Another great day at Jazz Fest 2024

Sunday turned out to be ladies’ day, mostly, and what a range. Word to the wise, don’t sleep in on Sunday during Jazz Fest. Indys Blu kicked things off perfectly on the Congo Square Stage with “I can’t catch my breath, I just…” from new song “Mattress” and went on to wow the crowd. Indys has great lyrics, phrasing, and delivery, but her newly developed stage presence and full band took

her from chrysalis to butterfly.

“In Your Skin” sounded like a hit waiting to happen. With the stellar band, including Jamal Batiste on drums, “Marry Yo Momma” became a timeless bluesy kiss-off as Indys alligator-smiled while lyrically slicing and dicing. The two duets with singer Tre Billy not only hit right, but both also allowed saxophonist Utopia Francois to step up and shine with her solos. The crowd responded accordingly, knowing all of this was something special. A set of slower-paced original songs at Jazz Fest can be an uphill climb, but Indys Blu put us on her wings, took flight, and made her highly-awaited first album even more so.

Next up, Dusky Waters created an exuberant fan base at the Rhythmpourium Stage from the moment they hit the chorus of album title track “Pass It On.” Frontwoman Jenn Jeffer’s beautifully crafted songs sounded great, the cover of a tune by “musical godmother” Sister Rosetta Tharpe was on point, and by the halfway point in the set the crowd was a sea of movement. Kudos to the four-piece band backing Jeffers, who alternated between banjo and guitar to back her clarion call vocals. “Pass It On” is a stellar album of what might be called Americana or roots music, and it’s also a reminder and reclamation of history that this music never belonged to only one group of people.

Internationally acclaimed Yusa was slated for two shows on Sunday, and I chose to catch the one at the larger Lagniappe Stage, knowing that meant a bigger band. Yusa means business on any stage, but there couldn’t have been a better tribute to her music than for the nine-piece to come out of the gate with steady nuance and high-level power. Jafet Perez, on drum kit, played with extra ferocity, when necessary, and Yusa kicked with the last beat at the end of the song, knowing what just happened.

Yusa’s set was so achingly beautiful, it made your heart swell, so wonderfully inventive it made your mind work, and so sure and strong, it made your resolve quicken. They weren’t just songs (which is perfectly fine) but human experience compressed into a musical journey. It’s key to stress that most music of this type is instrumental, so the fact that Yusa is so dynamic vocally to not only fit in but lead it, is staggering. The entire band was exceptional, including pianist Victor Campbell and trumpet player David Navarro.

If you think I was going to stop for food and miss Tonya Boyd-Cannon, you have another thing coming. Know this about TBC—she can sing anything she wants and does it to fresh heights. She sure did at the Congo Square Stage. Took the lawn crowd to church, through New Orleans, the pop charts, and everywhere else. She even brought nine-month-old grandbaby Harmony on stage for her Jazz Fest debut, which has to break the record, even for New Orleans where talent is nurtured at a young age. “I’ve got a feeling everything’s gonna be alright,” was exactly what the people needed to hear, and “Give me a song that makes me feel good” seemed exactly what Boyd-Cannon needed to sing and feel herself. When you look up “sang” (present tense) in the dictionary, TBC shows up, and that’s all you need to know.

Sustenance was now a firm call to order, so needing to keep in the Food 2 area, I started with a Crawfish Enchilada from Prejean’s from Lafayette who’s been at Jazz Fest since the ’90s. They wisely have the menu for fickle weather. “When it’s cold or raining, people go for the gumbo. Otherwise, the enchilada’s our best seller,” said Matthew, Director of Operations. The dish hit the spot and the Prejean’s people were warm and friendly.

That’s the great thing about Jazz Fest. Despite a lot of people in tight proximity, there’s typically a friendly, joyful, generous spirit. This includes almost anyone you come across. Conversations with strangers abound and new friendships are forged.

Unfortunately, in my experience, this spirit wasn’t conveyed by The Galley Seafood, also a longtime Jazz Fest vendor. Their Soft-Shell Crab Po Boy is a personal favorite, but it was soured by exceptional rudeness. One of those random conversations while eating confirmed that this is often the norm rather than the exception. It’s unnecessary, makes for a flat tire in the soul, and they can do better.

Returning to what Jazz Fest is all about in the best possible way, the Jazz Fest Culture Exchange for 2024 is with Colombia. This includes a dedicated stage with Colombian music, many of these same performers out on the regular stages, a tent focused on artists, and more. One of the artists this week was textile and fashion designer Flor Imbacuan Pantoja who is based out of Carlosama, Narino colony so far south in Colombia it’s steps from Ecuador. Ms. Flor learned the pre-Columbian loom “la Guanga” from her mother and has taken that to create contemporary fashions with ancestral techniques.

Ms. Flor’s focus is on sustaining indigenous traditions, empowering women, and environmental preservation through her Hajsu Etnomoda. “This provides jobs for people to take care of their families for generations,” she said. “Everything we use is natural. All handmade. No machines. This way we preserve our traditions. It takes 30-45 days to process one item.” When asked about her impressions of Jazz Fest and New Orleans, Ms. Flor replied, “I’m happy to be here. People are very outgoing. It has touched me. It’s made me feel like home.”

Ìfé has been on my short list of performers to catch in New Orleans. As it turned out, he was at the Jazz & Heritage Stage steps away. Not knowing fully what to expect, unique electronic music was the anticipation. Instead, this is “electronic music” played with instruments. Ìfé receives kudos for both conception and execution, going way back to take us to the future, a veritable Afro-Futurism. As he put it, “No DJs. No backing tracks. Old school joints and new school joints.” The group took the electro-acoustic music of micing up drums and different objects, but instead of the usual result of ambient music, they instead played Afro-Caribbean rhythms and a had Dancehall vibe to make danceable songs for adventurous ears. As if this wasn’t stunning enough, Colombian pop star Goyo joined to perform, including her hit “Tumbao.”

Bookending Ifé’s great set, it was a pleasure to hear snippets of Tami Nielson, she of the big voice that carried so strongly she outdid the Jazz Fest exact science of stage angle, decibel level, and stage proximity, perking up heads in the Press Tent. Also, it’s not Jazz Fest without catching Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, the architect. “Somebody got soul, soul, soul,” he sang, and we all know it’s him.

After a long day of ripping and running to catch so much great music, it felt good to get a Pina Colada and an Ice Cream Sandwich and sit in the WWOZ Jazz Tent in anticipation of Patrice Rushen. As the crowd hoped, the songstress and jazz pianist took us to an old school sweet spot. Rushen set the tone by walking right down the calendar with 1977s “The Hump” to “Hang It Up” from 1978 and slowing things down with 1979s “Settle For My Love.” Only blessings could follow. The energy was right, her spirit was exceptional, and it ended the day the right way.

—Michael Allen Zell