JazzFest – Day Three

The first weekend of JazzFest is now over, and honestly, I’m kind of sad about it. I can’t even tell you how much fun I’ve had here in New Orleans. I head home tomorrow afternoon, but I’ll bring with me some very solid memories and a jones for quite a few new artists.

Better Than Ezra.

So, let’s get into the specs of day three. I walked in a bit late, but in time to catch some of Better Than Ezra’s set. They’re a decent pop rock band, for certain, but they struck me as sounding a little too much like all of those other 90′s bands I used to avoid. Still, credit to them for milking the crowd for cheers by mentioning Dave Matthews, who was set to play later on. Standing in the back, I noticed an old dude trying to pop the ash out of his bowl. Nice scene. Anyway, good cover of “Miss You” by the Stones. The lead singer did a bit of a Mick Jagger impression and got the crowd going. I left after “Desperately Wanting,” their biggest hit. Not bad, but not quite my thing.

From there, I headed over to the Blues Tent to see the New Orleans All-Star R&B Revue. The set was hosted by Deacon John and featured Wanda Rouzan, Robert Parker, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson and Allen Toussaint. It was hot as hell in the blues tent, but they sprayed mist down on us to keep us cool. Of course, Parker’s guitar solo turned the mist to steam long before it fell to our faces.

Next up, Johnson took the stage in an old suit and some old-time black-

It's Carnival Time!

singer pipes. It’s as if every 50′s and 60′s singer took a class with him before making the big time. I could watch him perform for hours.

Finally, Allen Toussaint took the stage for three songs at the end. Man is he good. And he sounds so current. The second Toussaint song was a march with a gritty vocal. He closed it out with simple, but powerful piano solo. From there, he started into something slow, before calling an audible and switching to “Yes We Can.” No doubt a crowd favorite, he got us all going on that one. And as if that song needed anything additional, I swear he through in little left handed “ABC” Jackson 5 tease at the end of it. So good.

From there, we walked next door to the Jazz Tent to catch the end of trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s set. I only caught half of his last song, but it was enough for an impression. First, the Jazz Tent was just an entirely different scene from the Blues Tent. It was super quiet and attentive, whereas the Blues Tent is dancy and excited. As far as Blanchard goes, very impressive, playing with a simple 4-piece backing band. Gorgeous tone that reminded me of old 70′s cop movies. Very emotional sound, too, and it seemed as if he really put something of himself into every note. This guy matters.

After that came the daily marathon. I needed to see the Dave Matthews Band; Earth, Wind & Fire; and Etta James & the Roots Band at the same time. So, my plan of attack was the catch the beginning of Dave, then move on to the beginning of EWF a half hour later, then catch a bit of Etta James, before coming back for the final few songs of DMB. Ambittious, but doable.

Dave Matthews Band at the Acura Stage.

First up, Dave. They always sound so tight to me. There’s just a crispness to them that’s really admirable. Jeff Coffin joined them on sax, filling in for their former member LeRoi Moore, who tragically died earlier this year. Coffin typically plays with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. DMB played one song that I heard from their upcoming new album. It was good, more of a straight rock feel with Dave on electric guitar, less rootsy than his typical acoustic stuff. Next, he leads into “Ants Marching” with “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Quality.

After that, we had to bail to get to Earth, Wind & Fire. First suprise was how crowded it was. I figured with the tens of thousands out to see DMB, the other stages would have been empty. Not so. The Elements played their hits and sounded good. To be honest, I kind of find them boring at times. They are talented, but other than a few solos here and there, it just sounded very rote. Not entirely my thing.

Next, Etta James. Now, this was one of the more pleasant surprises of the weekend. Sure, she’s old and has to read all of her lyrics off a music stand, but she’s just so cool. She even manages to maintain a certain sultriness to her delivery. Her band was excellent, featuring a funk groove, an aligator skin guitar and an organist that looks like a fat Huey Lewis. I didn’t know

The incomparable Etta James's tactile performance.

most of her songs, but before I left I caught two classics. First, “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” which she got into enough to pelvic thrust from her chair and even fondle her own chest. Seriously. And just to top that, she then broke out Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart,” complete with audience sing-along. Content that she could’t top that, we walked back to DMB.

It was a hell of a day. Dave finished us up in style and we went home sated. Hope to get back soon.