New Orleans, LA (December 14, 2011)-The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell today announced the music lineup for the 2012 Festival scheduled for April 27 - 29 and May 3 - 6.  Started in 1970, the Jazz & Heritage Festival continues to showcase the most storied names in music history alongside many of Louisiana’s equally respected musical artists. A true heritage festival, Jazz Fest stands alone in presenting the highest caliber artists in such varied genres as gospel, blues, traditional and contemporary jazz, rock, pop, R&B, Cajun, zydeco and much more. Over 400,000 fans attended last year’s Festival, which annually celebrates the unique culture and heritage of New Orleans and Louisiana.

Trombone Shorty, Eagles, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, Zac Brown Band, TBA, John Mayer, The Neville Brothers, Al Green, Herbie Hancock, Ne-Yo, My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver, Paulina Rubio, Jill Scott, Florence + the Machine, Allen Toussaint, Feist, Bunny Wailer, Bonnie Raitt, Irma Thomas, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Dr. John, Janelle Monae, Yolanda Adams, Iron & Wine, Pete Fountain, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Steel Pulse, Rebirth Brass Band, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Esperanza Spalding,  funky Meters, Levon Helm Band with special guest Mavis Staples, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Aaron Neville, Steve Earle, Galactic, Preservation Hall Jazz Band 50th Anniversary Jam, Little Anthony and The Imperials, Ani DiFranco, Givers, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, Dianne Reeves, Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Better Than Ezra, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Bruce Hornsby, Dave Koz, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Gomez, Pedrito Martinez, The Bounce Shake Down feat. Big Freedia, Katey Red, Keedy Black, and DJ Poppa, Israel & New Breed, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Zebra, Amanda Shaw, James Cotton “Superharp” Band, Cowboy Mouth, Asleep at the Wheel, Papa Grows Funk, David Sanborn & Joey DeFrancesco, Bobby Rush, Chuck Leavell & Friends, Ellis Marsalis, Marcia Ball, Voice of the Wetlands All Stars, John Boutté, Gary Clark Jr., Texas Tornados, Poncho Sanchez Latin Band with Terence Blanchard, Cheikh Lô (Senegal), Tab Benoit, Regina Carter's “Reverse Thread”, Bombino (Niger), Glen Hansard, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Jeremy Davenport, Sara Jarosz, Bonerama, Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic, Ruby Wilson’s Tribute to Bessie Smith & Ma Rainey, Wycliffe Gordon, Donald Harrison, Lindigo & Fixi (Reunion Island & France), Sonny Landreth, Buckwheat Zydeco, Soul Rebels, The Stars of Heaven, Jewel Brown with the Heritage Hall Band, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters, Anders Osborne, Honey Island Swamp Band, Theresa Andersson, John Mooney & Bluesiana, Eric Lindell, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Pine Leaf Boys, James Andrews & the Crescent City Allstars, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Big Chief Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles, Shamarr Allen & the Underdawgs, Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience, Dr. Michael White & the Original Liberty Jazz Band feat. Thais Clark, Banu Gibson, Hot 8 Brass Band, Creole Wild West, George French and more are all among the artists scheduled to appear at Jazz Fest.

Quint Davis, producer/director of the Festival, said, "Serving all communities, all ages, and families too, only at Jazz Fest 2012 will you find a roster like this! At its heart, the New Orleans Festival celebrates with our own, from our dynamic nationally emerging homegrown talent, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Givers, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, and Galactic; to our sacred icons, Allen Toussaint, The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Dr. John, Pete Fountain, and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. In addition, this year may be the broadest and most powerful line up of "special guests", including: Eagles, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Herbie Hancock, Foo Fighters, The Zac Brown Band, John Mayer, Ne-Yo, Paulina Rubio, Al Green, My Morning Jacket, Jill Scott, Bon Iver, and on and on and on. This holiday season, Jazz Fest truly has a gift for everyone."

The Jazz Festival offers three distinct VIP opportunities to experience the event in style: the Festival’s popular Big Chief VIP Experience ticket package provides special viewing access at most of the Festival’s stages; the Grand Marshal VIP Pass allows for up-close access at the three major stages; and the Krewe of Jazz Fest VIP Pass which entitles patrons to special covered seating at the Acura Stage audience area. All of the hugely popular VIP packages are on sale now while very limited supplies last. The Festival offers a special layaway arrangement for any of the VIP packages. For information on layaway, please visit www.nojazzfest.com.

Jazz Fest also offers full-service travel packages for fans wishing to take the guesswork out of attending the event. Visit www.nojazzfest.com to learn more about the official travel packages that include hotel accommodations, travel to and from the Festival grounds and Festival tickets, including the option for Festival VIP packages.

Tickets for the Festival, which takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course, went on sale today at 10am. A very limited number of discount ticket packages including tickets to each day of a particular weekend of the Festival will be offered. Ticket packages purchased for all three days of the first weekend (April 27, 28 & 29) will be $120 ($40 per day), while second weekend packages purchased for all four festival days (May 3, 4, 5 & 6) will be $160 ($40 per day). (Tickets included in each package are day-specific.) Advance single-day Jazz Fest tickets are only $45 through February 29. Starting March 1, advance single-day tickets will be $50, while the gate price ticket is $65. Children’s tickets (ages 2 - 10) are still only $5 and are available at the gate only. Single day tickets to Jazz Fest are on sale by specific weekend, with each ticket valid for a single day’s attendance.

Tickets are available at www.nojazzfest.com and www.ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling (800) 745-3000. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Jazz Fest ticket office located at the New Orleans Arena Box Office. All general admission Jazz Fest tickets are subject to additional service fees and handling charges.

A listing of hotels offering special Jazz Fest rates is posted at www.nojazzfest.com, where patrons can effortlessly reserve their hotel rooms for the event. Festival-goers can peruse room availability and book their accommodations early taking advantage of some of the best prices offered at participating hotels.

Shell is the Presenting Sponsor of the Festival.  Major Jazz Fest Sponsors are Acura, Peoples Health, Miller Lite, and the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots (A Churchill Downs Company).  Coca-Cola, Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, WWOZ, Zatarain’s, and St. Charles Vision are all also Official Jazz Fest Sponsors.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The Foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest, and other revenues, for year-round activities in the areas of education, economic development and cultural events. Education programs include the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music and the Tom Dent Congo Square Lecture Series. Economic Development initiatives include the Community Partnership Grants, the Sync Up entertainment industry conference and the Jazz & Heritage Talent Exchange web site. Cultural events include the Jazz Journey concert series and free community festivals: the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, the Congo Square New World Rhythms Festival, the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival and the Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival. The Foundation also owns radio station WWOZ 90.7-FM, the Jazz & Heritage Archive, the Jazz & Heritage Gallery and the Jazz & Heritage Center.

The 14th Annual Jazz & Heritage Foundation Gala will be held April 26 at the New Orleans Hilton Riverside Hotel. The Gala is an evening of music, food and fun that directly supports the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music, a free music instruction program that reaches more than 85 students each week. This year's Gala will feature two of the Heritage School's most outstanding alumni: Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and his exciting group, Orleans Avenue; and Sam Williams with his Big Sam's Funky Nation; plus very special guests James Andrews and Glen David Andrews. Tickets are $500.00 and include access passes to all seven days of Jazz Fest. The Gala always sells out, so please visit www.jazzandheritage.org or call 504-558-6100 to get tickets or inquire about sponsorship opportunities.

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 Live).