Smithsonian Folkways releases epic box set celebrating 50 years of New Orleans Jazz Fest

Smithsonian Folkways Releases 5-Disc Epic Box Set of Louisiana Music Legends Celebrates 50 Years of New Orleans Jazz Fest Key Musical Legends in the Box Set Include Trombone Shorty, Irma Thomas, Big Freedia, Professor Longhair, The Neville Brothers, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Kermit Ruffins, Terence Blanchard, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Champion Jack Dupree, Buckwheat Zydeco, and more Coverage from Rolling Stone, The FADER, Billboard, Bandcamp, Newsweek, Relix, LA Times, Jazziz, All About Jazz, and more For 50 years, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage         Festival,         known to Fest-goers as simply Jazz Fest, has brought the sights, sounds, and         tastes of the Big Easy to millions of festival goers. In celebration of         Jazz Fest’s golden anniversary, venerable record label Smithsonian         Folkways is proud to         present a comprehensive box set of live recordings from the festival’s         past. The five discs in Jazz Fest: The New Orleans         Jazz & Heritage Festival present the sounds of the festival as you’d hear them while         wandering across the 145 acres of the New Orleans Fair Grounds Race         Track in the Gentilly neighborhood. Though the festival attracts some of         the biggest rock stars on the planet, the focus of this ambitious new         box set is on the roots of Louisiana music, which comprise the vast         majority of the festival’s bookings, from Jazz to Bounce, Zydeco to         Gospel, Brass Bands to R&B. Carefully selected from countless hours         of live recordings, the box set includes unreleased material spanning         the years 1974 to 2016 and features key moments with celebrated artists         like Trombone Shorty, Irma Thomas, Big Freedia, Professor Longhair, The Neville Brothers, Allen Toussaint (solo and in a duet with Bonnie         Raitt), Dr.         John, Kermit         Ruffins, Terence         Blanchard, Preservation         Hall Jazz Band, Champion         Jack Dupree, and Buckwheat         Zydeco, among many         others. The music is accompanied by a 135-page book, filled with         exclusive photographs drawn from the archives of the New Orleans Jazz         & Heritage Foundation, The Historic New Orleans Collection and         independent photographers, as well as historical essays by journalist         Keith Spera and         author Karen Celestan, a retrospective of the music heard at         Jazz Fest by Robert H. Cataliotti, and in-depth notes by Jeff         Place and Huib         Schippers of         Smithsonian Folkways, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation         archivist Rachel Lyons, WWOZ’s Dave Ankers, and Jon Pareles of the New York Times. “We are simply         delighted with this collaboration,” says Smithsonian Folkways director         and curator Huib         Schippers.         “It immediately made sense to us as soon as we started discussing it.         There is a compelling and beautiful synergy between the first fifty         years of an iconic music festival and a 70-year old record label         committed to documenting and celebrating this country’s sound legacy         and keeping it available in perpetuity, in whatever format, for a         listenership of 230 million and growing. We are so pleased that we can         bring some of the amazing sounds and sights and impressions from New         Orleans to new and familiar audiences.”   The box set starts         with the song “Indian Red,” sung here by The Golden Eagles, a song         traditionally sung at the opening of iconic Mardi Gras Indian parades         and gatherings. And it ends, as the festival did for many years, with a         rousing version of “Amazing Grace.” Between these bookends, five albums         of music, taken from WWOZ radio recordings and live stage recordings,         bring us some of the best Louisiana artists to ever grace the stage.         Each track was selected by a committee of individuals who know the 50 year         history of the festival intimately. The set recreates the joy and         spirited energy of Jazz Fest, placing each listener on the grounds of         the festival, walking between stages, discovering new music and great         moments. Most of these recordings have never been released commercially         and sparkle with life. Jazz Fest: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is an immersive         experience, both for listeners discovering the festival for the first         time and for some of the millions who’ve been there in person. Champion Jack Dupree & Allen Toussaint Musical genres roll and flow across the         Fair Grounds at Jazz Fest, and the varied arrangements of the discs         showcase this musical diversity. Disc One strolls         through the powerful jazz offerings at the festival, with a festive jam         from New Orleans saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr and a racing traditional jazz tribute to         Louis Armstrong from Kermit Ruffins, plus boogie-woogie piano from Champion         Jack Dupree. Discs         Two and Three guide         the listener through Jazz Fest’s many ties to New Orleans blues, soul,         and R&B, from the legendary Allen Toussaint to definitive soul singer Irma         Thomas, with detours         to virtuoso guitarist Snooks Eaglin, and New Orleans soul natives Dixie         Cups. Highlights         include the great Dr. John on “Litanie des Saints,” and a remarkably         spirited cover of “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It” from Preservation         Hall Jazz Band.         Gospel deep dives come in Disc Three with a powerful performance of “Old Rugged         Cross” from Irma Thomas, and inspired sets by the Zion         Harmonizers and Johnson         Extension. Disc         Four brings the         listener to the Cajun and Zydeco Fais-Do-Do stage, with sets from Buckwheat         Zydeco, Boozoo         Chavis, The         Savoy Family Cajun Band,         and Beausoleil, before moving to the mainstage and major live sets from The         Neville Brothers and         Allen Toussaint & Bonnie Raitt. Disc Five is the most genre-smashing selection,         with mainstage sets including a surprising cover of “Take the ‘A’         Train” from blues guitarist Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, and a burning “Fire on the Bayou” from The         funky Meters. As a         city that’s always birthed new American music forms, New Orleans’         hip-hop is paid homage to here with a blazing set from Bounce         ambassador Big Freedia. To thrive for         fifty years, any festival needs to learn how to fight and survive, and         some of the story of this box set speaks to these battles for cultural         survival. The indelible impact of Hurricane Katrina, which shook the         festival itself and almost led to its cancellation, echoes through         these selections. New Orleans singer John Boutté’s impassioned reworking of the song         “Louisiana 1927” is one of the most powerful moments in the set, and,         to this day, in the festival’s history. Sonny         Landreth’s “Blue         Tarp Blues” speaks to the devastation of Katrina as well. Beyond         Katrina, it’s been a fight to keep the festival going so long with so         many cultural changes and the economic pressures on festivals today.         The foundational vision of Jazz Fest that has helped it endure so long         is a boundless love for the music and people of New Orleans and         Louisiana. It seems like a simple idea for a festival’s core mission,         but Jazz Fest’s embrace of little known but locally celebrated musical         geniuses like Professor Longhair or Dr. John is still radically out of step with the         profit-driven world of big music festivals. Though later years have         seen huge headliners on the main stage, there’s a humility to everyone         who performs at Jazz Fest, no matter how famous, a recognition that New         Orleans is the birthplace of American music. Jazz Fest: The New         Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was created by The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage         Foundation,         utilizing its Archive and with the assistance of the Jazz &         Heritage radio station WWOZ; the production was made possible through         the generous support of The Helis Foundation, a Louisiana family foundation dedicated         to increasing access to the arts. The Helis Foundation has pledged to         donate copies of the box set to every branch of New Orleans Public         Library, ensuring all citizens of New Orleans can access this         unparalleled collection.   The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell is a co-production of Festival         Productions Louisiana, LLC. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Festival         Productions, Inc.-New Orleans) and AEG Louisiana Production, LLC. (a         subsidiary of AEG Presents). *****