12 Stages, 2 Weekends, 1 Great Festival

This year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival festival is set for April 29-May 1 and May 5-8. Taking place at the New Orleans Fairgrounds’ race track, Robert Plant’s Band Of Joy tour, Jeff Beck, Wyclef Jean, The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk and Keb’ Mo’ are just some of the artists scheduled for opening day, April 29.

Saturday, April 30 performances include Bon Jovi, Jason Mraz, Fantasia, Irma Thomas, Robert Cray, Amos Lee, Ahmad Jamal, Rance Allen and Ricky Skaggs while John Mellencamp, Tom Jones, John Legend performing with The Roots, Dr. John, Alejandro Sanz, Arlo Guthrie, Kenny G, The Decemberists and Vickie Winans are on the Sunday, May 1 schedule.

Weekend No. 2 launches Thursday, May 5 with Wilco, Cyndi Lauper, Lucinda Williams, Galactic, Maceo Parker with special guest Pee Wee Ellis, Ivan Lins, Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste, Michelle Shocked and Charlie Musselwhite plus many, many more.

Arcade Fire tops the Friday, May 6 lineup along with Willie Nelson, Lupe Fiasco, Better Than Ezra, Jamey Johnson, Gregg Allman Blues Band, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, Buckwheat Zydeco and Big Sam’s Funky Nation.

On Saturday, May 7 Jazz & Heritage welcomes Jimmy Buffett, The Strokes, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Allen Toussaint, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Mystikal and Bobby Blue Bland.

Kid Rock‘s on the lineup for the festival’s last day – Sunday, May 8 – along with The Neville Brothers, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Sonny Rollins, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Maze feat. Frankie Beverly, The Radiators and Cowboy Mouth.

Of course, the acts mentioned above are just a very small inkling of what Jazz & Heritage is all about. Other artists appearing include Tom Jones, Sonny Landreth, Ellis Marsalis, Henry Butler, BeauSoleil Avec Michael Doucet, Jesse Winchester and Nicholas Payton, but we’re still only brushing the surface and you really need to examine the schedule to appreciate the depth and scope of this year’s event.

The 2011 Jazz & Heritage Festival is also hosting the largest celebration of Haitian culture in the U.S. since last year’s earthquake. Along with Wyclef Jean, other Haitian musicians appearing include Tabou Combo, RAM, Boukman Eksperyans, Emeline Michel, Djakout #1, DJA-Rara and TiCoca & Wanga Neges.

Make your pass requests either for weekend #1 or #2 (or both).

Member Review: Jeff Beck/Eric Clapton

BPD member Manhunter wrote:

It was definitely worth the wait, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

Legendary guitarists Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton shared the stage occasionally over their four decades in rock, but it was only recently that they decided to join forces for a Together And Apart tour. Heroes during British blues-rock’s heroic age — in 1965, Beck replaced Clapton in the Yardbirds — the pair has a history of sidelong glances, but not really one of true collaboration. They’ve joined each other on stages now and then, but haven’t worked together for any length...... until now.

Beck, releasing a new album Emotion & Commotion in April, included accompaniment by a 12-piece orchestra. As for oomph, it was hard not to view Jeff Beck’s slot as teeming with that intangible. Beck isn’t exactly in the same mainstream realm as Clapton is, but his body of work and frenetic style holds up with anyone. This was showcased often during his performance which included the fine signatures he doled out in Led Boots and the beefy Big Block, and the questionable operatic Nessun Dorma.

Perhaps the set highlight was Beck and orchestra covering The Beatles’ A Day In The Life, with the rising walls of sound in the song majestically coming to life.

Clapton has an extensive back catalog, blues standards and his low-wattage, high-precision style. And for this night, they have each other.

While perfectly complementing each other throughout, the pair could not have had more varied individual sets if they tried. Clapton, 64, opened his slot – basically Act Two of this three-act performance – seated for acoustic versions of Driftin’ and Layla, the latter getting a loud ovation despite being the lounge-y Unplugged rendition. Early on Clapton’s nickname Slowhand could have been changed to Slowerhand as Running On Faith and I’ve Got A Rock ‘N Roll Heart did little to energize the audience. Yet when he stood up and strapped on his electric guitar, the muddy, bluesy nugget Key To The Highway, Cocaine and Bob Marley’s jewel I Shot The Sheriff easily upped the oomph factor.

After each guitarist completed their own roughly 50-minute set, Beck returned onstage with Clapton and his unspectacular but solid blues-by-the-numbers supporting cast for Shake Your Moneymaker, a boogie-fuelled romp which set the stage for what was to come.

Thankfully void of the “super group” mentality where players either timidly sit back or figuratively fight for extended, bloated solos, the dazzling Beck and the more deliberate Clapton alternated playing lead and rhythm on the seedy You Need Love. Here Beck playfully pretended to look at his wrist wondering when the duo would rein the song back in to close.

Although some of the selections definitely could have been fleshed out further, including the finale Crossroads, seeing the duo play off each other during Little Brown Bird atoned for Sly & The Family Stone’s I Wanna Take You Higher which was a tad short.

Both of these guys are in to their sixties, but high-end guitar riffing is timeless. I didn't get to spend any time with the two of them together, which shot to shit all the questions I had prepared. I did get a couple of minutes with each and was so star struck that all I could do was ask how the tour was going and what their respective recording plans were.

Duh!

Anyway, what a privilege, what a treat. Thanks BPD.

Glad you enjoyed it, Manhunter.

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