Miscellaneous

My Jazz Fest experience yesterday was a bit up and down. It started when I arrived at my secret parking space, where I found the street partially barricaded. ?Hmm, is it still okay to park here?? I asked myself. Then I noticed a space between the barricades wide enough for my car. And not seeing any ?No Parking? signs, I decided the barricades were for no driving, not for no parking. So I eased on through and parked in my customary secret spot. The rest of the day, some fraction of my mind was wondering whether my car would still be there when I returned to it.

Once inside the Fair Grounds, there was no turning back. My first stop was the Gentilly Stage, where a local supergroup was playing: Walter ?Wolfman? Washington on guitar, Russell Batiste Jr. on drums, and Joe Krown on keyboards. Their music is sort of a blues-funk fusion. An excellent way to start the day.

After that, it was time for lunch. First, I used my Brass Pass privileges to visit the WWOZ tent, to absorb some fresh fruit and iced coffee. Then I swung through the food area nearest the Sauvage Street entrance, where I snagged Jazz Fest?s best sandwich and best food bargain: the cochon de lait po boy, the price a mere $7.

At 12:30, I headed for the Blues Tent to catch Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife & Drum. I have to confess that I didn?t dig it as much as I thought I would. By American standards, it?s an ancient music form; the fife is home-made from a piece of cane. I guess it was too different from what I?m used to.

The good thing about the Jazz Fest is that, if the music in one place isn?t your cup of tea, you can move on and find something that is. So I did, and caught a bit of Bruce Daigrepont at the Fais-Do-Do stage.

Generally I try to avoid the Acura Stage, because the crowds are so huge. But playing Acura at 2:15 was Pete Seeger. Seeing him was maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I headed in that direction. On the way, I passed Congo Square, where the Rebirth Brass Band was kicking ass. I was strongly tempted to stay there. But I?ve seen Rebirth before; and I?ve seen their special guest for this set, Kermit Ruffins. But I?d never seen Pete Seeger before. So I continued toward the Acura stage.

That turned out to be a good call. Seeger?s set was terrific. As it turned out, yesterday was also his 90th birthday. He didn?t look or play like a 90 year old. For one thing, he played the whole set standing up. His voice was aged, and he had help on vocals from his grandson, Tao Rodriguez Seeger and some other fine folk musicians. But Pete played one instrument or another for all the songs, and took the lead vocals on a few. He saved ?This Land Is Your Land? for the finale.

After Seeger?s set, I wandered around. Got a little food (Crawfish Monica), listened to this and that here and there, and eventually ended up in the Blues Tent for John Mooney. John is probably the best slide-guitar player in New Orleans and one of the best in the world. He learned some of his stuff directly from Son House, in whose style he plays. The first song of his encore was ?Don?t Mind People Grinning in Your Face,? a capella with hand-clapping for rhythm, just as he learned it from Son House.

To close out the day, I stayed in the Blues Tent for Johnny Winter?s set. A few minutes before Johnny started, an artist set up his easel right next to me. He goes by the name of Scramble Campbell, and while Johnny played, he did an acrylic portrait of him. It was fun watching him work while he was digging the music. You can see some of his other work here. (P.S. Johnny was in fine form. He looks more decrepit and moves more slowly than Pete Seeger. But his hands still work fine. He appropriately saved ?Mojo Boogie? and ?Highway 61? for his encore.)

After Johnny?s set, I headed back to my secret parking place, hoping that my car would still be there. It was. I talked to some guys there about the barricades. They said that their neighbors put those up, presumably to save some parking places for their own friends. If they do it again, good?they?ll be saving me a parking place too.

So much for yesterday. Today?s lineup is a killer. The following are among the people I would like to see:

• Guitar Slim Jr.
• Interview with Pete Seeger
• Wayne Toups & Zydecajun
• Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles Tribe
• Sonny Landreth
• Robert Cray
• Terence Blanchard
• Dr. Michael White
• Sunpie Barnes
• Mavis Staples
• The Mighty Chariots of Fire
• Earth, Wind & Fire
• Etta James

It will be physically impossible to see all these acts, as many of them play opposite each other. So there will be many tough choices today. Oh, and the list above is about 10% of what will be happening at Jazz Fest today.