazz Fest, says Farrell, and anyone who’s ever had the pleasure of hearing the city’s wealth of gospel singers during the Fest knows this is a great idea whose time has come. The club will also regularly feature blues artists Marva Wright (who’s moving from her regular spot at the Absinthe Bar) and Wanda Rouzan. The Bourbon Street Gospel and Blues club will open its doors by early December in conjunction with a gospel music-oriented fundraiser called “Rejoice on the River” on December 10. This event will benefit organizations which aid the hungry and homeless in the city: the Ozanam Inn, Second Harvest and New Orleans Artists Against Hunger and Homelessness.

We’re continuing our ongoing coverage of all Louisiana music with our series on Acadiana by Katrinna Huggs. This month we “tune in” to Cajunland with a feature on Lafayette’s unique radio broadcasts and the Eunice Cajun Theatre. Stay tuned for more next month on Lafayette’s club scene. ‘Til next time…