Jazzfest… It’s sneaking up on us. Recently the Backbeat Foundation announced their lineup their late-night Jazzfest concert series. Held over the course of two weeks, this extravaganza is spread out over four venues and features 20+ musical acts from the worlds of funk, jazz, jam, brass and electronica. The venues where these shows will be held are: Tipitina’s French Quarter, the Blue Nile, the Republic, and the Studio at Colton Theater. Acts include: Ghostland Observatory, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Trombone Shorty, Medeski Martin & Wood, DJ Logic, Tim Reynolds, the Wild Magnolias, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Benevento Russo Duo and many more.  Continue reading for the full lineup…

Sunday, March 29th, the Backbeat Foundation will usher in the fourth season of the Rhythmic Roots Community Music Project and Green Ability Fair.  This unique cultural, musical, and education experience celebrates the rhythms of the Crescent City and brings together many of the community’s leading environmentally driven organizations.  In addition to performances from some of the finest talent in the Big Easy – especially its percussionists – the Rhythmic Roots Fair stages to displays, demonstrations, and exhibits from its community partners.  Musical guests who will be featured on March 29th include Seguenon Kone & Friends and Charles Joseph’s Backbeat Brass Band.  Community partners will include: Phoenix Recycling, the New Orleans Food Co-op, Defend New Orleans, the Gulf Restoration Network, and AmeriCorps.  To top things off, all attendees are encouraged to bring along their own percussive knickknacks.  The event will take place from 2:00-6:00 PM at the corner of N. Rampart St. and Mandeville St. in the Marigny.  In case you still aren’t convinced that this is the place to be on March 29th, below you’ll find a slideshow filled with highlights from the 2008 Rhythmic Roots Community Music Project and Green Ability Fair.

By the time Mardi Gras weekend rolls around, there’s no escaping the fever.  Everywhere you turn, there’s a party going on.  And while the celebration runs wild in the streets of New Orleans, the music from the clubs heats up the night.  In city that plays host to such renowned musical families as the Marsalises and the Nevilles, no other family embodies the true carnival spirit more than the Andrews family.  Comprised of – I hope I get most of this right – ringleader James “12” Andrews (trumpet), the Rebirth Brass Band’s Glen Andrews (trumpet), the Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s Revert “Peanut” Andrews (trombone), Crescent City phenom Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews (trombone), and the fiery Glen David Andrews (trombone) and his comrade from the Lazy Six, Terrence Andrews (bass durm), The Andrews Family Band kicked off the weekend’s funkiest party, the Backbeat Foundation’s 3rd Annual Marid Gras Funkstravaganza, at the Blue Nile on Friday, February 20th.  And to top things off indie sensation Theresa Andersson and infectious upstarts MyNameIsJohnMichael kept the party going well into the early hours of the morning.