Question for JF veterans

[kapeman]

When I go to a concert it is usually a musician I am very familiar with, and I
will often know every song in his set. When I hear you guys mention going to multiple shows in one night- I wonder- do you know that much music or
does it not particularly matter to you if you are that familiar with a given musicians repertoire? Just wondering.............

[Belle]

When I go to a concert it is usually a musician I am very familiar with, and I
will often know every song in his set. When I hear you guys mention going to multiple shows in one night- I wonder- do you know that much music or
does it not particularly matter to you if you are that familiar with a given musicians repertoire? Just wondering.............

WE LOVE THEM ALL!!! No bad music in New Orleans..its all good as they say and I want to see it all;)

New Orleans musicians are the best and even if you dont know them you are surely familiar with those that sit in.

[Montana]

Hey Kapeman, lots of the JF vets know the JF bands that are there year after year, and these artists are well known to JF but not to mainstream. But beyond that, festers are also the type of individuals who enjoy the new, the different, the change, the discovery. Go once, discover and learn. Go again, build on the still new, discover more. Thrice, a foundation is laid. Beyond that, it circles back around to discovery, but after years you feel pretty comfortable. That's my experience with it anyway.

[groovy1967]

Some of us know a lot, and some don't. Sometimes we make lots of plans, and sometimes we play it on the fly. Sometimes we're hearing classic New Orleans tunes, and sometimes we're hearing something exciting and new. Sometimes we're going to see old favorites, and sometimes we're taking a tip from someone else or just wandering in to see who's playing.

There are so many great acts in New Orleans, and when you couple that with the number of talented musicians in town for Jazz Fest, you really can't go wrong. Even a blind squirrel could find a nut at Jazz Fest.

I don't know if I can recall seeing a truly "bad" show during Jazz Fest. Every once in a while, I'll find myself at something that's a little mediocre or not really working for my mindset, but my success rate at these shows is pretty high...and generally, so am I.

[swag]

For me, a lot of the bands in the funk, jam, brass, and even blues genres - I've maybe seen the band before, and know their style but maybe not their songbook.

[Montana]

Some of us know a lot, and some don't. Sometimes we make lots of plans, and sometimes we play it on the fly. Sometimes we're hearing classic New Orleans tunes, and sometimes we're hearing something exciting and new. Sometimes we're going to see old favorites, and sometimes we're taking a tip from someone else or just wandering in to see who's playing.

There are so many great acts in New Orleans, and when you couple that with the number of talented musicians in town for Jazz Fest, you really can't go wrong. Even a blind squirrel could find a nut at Jazz Fest.

I don't know if I can recall seeing a truly "bad" show during Jazz Fest. Every once in a while, I'll find myself at something that's a little mediocre or not really working for my mindset, but my success rate at these shows is pretty high...and generally, so am I.
GOOD ANSWER! I wish I would of thought of saying what you said. I agree.

[ohio]

Montana! what's up man?

[Montana]

hey bra! jes wandered in. been a while since I been here needed to circle back around.

[Belle]

Just wanted to add that what draws me to New Orleans is the particular flavor of the Brass bands, the funk, Indians and stew pot of other cultural music.

Living outside DC, Baltimore and Philly not too far away..I can hear most music except New Orleans music, that requires effort and chance to hear what New Orleans has to offer.

This is my year of brass band overload. I will never get that in Winchester VA

[jeanvi]

When I go to a concert it is usually a musician I am very familiar with, and I
will often know every song in his set. When I hear you guys mention going to multiple shows in one night- I wonder- do you know that much music or
does it not particularly matter to you if you are that familiar with a given musicians repertoire? Just wondering.............

One of my favorite things about Fest is that every year I get turned on to bands I'd have never known...then take their CDs home...turn on every one here...& look forward to catching them next year.

[ohio]

hey bra! jes wandered in. been a while since I been here needed to circle back around.
good to see ya around these parts!

[bird33]

GOOD ANSWER! I wish I would of thought of saying what you said. I agree.

you really caputured the spirit of N'awlins and Jazzfest there, the best part about it is I am pertty sure you were just trying to give him a straight, no nonsense answer, the heart and sul just naturally poured out

[Jordan]

When I go to a concert it is usually a musician I am very familiar with, and I
will often know every song in his set. When I hear you guys mention going to multiple shows in one night- I wonder- do you know that much music or
does it not particularly matter to you if you are that familiar with a given musicians repertoire? Just wondering.............

I try to fill my Jazzfest night schedule with a combination of:

Bands I know every song of -- Eric Lindell, Grayson Capps, Tin Men, etc;
Bands I know most of their stuff, and love the genre -- Dumpstaphunk, Bonerama, Geno Delafose;
Bands, little and big that I can only see in New Orleans -- Rebirth, R Scully, Juice, Joe Krown;
Bands that I am checking out somethig new -- MynameisJohnMichael, Brother Jocepthus & Love Revival Orchestra, anything at Chazfest

All in all - seeing something new (from an old favorite or a new discovery) is what keeps me going to the next show.

[glinda]

What's nice about jazzfest is you can easily get a little sampling of a lot of music - so it's easy and cheap to discover new music and also hear some old favorites.

