Finish strong! Here are my top 10 picks for Sunday, May 2nd – the final day of Jazzfest 2010...

Mia Borders / Gentilly Stage / 11:25a – 12:10p
Start off the morning with a bit of soul.

Ernie Vincent & the Top Notes / Blues Tent / 12:20 – 1:10p
Get fonky with this urban blues master.

Clarence “Frogman” Henry / Acura Stage / 12:35 - 1:20p
Golden-era R&B at it’s finest

Nova Nola / Lagniappe Stage / 12:35 - 1:25p
Bossanova from the Big Easy

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue / Gentilly Stage / 2:00 - 3:00p
Local prodigy makes first festival appearance following the release of major label debut.

Juvenile & Mannie Fresh / Congo Square Stage/ 2:05 - 3:15p
Get ready to put up a soulja rag with these New Orleans kingpins

Ellis Marsalis / Jazz Tent / 2:55 - 3:55p
Legendary pianist never misses a note.

The Dead Weather / Gentilly Stage / 3:45 - 4:55p
Jack White and friends are destined to make your ears bleed.

Wayne Shorter Quarter / Jazz Tent / 5:40 - 7:00p
Jazz giant, pure genius

Richie Havens / Fais Do-Do Stage / 5:50 - 7:00p
Folk legend leaves a profound mark

Do it big (REAL BIG) on the biggest day of Jazzfest 2010. Take you're pick...

MyNameIsJohnMichael / Gentilly Stage / 11:30a – 12:30p
Infectious and energetic, there’s no better way to kick this day off.

Pine Leaf Boys / Fais Do-Do Stage / 12:20 – 1:10p
Take a swig and do a jig with these rambunctious Cajuns.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band / Acura Stage / 12:30 – 1:30p
There’s no topping the baddest brass band in all the land.

Anders Osborne / Acura Stage / 1:55 – 245p
Bearded bluesman burns up the fretboard.

Band of Horses / Gentilly Stage / 2:35 – 3:35p
Reverb-drench lullabies anyone…

Galactic / Acura Stage / 3:15 – 4:15p
Funk-a-teers promise bangin’ set on the heels of new album.

Sonny Landreth / Gentilly Stage / 4:00 – 5:00p
Spellbinding, slide guitar mastery

Honey Island Swamp Band / 4:15 – 5:15p
Southern rock with a sun-streaked shuffle

Pear Jam / Acura Stage / 5:00 – 7:00p
Grunge gods prepared to revel in all their ragged glory.

Jeff Beck / Gentilly Stage / 5:40 – 7:00p
Guitar  god and 2 time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee dazzles with unmatched musicianship.

Bringing in the weekend on the Fair Grounds… you should be! Here’s my top 10 Jazzfest pics for Friday, April 30th. Disappointingly, lala.com has discontinued song embedding, so I've got no MP3s for you to stream. See you at the Fest!

Dee-1 / Congo Square Stage / 11:05a – 11:45a
Underground rapper ready to leave his mark on the Fair Grounds

Buckwheat Zydeco / Acura Stage / 12:35 – 1:35p
Zydeco legend and Jazzfest favorite never fails to disappoint.

Astral Project / Jazz Tent / 1:30 – 2:30p
Local luminaries deliver stirring, cerebral jazz.

Eric Lindell / Blues Tent / 1:40 – 2:35p
Soulman brings it down with bustling grooves.

Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers / Congo Square Stage / 2:35 - 3:35p
King of the Treme and local icon blows his horn and cooks up a party

John Boutte / Jazz Tent / 2:50 – 3:50p
Easily the most powerful vocal performance you’ll see all weekend.

Allen Toussaint / Acura Stage / 3:40 – 4:50p
Pure greatness

New Orleans Social Club / Blues Tent / 4:15 – 5:15p
Funky gathering sure to make for quite a spectacle

Stanley Clarke Trio / Jazz Tent / 5:45 - 7:00p
Esteemed bassist is a must for all jazz enthusiasts.

Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band / Blues Tent / 5:45 - 7:00p
It doesn’t get much better than this husband and wife duo

It’s time for the home stretch… the final weekend of  Jazzfest 2010. Live music doesn’t get any better around these parts… especially after sunset. If the last few nights are any indication of what’s to come, expect plenty of fireworks this weekend. Below, you’ll find downloadable late night schedules for the remainder of the week throughout the weekend.





