Friday marks the first taste of the signature platter of music and culture that comes with this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
The festival will take place at the Fair Grounds Race Course this weekend and next, with musical acts beginning shortly after 11 a.m. and ending around 7 p.m. each day.
This year’s lineup includes famous New Orleans performers like Trombone Shorty, who recently won his fourth Best Male Performer award at the Big Easy Music Awards, and Dr. John, who recently collaborated with Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach to produce his newest album, “Locked Down,” released April 3.
But for 2012, as in recent years, Jazz Fest will again draw in prominent acts from the national spotlight.
Bon Iver recently took home Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album. Cee Lo Green, along with his hip-hop productions and soulful experimental works with Gnarls Barkley, has recently charmed television viewers as a judge on “The Voice,” while big-show performers My Morning Jacket and Foo Fighters have developed a reputation for giving their all at live shows on top of their recently praised albums.
The festival gobbled up several college buzzworthy acts as well, performers like Florence + The Machine, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Iron & Wine and the quickly rising Lafayette-based GIVERS.
Jazz Fest didn’t forget to include historically lauded acts, either. With The Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and the Beach Boys, attendees will hear tunes from nearly every era of American music.
But the excitement isn’t confined to the Fair Grounds Race Course. Performers will venture to other New Orleans venues throughout the week.
Ivan Neville, Galactic, Dr. John and Ziggy Marley are just some performers who will play in venues like the Howlin’ Wolf and Tipitina’s during the first and second weekends of Jazz Fest.
Numerous cultural exhibits and food and drink stands can also consume what little time attendees have between sets. Local fare like crawfish bread, shucked oysters, poboys, boiled crawfish, boudin and jambalaya are a handful of food options available to allow patrons a taste of Louisiana culture while hearing it. In addition, desserts like snowballs, gelato, pralines and pies will satisfy any sweet tooth.
Jazz Fest has grown to be a statewide spectacle and one of Louisiana’s flagship music events, but the festival began in a simpler fashion than it maintains today.
The first festival, held in 1970 in Congo Square, saw performers like the celebrated gospel singer and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson; legendary pianist, composer and jazz icon Duke Ellington and renowned New Orleans clarinetist Pete Fountain, who will perform this year.
While the first festival gathered only about 350 attendees, according to the festival’s website, Jazz Fest attendance has since swelled to about 400,000, incorporating more cultural icons on a wider scope. Performers include everything from locally to nationally popular performers of jazz, blues, rock, R&B and rap – anything that represents the musical and cultural flair of Louisiana.
 
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Contact Austen Krantz at [email protected]