photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

"From the moment you set foot inside the main gate at the Fair Grounds Race Course, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is like a music and food lover's "Choose Your Own Adventure" novel, with nearly every option inciting pure sonic and culinary bliss. A morning beignet in the Gospel Tent with Arthur Clayton & Purposely Anointed? A lazy afternoon perked up by some Crawfish Monica and the Drive-By Truckers joined by Booker T? How about a stroll to the Gentilly Stage for the sounds of Spoon and the Dirty Dozen horns, stopping for a quick bowl of gumbo along the way? Etta James and a Soft Shell Crab Po-Boy, anyone? All signs point to yes...

...Now in its 40th year, the 2009 edition of Jazz Fest continues to ramp up post-Hurricane Katrina, expanding to its full complement of 12 stages, up from nine last year, and seven days, up from six in recent years. The event's first of two weekends boasted music from nearly 200 acts, including the likes of Dave Matthews Band, Crescent City native Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Joe Cocker, Erykah Badu, James Taylor, Earth Wind and Fire, Pete Seeger, Hugh Masekela, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Etta James and many more." [All About Jazz]

Jazz Fest ran from April 24-26 & April 30-May 3 at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, LA. More pictures from the first weekend of the festival below...

Continue reading "a set of pictures from New Orleans Jazz Fest 2009 "

Willie Nelson has a full tour schedule for the first three months of 2009. That includes two "Two Men With the Blues" shows at Rose Theater at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis. The NYC shows are part of 'Jazz at Lincoln Center' and are advertising a "special guest appearance by Norah Jones" who we know also showed up when Willie recently played Radio City Music Hall. Tickets for the February 9th and 10th shows may still be on sale (call CenterCharge at 212-721-6500). All dates below...

Continue reading "Willie Nelson - 2009 Tour Dates (2 shows @ Lincoln Center w/ Wynton Marsalis & Norah Jones)"

Shuler Hensley as the Monster & Roger Bart as Frederick Frankenstein

The November 16th Stephen Colbert interview is long sold out, but you still have plenty of time to get tickets to the NY Times events happening in early January. They include interviews with Julian Schnabel, Wynton Marsalis, the cast of the new Broadway musical Young Frankenstein, and even Martha Stewart. I would love to see Young Frankenstein, but there's no way I'm paying those ticket prices. Then again, the reviews aren't even that great.