New Orleans – Some 400,000 happy ticketholders ate, drank and danced the day away in gorgeous weather at the 43rd annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Providing a huge economic boost for a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, the festival caps a string of major tourist events in New Orleans.

Created by the New Orleans Hotel Motel Association, Jazz Fest has been a product of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Foundation since 1970.

According to spokesman Scott Aiges, “Part of our mission is to make culture accessible to the widest number of people possible.”

“This is my fourth year coming to the festival and the surrounding activities,” said Joann Seaver of Walnut Creek. Seaver received her Master’s degree and teaching credential from CSU East Bay during the 1980s in the days of CSU Hayward.

“This is my 10th year here. It is the center of the universe,” exclaimed Alvin J. Brooks of Oakland. Brooks, born in Louisiana, is also a CSUEB alumnus who received his Master’s degree during the 1970s.

In addition to Jazz Fest, the foundation produces other large free festivals throughout the year.

Some of the festivals are the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival, the Congo Square Rhythms Festival and the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival among others. The spiritedness of the festivals attracts tourists and provides vitally needed employment to local musicians.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Foundation also owns and operates WWOZ, the New Orleans public radio station. The station provides broadcasting and web casting of jazz, blues, zydeco, Cajun, funk, country and other regional sounds represented at Jazz Fest.

The festival takes place over a two-weekend period that includes acts from all over the world.

Some of the acts that kicked off the festival was Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and the Eagles.

The 50th anniversary reunion of the Beach Boys attracted baby boomers near and far.

Performers like Cee Lo Green, Al Green, Herbie Hancock, Ne-Yo, Cubano Bop: Poncho Sanchez & His Latin Band featuring New Orleans’ own Terence Blanchard jammed even harder.

Many other top headliners performed along with hundreds of the best acts from Louisiana.

From Irma Thomas’ Tribute to Mahalia Jackson, to Dr. John, John Boutte, The Stooges Brass Band, New Birth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins, to the Mardi Gras Indians and many more.

According to David Freeman, General Manager of WWOZ, New Orleans, “I always tell the novices to pace themselves for Mardi Gras so they can last ‘til Tuesday. But it’s just the opposite with Jazz Fest. The best advice I can give you is to start cutting down on sleep around January. Say an hour every two weeks — so that by the time you hit the last weekend in April through mid-May, you don’t need any sleep at all. It’s the Crescent City version of boot camp, just as second-lining and dancing at the drop of a high hat cymbal beat is how we maintain ourselves aerobically.”

For example, the first weekend of Jazz Fest at the Fair Grounds and every great night concert from a slew of venues across the city are some of the events to consider.
There is a way to identify the die-hards from the amateurs.

The die-hards raced from the Fair Grounds which closed Sunday nights at 7 p.m. This left enough time for fans to join musicians like Jon Cleary at 8 p.m., followed by Papa Grows Funk with Big Chief Monk Boudreaux at 11 p.m. capped off with a set by Lightnin’ Malcolm at 3 a.m., all at the smoke-free and sound-level friendly dba Club, at 618 Frenchman Street.

On Monday following the first weekend Jazz Fest, many jazz fans headed to Armstrong Park into the glorious sunrise for another concert.

At 6 a.m., with cafѐ au lait and beignets from Cafѐ du Monde, fans began entering the park to the sounds of congas and tambourines. Only the very serious die-hards were there for the Monk Institute presentation of a spectacular one-hour program in honor of International Jazz Day in Congo Square.

The performance included New Orleans’ own Luther Gray and 10 drummers, the Treme Brass Band, Ellis Marsalis, Dr. Michael White, Bill Summers, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Roland Guerin, and Herbie Hancock. WWOZ broadcasted the concert live for those who could not make it.

“After that, it’s time for a power nap,” said Freeman.

From noon to 7 p.m. the Louisiana Music Factory included in-store performances of Meschiya Lake and Tom McDermott, Mia Borders, Trombone Shorty, Shamarr Allen and more.

Across the street at the House of Blues, WWOZ presented and broadcasted live, the 24th Annual Piano Night. This fest featured a host of famous piano players simultaneously performing from three stages until two in the morning. With enough time for in between power naps, and plenty of energy for non-stop music at the local nightspots and numerous street musicians, fans partied until they dropped.