[Amy Winette]

I would say Cowboy Mouth is the only band I know all the songs/words, everything else I'm just going with the flow :)

[specialed]

During the 80's, I met some people who kept saying to me, you love music so much, you gotta go to Jazz Fest. I thought Jazz was Spyro Gyra type stuff, thus I wasn't going to any Fest where I could get trapped into that stuff! Finally, these people said, Jimmy Buffett is playing opening day at Jazz Fest(1992)! That did it! I went, camped in front of the stage all day-because of that I saw zydeco(Boozoo), Texas songwriter/singers(Lou Ann BArton and Angela Strehli with Marcia Ball sittin' in), the Iguanas, Cajun (Evangeline)-none of that type music I had ever been exposed to! I was never the same since! I ain't missed a Jazz Fest, and haven't camped but one day since! What an education since then! btw, I even mellowed on Sypro Gyra and actually produced a concert by them in my hometown!
The other thing about seeing these bands at this time, they are playing a level higher than they do when I see them elsewhere. The other bands, the atomsphere, and the music crowd make the bands reach new levels.

[Fred (Texas JF Fanatic)]

During the 80's, I met some people who kept saying to me, you love music so much, you gotta go to Jazz Fest. I thought Jazz was Spyro Gyra type stuff, thus I wasn't going to any Fest where I could get trapped into that stuff! Finally, these people said, Jimmy Buffett is playing opening day at Jazz Fest(1992)! That did it! I went, camped in front of the stage all day-because of that I saw zydeco(Boozoo), Texas songwriter/singers(Lou Ann BArton and Angela Strehli with Marcia Ball sittin' in), the Iguanas, Cajun (Evangeline)-none of that type music I had ever been exposed to! I was never the same since! I ain't missed a Jazz Fest, and haven't camped but one day since! What an education since then! btw, I even mellowed on Sypro Gyra and actually produced a concert by them in my hometown!
The other thing about seeing these bands at this time, they are playing a level higher than they do when I see them elsewhere. The other bands, the atomsphere, and the music crowd make the bands reach new levels.

Thanks for sharing that story. The same thing has happened to most of us. I drove down from Baton Rouge as a day trip to see John Lee Hooker & Jerry Lee Lewis in 1983. I've been back every year since. The music, people,vibe, and city just gets into your blood.

[Ron]

For me, a lot of the bands in the funk, jam, brass, and even blues genres - I've maybe seen the band before, and know their style but maybe not their songbook.

My thoughts exactly. I may not know all the songs but I know I love the style and music.

[Ron]

Living outside DC, Baltimore and Philly not too far away..I can hear most music except New Orleans music, that requires effort and chance to hear what New Orleans has to offer.

This is my year of brass band overload. I will never get that in Winchester VA

So far, 2009 is shaping up as a good New Orleans and Louisiana music year in Northern VA. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a hike from Winchester. So far there have been appearances by Sonny Landreth, Beausoleil, Teresa Andersson and Anders Osborne/Eric Lindell.

Upcoming shows through June include Cyril Neville, John Scofield (both before JF), Eric Lindell, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Papa Grows Funk, Sonny Landreth, Radiators, Paul Sanchez and the Louisiana Swamp Romp at Wolftrap. All without even having to leave Virginia!

[linza22]

When I go to a concert it is usually a musician I am very familiar with, and I
will often know every song in his set. When I hear you guys mention going to multiple shows in one night- I wonder- do you know that much music or
does it not particularly matter to you if you are that familiar with a given musicians repertoire? Just wondering.............

i know very little about the bands in New Orleans. what i have learned is to follow the folks that do know! i ask a lot of questions and that's how it works for me.

[jhjpotter]

hey bra! jes wandered in. been a while since I been here needed to circle back around.
MT's back!! Dug out of the snow yet? Most of ours melted this weekend. We gonna be seeing you at fest?

[ciscokid]

[QUOTE=specialed;248217]During the 80's, I met some people who kept saying to me, you love music so much, you gotta go to Jazz Fest. I thought Jazz was Spyro Gyra type stuff, thus I wasn't going to any Fest where I could get trapped into that stuff! Finally, these people said, Jimmy Buffett is playing opening day at Jazz Fest(1992)! That did it! I went, camped in front of the stage all day-because of that I saw zydeco(Boozoo), Texas songwriter/singers(Lou Ann BArton and Angela Strehli with Marcia Ball sittin' in), the Iguanas, Cajun (Evangeline)-none of that type music I had ever been exposed to! I was never the same since! I ain't missed a Jazz Fest,

i have a similiar story, my nephew told his father, my bro in law, about a crawfish fest in NJ. my bro in law convinced me to go but i told him we were going in 2 cars because if i didnt like the "al hirt" music being played i was leaving. at that time it was only one stage. the first group i believe was local and i had no clue. the second group up there was a guy with a washboard standing there, i need to go take a picture. get up close, geno starts and 30 seconds later i was hooked. it has changed my life for the better :)

[snookums]

Sometimes it's about going to see the band along with the people that you've met across the country and just hanging out!