For all you folks who are just moving to New Orleans for (you hope) four years of college; for all New Orleans ex-pats who now live in the greener and less funky environs of the suburbs; and for lovers of New Orleans who for reasons known only to them live anywhere but New Orleans, we present Bunny Matthews’ “A Freshman’s Guide To New Orleans,” that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about why people have a love/hate relationship with the city.

The Big “Easy” it ain’t, unless you’re an artist and musician or a student, in which case, it’s cheap to live, you can be weird as you want to be (no one cares), and booze and partying is part of the culture. Or it’s easy if you’re in the in-crowd when it comes to politics or the good-ole-boy business environment, or you’re born as a debutante-to-be. Otherwise…easy? I don’t think so.

But one thing we got is cultcha, baby, just ask Vic and Nat’ly.

WHITHER JAZZ?

In early August, the City of New Orleans’ Arts & Entertainment Office held a “Jazz Town Hall” that solicited suggestions from the local community on how the city could better promote jazz to visitors.

Suggestions included everything from improved marketing to reducing noise to improved performance opportunities; creating a “jazz district” on either North or South Rampart Streets; annual jazz competitions; distribution of more information on jazz to visitors; giving incentives to clubs to promote playing of jazz; and much more.

On Monday August 9, I attended the New Orleans Jazz Summit, a convocation of “business leaders” whose mission it was to distill information gleaned from a Jazz Hall Town Meeting into some achievable goals. What became clear at this meeting is that the music community needs so much, and is so fragmented, that it will be difficult to achieve everyone’s objectives. One thing became very clear: in order for jazz (or any other local music genre) to get any attention from the mainstream business community, we must have a focus and an achievable goal.

We noted in one of our recent Weekly Beat email newsletters (log onto offbeat.com to get on the email list) that the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO) has applied for a $400,000 grant over a two-year period for its programs for the New Orleans Economic Development Fund Grant pool.

Bill Hines, chairman of Greater New Orleans, Inc. (the newest iteration of the Chamber of Commerce) told the group that the plan that NOJO presented was sound and that it met the criteria for economic development set out by the city. So NOJO may be the first major music entity to receive economic development funding, assuming that the plan is approved by the New Orleans City Council.

Hines told the Summit group that he’d found that the music community seems to shoot itself in the foot; there’s too much competition and envy among competing groups. He recommended that we focus on achievable goals, present them for funding, and that if the projects met the right criteria, he’d lend a hand to help get them funded.

I have been involved in music industry development for over 20 years. I’ve seen people fight, claw, backstab and basically do what Hines says: mess it up for everybody.

We need a project that everyone in the community can agree upon that will move us to another level, provide our music and musicians with the respect that they deserve.

I’m going to reiterate what I’ve said in previous months: we must create a high-profile center for music (with jazz as its focal point?) in New Orleans. Currently we have nothing here that’s highly visible and is highly regarded enough to be that focal point, except for maybe the Jazz Fest, that’s only once a year, and currently in a state of flux.

The focus we need is a Southern Music Museum—because as we all know, the South is where all American music comes from anyway. This museum will be the focal point of our music industry development. It will create a 24/7 place for tourists to learn about music. It will become an internationally-known museum where local kids can visit and learn more about our musical heritage. It will be a place that provides local musicians with regular work. It will contain a venue for jazz and other music that won’t compete with local music clubs; it will serve as an “appetizer” so that people can experience more. It can provide space for regular music education. The museum can reinforce to locals that our music is integral to our culture. It will be an information center for music in New Orleans.

This museum is required to move our music to another level.

I suggested in August that we locate the museum in the Krauss Building on Canal and Basin Streets. I’m more convinced than ever that this is the right thing to do.

WWOZ may be losing its battle to build in Armstrong Park. In the past week, David Freedman and WWOZ Governance Board members held a press conference, requesting that the city define the process that will determine whether the station can expand its operations in Armstrong Park. According to Bob Edmundson, vice president of the board, unless the city responds in 30 to 60 days, the station will begin to look elsewhere for a site.

It appears unlikely that the Armstrong Park plan will get through the city’s bureaucratic processes. So why not locate WWOZ in the museum on Canal Street? The station needs visibility, a sight line to Canal Street, a lot more space and parking for its equipment. The Krauss Building is huge, and meets the criteria.

The Krauss Building contains 350,000 square feet, including the large retail area of the old department store, a warehouse, an adjacent parking garage and a parking lot. In a perfect world, this would be the ideal place for a mixed-use development centered around music. Krauss could contain the Southern Music Museum (at least 50,000 square feet—the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville contains 40,000 square feet); WWOZ, OffBeat offices, music retail, music businesses’ office space, retail, music venue and information centers, as well as residential and retail space. If anything deserves the attention of Bill Hines and Greater New Orleans, Inc., this is it.

WWOZ

A follow-up word on the relationship between WWOZ and OffBeat: We met with the Governance Board and David Freedman to resolve our frustration with the way WWOZ has dealt with OffBeat in the past. We all agreed on one point: OffBeat and WWOZ need to work closely together. We’re working to resolve all differences and come up with a plan that keeps us communicating regularly. We’ll keep you posted on progress.

WILL THERE BE A 2005 JAZZ FEST?

The Foundation that owns the Jazz Fest is well over $1-million in the hole for many reasons: rained out days; decreased attendance because of increasing competition and problems post-9/11; stale programming (in some opinions); lack of marketing, promotion and sponsorship; and money management on the part of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.

Don Marshall, the new Executive Director of the Foundation calls the deficit a wake-up call and the Foundation board has not yet renewed its contract with Festival Productions, Inc. (FPI)-New Orleans, headed by Quint Davis, to produce the 2005 Jazz Fest.

At press time, the Foundation was continuing to negotiate a new contract with Davis. FPI reportedly offered to front 50 percent of the money for seed money for the 2005 festival, with no public reports of what FPI wants in return for the capital (ownership?). The Foundation is reportedly also interviewing other potential producers, marketers and sponsorship entities, including Rehage/AEG (Voodoo Fest), Superfly (Bonnaroo), Clear Channel Entertainment and many others.

Marshall and the Foundation vow that there will be a 36th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. But what format will it take? The next few months should be interesting indeed.

HARRAH’S PRESENTS LOCAL MUSIC

An exhausted Earl Turner can only bust his chops five nights a week at his self-named theater at Harrah’s New Orleans (if you haven’t seen his high-energy show, you’re missing a whole other level of entertainment in the city). But on several upcoming “dark nights” in the theater, Harrah’s staging of the New Orleans All Star Blues Revue marks an important development in the relationship between the Harrah’s organization and the New Orleans musical community.

An initial three-performance run on Sundays September 19, October 10, and October 17 will include pianist/vocalist/composer Henry Butler as Music Director, and Marva Wright, the “Blues Queen of New Orleans,” and Luther Kent as lead vocals along with a complement of all-local New Orleans players.