Locals Thursday lived up to its name yesterday as thousands (but not too many thousands) of people filed into a rain-soaked Fair Grounds for what must have been the coolest day of Jazz Fest in recent memory. Jazz Fest is always cool, of course, but that was a reference to the weather, which kept to the low 60s with a consistent breeze and plenty of cloud cover.
Anders Osborne. Photo by Noe Cugny.
The day was capped off by sets from Hootie & The Blowfish frontman turned country music star Darius Rucker, horn-laden funk powerhouse Tower of Power (who offered hits like “What Is Hip” and “So Very Hard To Go”) and Georgia jam band titans Widespread Panic, who drew the afternoon’s biggest crowd during their 150-minute scorcher on the Acura Stage. The Jazz Fest regulars, who held down a Thursday closing slot on the Acura Stage just two years ago, delivered a continuous onslaught of music that reached its peak during the uninterrupted sequence of “Gimme” > “Proving Ground” > “Surprise Valley” > “Tie Your Shoes” > “Surprise Valley” > “Angels On High.” As usual, the whole thing was buoyed by an incredible rhythm section, some masterful displays from lead guitarist Jimmy Herring and the comforting Southern drawl of frontman John Bell.
Widespread Panic’s devoted followers were treated to another excellent rock show roughly an hour before their chosen band took the stage, though this one had a bit of Cajun flavor to it. The Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars—Jazz Fest regulars of a more local variety—earned the supergroup designation once again, bringing Tab Benoit, Anders Osborne, George Porter Jr., Johnny Vidacovich, Johnny Sansone, Waylon Thibodeaux and more together for an exciting hour of music with a message. It also happened to be Osborne’s birthday, a fact made obvious by the numerous dollars pinned to his shirt, and the band celebrated with a take on his all-too-appropriate staple “Louisiana Rain.” Big Chief Monk Boudreaux even joined the fun toward the end of the set for a run of tunes that included “Little Liza Jane.”
Meanwhile, English R&B mainstay Corinne Bailey Rae offered up some of her hits, plus a surprise cover of Fats Domino’s “One Night With You,” on the Congo Square Stage following Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. The Gentilly Stage saw sets from Louisiana favorites Marcia Ball and Wayne Toups, as well as a family affair from the Chilluns (featuring Dave, Darcy & Johnny Malone, Cranston & Annie Clements, and Spencer & Andre Bohren) that wrapped with a fitting take on The Beatles’ “The End.”
82-year-old trumpet master Herb Alpert made his Fest debut in the Jazz Tent along with his wife Lani Hall, kicking off his set with a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” and proving that he still knows how to keep things extra cool despite his age. His performance followed a set from Torkestra, piano virtuoso David Torkanowsky’s take on the early jazz and pop standards with singer Germaine Bazzle, trumpet icon Kermit Ruffins and singer Clint Johnson.
Other great sets included A Salute to Louis Armstrong with Nicholas Payton, Dr. Michael White and James Andrews, The Iguanas, Leo Konitz Quartet, Eric Lindell, Egg Yolk Jubilee and a full day of Cuban music programming in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion.
Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. Photo by Noe Cugny.
All photos by Elsa Hahne and Noe Cugny.
