For those interested in New Orleans, this year's Jazz Fest schedule was just released. Check out the website for the exhaustive list of acts. Some of the more appealing acts to members are this group are listed deeper in the schedule.
http://www.nojazzfest.com/
Lineup Set For 35th Jazz Fest
Billboard, 2/14/04
Hundreds of artists have been confirmed for the 35th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which will run April 23-25 and April 29-May 2. Among the acts slated to appear at the festival include Lenny Kravitz, Harry Connick Jr., Smokey Robinson, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Emmylou Harris and Branford Marsalis and two major artists to be announced.
Artists set to play the festival's first weekend are Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Galactic, Henry Butler, Macy Gray, Marsalis, the Rebirth Brass Band, Dr. John, Charles, Etta James and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
Big names set for the festival's second weekend include the Steve Miller Band, Susan Tedeschi, Me'Shell N'degeocello, Nicholas Payton, Shaggy, Dave Brubeck, the Blind Boys Of Alabama, the Funky Meters, the Neville Brothers and Robert Cray. On May 2, Hugh Masekala will lead an all-star tribute to South Africa with assistance from Jabu Khanyile, Busi Mhlango and Vusi Mahlasela.
Raitt, Irma Thomas and Clarence "Frogman" Henry are among the artists that will perform at a gala fundraiser on April 22, with proceeds to benefit the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. Tickets are $500 a piece. In addition, the festival's annual Evening Concert Series will feature performances from Kravitz, King, James, Brubeck, Jaheim and Floetry.
"All of the fun and magic of the previous 34 Festivals will be packed into this one," festival producer/director Quint Davis says in a statement. "Great Festival friends are returning and new friends are joining the party for the first time. In an anniversary year, what could be more fitting than a celebration of the heritage of the Festival itself?"
Tickets for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival go on sale Wednesday, Feb 18 via Ticketmaster. For more information, including schedules and individual event details, visit the festival's official Web site.