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May052006
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Second Weekend of Jazz Fest |
Dad and I went out to Jazz Fest today. Although there weren’t any blockbuster acts playing this Friday, it was certainly better than work. The weather was quite nice again today, although it could have been cooler. It was intermittently sunny early in the afternoon and the crowd enjoyed cloud cover later on. I’m not quite sure when we got to the fairgrounds. I do remember that we got our usual parking spot to and we made it to congo square with time to spare before Otra started their set at 12:40. They’re a local afro-cuban jazz band that Dad and I have seen several times before. I think they only had a couple of the original members today. When Otra finished, Dad went to see Marcia Ball. I went to economy hall where Tony Green & Gypsy Jazz was playing. There was a good-sized crowd watching them. As they were finishing, I went to get some lunch. I got some pecan catfish and a crab cake, which was quite good. I also got a little sausage bread it was decent but not as good as the crawfish. By the time I finished eating, Dad met be back at the tent. Up next was the New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra. They’re a revival orchestra of about 18 members. I’m acquainted with one of the clarinet players, Larry Jones, who I used to work with at the Tulane bookstore. They put on a very entertaining and lively show. It’s nice that there’s a group of musicians dedicated to preserving this form of jazz. After their set, Dad and I wandered over to the Fais Do-Do stage to see Eric Lindell. I don’t remember anything about him or the performance, although I’m sure it was decent. It’s not like there’s any inherently bad music at Jazz Fest. Later on, Dad and I walked to the Acura Stage where Keith Urban was getting started. Apparently the guy is some popular country singer. I didn’t stay because I just don’t like country music. I walked back to economy hall because there’s almost always someone good there. Bob French & the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band were playing. They’re a reasonably traditional jazz band. When I arrived, they were accompanied by a talented vocalist, whose name I can’t remember and have been unable to find. She finished with a moving rendition of “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans.” They then brought on another guest vocalist, Germaine Bazzle. She’s a talented singer as well, although her most impressive performance was an entirely convincing vocal impression of a muted trumpet. Dad must have eventually met me back at the tent again before we left shortly after seven. We stopped at Liuzza’s for a drink before walking to the car. We went to Zephyr Field after Jazz Fest to catch the tail end of the Tulane baseball game versus Marshall. We walked in at about the fifth inning. Tulane was up two to nothing. I went to the bathroom as soon as we arrived. I heard some loud cheering when I was in there. I missed a triple play by Tulane. I know there were a lot of tense moments while we were on defense but I don’t really remember details. I do know our defense was superb tonight though. We scored one more run in the eighth. The final was 3-0.