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New Orleans celebrates with music

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - DAY 3
Fair Grounds Race Course
New Orleans, LA
April 26 - May 5, 2013
Jazzfest - DAY 1 Jazzfest - DAY 2 Jazzfest - DAY 4
Jazzfest - DAY 5 Jazzfest - DAY 6 Jazzfest - DAY 7

Dave Matthews

B.B. King

Review and photos by Mary Andrews

Brother Tyrone and The Mindbenders started Day 3 at Jazzfest in the Blues tent. Their songs blend old school funk, blues and soul. His grooving seemed effortless while his laid-back style generated audience enthusiasm with ease.

Kris Royal and Dark Matter graced the Gentilly Stage during the first rain shower! Kris started playing saxophone at the age of 7 and is a truly gifted sax player. The group mixes a tasty blend of "alternative funk" topped with jazz overtones. They had the crowd shaking their booties regardless of the rain!

Better Than Ezra is a very popular rock band that hails from New Orleans. They granted several wishes early, coming out of the gates with their smash single "Good" and following that with the infinitely catchy "Misunderstood." Group leader Kevin Griffin is pictured here.

C. J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band was my Cajun music fix. Their high-energy performance was contagious as well as intense. They rocked out to songs from their album, Can't Sit Down while their fans danced wildly in the mud!

Calexico is a band from my hometown, Tucson, AZ. I was thrilled to see them playing at the Gentilly stage. Their last album, Algiers was recorded here in New Orleans where they got to know a lot of local and talented musicians. The horn section are native New Orleans' musicians that played admirably today. Pictured is Joey Burns of Calexico.

Juan Luis Guerra y 440 is known worldwide for reaching mass audiences with his fusion-laced renditions of merengue and bachata. The crowd was psyched and ready. In fact, Mr. Guerra only had to sing half of his songs because the audience sang the rest! It was intoxicating!

Dave Mathews is a legend at Jazz Fest. He holds the record of having the single largest crowd in Jazz Fest history in 2001 with over 100,000 in attendance. The crowd was huge in spite of the rain and the mud, but not the size of the 2001 record. Dave was again at the top of his game. Within 1 1/2 minutes of the set, the rains came down with a vengeance! The rain and the mud did not deter the performance. The crowd stayed and the band played until the thunder and the lightning ensued.

Finally, B.B. King took the stage at the Blues Tent. The band played two numbers before Mr. King appeared. This seems to be the norm for his show these days. The 87-year old bluesman is slightly frail compared to a performance I saw 3 years ago. Allen Toussaint came out and sang to BB at the beginning of the set and they shared greetings. He shared stories between songs and played with the same strength and conviction as he always has. "The Thrill Is Gone" and "You Are My Sunshine" were the crowd favorites!