Jazzfest 2010 Late Night Concert Grids – Weekend 2

Thursday, April 29th – click to view / download
Friday, April 30th – click to view / download
Saturday, May 1st – click to view / download
Sunday, May 2nd – click to view / download

*Full Schedule: Thursday, April 29th – Sunday, May 2nd – click to view / download

Here we go… Just like last week, I’m putting together my top 10 picks for each day of Jazzfest. Unless you’re able to transcend time and space, then you probably won’t be able to catch all 10 sets. So, my recommendation is to have a listen to the bands below and plan your day wisely. Happy Festin’!

Coco Robicheaux & the Swamp Monsters / Blues Tent / 11:15a – 12:00p
Dirty voodoo rock from the deep marsh

Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove / Acura Stage / 12:10 – 1:00p
Dirty Dozen Brass Band founder fronts funky conglomeration.

Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk / Acura Stage / 1:20 – 2:20p
The fiercest and filthiest funk you’ll hear all weekend.

Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys / Gentilly Stage / 1:55 – 2:55p
This fiery fiddle player and Cajun sweetheart knows how to stir up the crowd

Gov’t Mule / Acura Stage / 2:50 – 3:50p
Warren Haynes and company are not ones to be taken lightly…

Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers / Gentilly Stage / 3:35 – 4:50p
Steve Martin is definitely not one to be taken seriously… but he can surely sling a banjo.

Soul Rebels Brass Band / Congo Square Stage / 3:35 – 4:45p
Local favorites know for throwing the best parties in the Big Easy.

Paul Sanchez & the Rolling Road Show / Lagniappe Stage / 4:20 – 5:30p
Songsmith and storyteller is always full of surprises.

Widespread Panic / Acura Stage / 4:30 – 7:00p
Jamband behemoth rings in the weekend with a double set.

Elvis Costello & the Sugarcanes / Gentilly Stage / 5:30 - 7:00p
Living legend delivers stripped-down, folk with new group.

I arrived at Jazzfest shortly after one o’clock on Saturday, April 24th. Though there would be no rain, the previous day’s deluge had turned the Fair Grounds into stagnant cesspool – plenty of filth for the swines to root about.  Oddly, again, the contemptible hordes, which often slosh around the stages, seemed to have stayed home. The simpatico crowd appeared altogether amenable, slightly excitable, and somewhat congenial. The mix of mud and mild temperatures had an unusually positive effect on the masses. I can only presume that (additionally) the bloated lineups had a sedative effect on the festival – and particularly, the Acura Stage – as a whole. Really, what could be more dull that sitting through a two-hour Simon & Garfunkel concert!

Lucky for me, that thought didn’t even cross my mind. I began my day where, later, I would end it, the Gentilly Stage. I rolled into the photo pit midway through Bonerama’s set. In a town (presumably the only one in America) with an overabundance of trombone bands, it’s no secret that none rock as hard as Bonerama. An undeniable force, year-in and year-out, the brass juggernaut literally blows the crowd away. This year was no exception. I was glad to hear the laid back funk of “Louie’s Perch,” one of my favorite Bone joints. Maybe one of the best things I saw all weekend was the Bone’s homage to the late Alex Chilton, which included a resounding take on The Box Tops’ “The Letter” and an electric run through Big Star’s “O’ My Soul,” which saw Bonerama leader Mark Mullins blasting the melody through his wah-rigged trombone.

A rather foreboding, gray sky loomed overhead as I made my way to the Fair Grounds on Friday, April 23rd. The forecast did not look good. All signs pointed to rain… and plenty of it. But that did not slow the Jazzfest faithful from heading out. As for myself, I spent the earlier part of the day slinging OffBeat magazines outside of the gates.
 
Apart from peddling programs, I used the time to look for some sort of deeper significance amongst the masses… some unifying theme. But I saw nothing. I thought – as I noticed several times in years past – that I’d find a Hunter S. Thompson/death of the American Dream sentiment permeating the scene. Maybe it was the lack of drugs on my part, or maybe it was the lack of drugs on their part, but everything and everyone seemed at least somewhat animated and in seemingly good spirits. There were no abhorrent beasts or crazed reptiles encroaching upon the landscape. There were, however, plenty of fair-weather pushers and bottom-feeders lurking about, hocking anything they could sell on every street as others scammed the sale of public property to those looking for a curbside spot. These were the people (I felt) you really had to keep an eye on… not the soulless “judas goats” but the conniving leeches, those who burrowed into every artery and vein and feverishly sucked blood from the source. Aside from the rare exception, the majority of the folks appeared mildly affable, or at least pleasantly apathetic. Then again, they (I being one of them) had yet to set foot inside of the grounds.