Dear Listener,
Best Jazz Fest ever. Maybe we say that every year, but this year you know we mean it (one more time)! You can measure the money, the record numbers of people, the outstanding weather, or the great music, but for me, it was the vibe.
This was absolutely the best Fest I can remember spreading out over the Fairgrounds, ever. And after all, if you’re not having a good time, what good are the rest of the things we measure? Fierce congratulations to Fest producer/director Quint Davis and his Krewe for so gracefully coordinating my annual dose of sensory overload.
By the way, we are inviting all of our faithful listeners to contact us with their favorite Jazz Fest moment. We’ll make a video of it and post it on our website, or you can send in your own vids for consideration. Just contact us at magic@wwoz.org.
Yours in dragon flies and crawfish pies,
David Freedman
General Manager
Jazz Fest’s Big Four-Oh: One to Remember
The 40th Annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was absolutely amazing, with some of the best performances from aggregations of New Orleans stalwarts to international megastars! We couldn’t have pulled off all of our live broadcasts, interviews, blog posts, and the Hospitality Tent without our amazing volunteers and members.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Hop on our blog to see our live coverage of Fest highlights, and check out the slide shows we’ve added to our Jazz Fest 2009 page to relive it if you were there or experience it if you weren’t. We hope to see you back here next year!
» Check out our 2009 Jazz Fest coverage and highlights
» See the complete list of our Jazz Fest volunteers
Piano Night: a Tribute to Eddie Bo
WWOZ and the House of Blues dedicated Piano Night 2009 to the great Eddie Bo, and we were pleased to bring it to you live and in-person as well as on air and online. All the performances embodied the spirit of Eddie Bo and the rest of the piano pantheon, and having them all happen in the same place on the same night made it truly special. As with the rest of our Jazz Fest missions, Piano Night was made possible by our vivacious volunteers and stellar staff. We’re also still auctioning off commemorative 2007 and 2008 Piano Night banners signed by all the artists who performed, so bid on yours now!
» Bid on a signed Piano Night banner
Support the Digital Future of WWOZ
Post-Jazz Fest, we’re looking ahead to summer developments, as well as enjoying the things we’ve done recently, like adding a new Web stream, building a new performance studio, and ramping up our live broadcasts.
We’re hard at work on digitizing our 25,000 CDs and thousands of LPs, thanks to a large helping hand from Louisiana Public Broadcasting, as well as generous member support. Digitization means you’ll know what’s on at any given time via our Web site — no more hunting down that song title or artist info. But we still need your help to complete this important project as well as several others, so please donate today!
» Pledge your support to WWOZ today
Jazz Fest Magic Moments on Video
During Jazz Fest, we asked folks to share their most memorable Jazz Fest moment with us — and we captured them on video so all the (online) world can see! We’re still recording more as well as accepting submissions from our online community, so contact us if you’d like to share your own short video with us and possibly have it featured on our home page. The video series is generously sponsored by Coventry Health Care.
» See Jazz Fest Magic Moments videos
Join Us on Facebook and Twitter
As literally thousands of you have noticed, we’ve been active on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. Facebook is the spot to interact with us and other ‘OZ listeners in lots of different ways, as well as receive important up-to-the-minute updates on special events and live broadcasts. Following us on Twitter gets you inside the inner thoughts of the ‘OZ team, as we comment on events as they happen and keep you informed and entertained.
» Become a fan of WWOZ on Facebook
WWOZ on the Road: Telluride Jazz Celebration
Catch your breath from Jazz Fest yet? We sure have: We head to Colorado June 5 - 7 for the 33rd annual Telluride Jazz Celebration! Several New Orleans artists will also be at the festival, including Donald Harrison, Christian Scott, and the ReBirth Brass Band, as well as national acts like Bill Frisell, Ozomatli, and Lizz Wright. Join us next month for our live broadcasts as we spice up Telluride, New Orleans-style.
» Read more about this and other upcoming community events
Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival
The Annual Creole Tomato Festival hits the French Market in New Orleans’ French Quarter neighborhood from June 13 - 14! Packed with tons of cooking demonstrations, tasty tomato samplings, plenty of food, and lots of live local music, this free festival is a perennial New Orleans favorite. For more information, call (504) 524-8843.
» Read more about this and other upcoming community events
Recipe for May: Buster Crab, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich
This month’s recipe comes from John Besh. Born in Mississippi and raised in Slidell, he owns Restaurant August, Besh Steak, Lüke and La Provence (Mandeville), and he’s opening a new Italian spot called Domenica in New Orleans’ Roosevelt Hotel. The ex-Marine has been on "Iron Chef" and "Top Chef," and he won the James Beard award for Best Chef in the Southeast in 2006. When he’s not running restaurants, he’s a fisherman — so you know he’s handy with a Louisiana soft-shell crab.
» Check out this month's recipe
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Playlists Online
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WWOZ Swamp Shop
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New Orleans Music Calendar
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