I would like to welcome those of you coming to the Annual Meeting in New Orleans. (That's pronounced N'Awlins). The meeting is being held during my favorite time of year here. The last weekend in April and the first weekend in May highlight the New Orleans Jazz Festival. I hope you have already made hotel reservations, since this is one of the busiest weeks in New Orleans, second only to Mardi Gras and perhaps the Sugar Bowl. The weather is usually nice. I say “usually” because I have stood in the mud at Jazz Fest after unseasonable rain.
Currently there are two venues for Jazz Fest. The first is the fairgrounds, the city's thoroughbred racetrack. It runs from Friday through Sunday on the last weekend in April and Thursday through Sunday the first weekend in May. The second venue is the evening concerts held at various locations around the city during the same period.
The events at the fairgrounds are mainly outdoors. There are two large outdoor stages at either end of the infield, which headline the big name acts. Between those stages are three smaller stages. The Fa Do Do stage is mostly Cajun and Zydeco music from Louisiana. Cajun music is the traditional music of the Cajun (French Canadians) from Arcadiana. Zydeco is the music of the black Cajuns and is more influenced by the blues and rock and roll.
Stephen R. Cochran, M.D., is a member of the New Orleans Psychoanalytic Society. He's been to nearly every Jazz Fest since the first one was held in Congo Square in front of the Municipal Auditorium.
The Congo Square stage is devoted to local African-American music, as well as world music from Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. The House of Blues stage showcases a mixture of various musical styles, but mostly blues.
In addition, there are three large tents with inside seating. Cox Economy Hall is dedicated to traditional New Orleans jazz and features both old and young traditional players. Michael White plays here [see page 5]. The Jazz Tent is dedicated to modern jazz. Musicians such as Dave Brubeck, the Marsalis family, and Abbey Lincoln perform here. The Gospel Tent, one of the liveliest spots at Jazz Fest, really rocks.
The Lagniappe Tent is located in the paddock area of the clubhouse and presents a mixture of smaller groups and individual performers. (Lagniappe is one of those great New Orleans' words. It means a little “something extra,” sort of like a “baker's dozen.”)
Smaller, nonmusical stages are located in the grandstand area and around the track infield. These are usually dedicated to aspects of Louisiana culture and can include anything from pirogue-making to cooking (pirogues are Cajun boats, built shallow to navigate the bayous). A great feature of the Jazz Fest: If you don't like what you're hearing at one location, you can get up and walk to a new spot. You may make a great discovery along the way. I discovered one of my favorite blues singer/songwriters, Chris Smithers, while walking past the Lagniappe Tent on the way to something else.
Jazz Fest has some of the best food from New Orleans, from Louisiana, and from around the world. Alligator, crawfish, soft-shelled crab, gumbo, and red beans and rice are just a few of many food booth offerings. My personal favorites are the soft-shell crab po-boys; smoked pheasant, duck, and andouille gumbo; crawfish tails; and mango ice. If you get tired of eating and listening to the music, you can stroll around the craft booths that feature craftsmen and artists from all over Louisiana and the United States.
If this will be your first time taking in Jazz Fest, there are important things you should know.
Dress appropriately — very casual, with clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting dirty or soaked in mud. Shoes should be comfortable for walking and dancing. A broad-brimmed hat is in order if you are sensitive to the sun, as is sunscreen, unless you want to go home looking like a boiled crawfish. Umbrellas can also be useful.
You might consider bringing something to sit on. You may want to bring a small backpack or fanny pack to hold an old blanket or beach towel (as well as cameras, sunscreen, etc.). If you want to get fancy, you can carry one of those lightweight folding chairs, or you can buy one of the Jazz Fest chairs.
Do not bring a movie camera, camcorder, or any other recording device. The Jazz Fest reserves the right to refuse admission if you are carrying any such items, and the fairgrounds has no facility for checking personal possessions. Ticket-takers will check your backpacks or fanny packs for recording devices.
Do not bring a cooler. You are not permitted to carry in any drinks except water. Inside the fairgrounds you can buy bottled water, soft drinks, and beer.
The best way to get to the fairgrounds is to catch one of the dedicated Jazz Fest buses from downtown. (Ask your concierge for the nearest pickup point.) The bus fare will include the price of admission to the Fest and will deliver you right inside the fairgrounds. You can take these same buses back downtown. You can also catch a cab, but you may have to wait awhile. Cabs do not come into the fairgrounds but line up on an adjacent street, Esplanade Avenue, right around the corner.
I do not advise bringing a car. Parking is very limited. If you park incorrectly on the side streets, you will be ticketed and possibly towed.
The Fest can be very crowded. The crowds are usually well behaved, unlike at Mardi Gras when things can get rough toward the end of the day. If you plan to catch one of the big name acts, get there early and don't plan to leave until it's over. If you are with a group, establish a meeting place in case you get separated.
The evening concerts are usually in the City Auditorium or the Convention Center. Dress is casual, but you can dress up if you wish. Many go directly from the fairgrounds to the concert sites. These evening events usually spotlight big-name attractions. I remember one great evening hearing Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis at the same concert.
During Jazz Fest there is always wonderful music to be heard in the clubs around town. These would be too many to list, but check out Snug Harbor, Tipitinas, and House of Blues among some of the more notable spots in the city. I would recommend a trip to Preservation Hall on Bourbon Street. You may have to stand in line, but if you love New Orleans jazz, this is a must.
As soon as you arrive in New Orleans, get a copy of Gambit, a local newspaper that features ongoing events in the city. It will not only have a Jazz Fest schedule, but will also list other musical happenings in and about town. It also has reviews of the musicians and a map of the fairgrounds. Many Fest-goers cut each day's schedule of events out and laminate them to have available at the Fest.
Another source of useful information is the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Web site at . This site offers pictures, a restaurant guide, and a listing of local clubs and other places of interest. If you have questions, you can click “concierge,” and the site organizers will update you via e-mail.
I hope you enjoy your visit to New Orleans and the meeting. If you can make time, do try to catch some of the Fest. It is one of the best things about New Orleans.