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Wein a champion of jazz and giant of our festival
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) - As festival founder, his resume includes the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, the Playboy Jazz Fest in L.A., and our beloved New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. But...
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Dixon Sr. was a second line ambassador and Giant of the Fest
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)- Social and Pleasure Clubs and the parades they create have been a part of our city for over a century. The benevolent societies cover every neighborhood and every walk of life....
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Through his lens Fest Giant Smith told our story
NEW ORLEANS(WGNO) - When we consider the iconic images of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, no one stands taller than photographer Michael P. Smith. "Michael P. Smith the eye of the Jazz...
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Giant Allan Jaffe made sure the sound would live on
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) - Many years ago in tiny Pottsville, Pensylvania the son of a wallpaper and paint shop owner was a young sousaphone player, influenced by the sounds originating down south in the...
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Fess created his own style on piano and became a Giant
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) - Our history of great piano players is about as old as the music in our city. The names Booker, Toussaint, Fats and Doc come to mind, but few loom over the sound of New Orleans...
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Toussaint a giant of the fest and American music
NEW ORLEANS -- As our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bandleader, pianist, singer, and prolific songwriter, Allen Toussaint was tops. But to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, he was so much...
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Longtime builder Tague Richardson a giant of the fest
NEW ORLEANS- Putting on the granddaddy of all of our festivals takes a team of hardworking builders, craftsmen, and specialists, but the festival doesn't build itself. The man in charge is longtime...
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Dollis was a giant among Indian chiefs
NEW ORLEANS -- By definition, Mardi Gras Indian chiefs are leaders. All are important to the folks in their communities, but few made the world their community like Theodore "Bo" Dollis, Sr. Big...
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Vaucresson’s Sausage an original taste at Jazz Fest
NEW ORLEANS- As important as the music at our Jazz and Heritage Festival is, food shares top billing at the Fairgrounds. Vaucresson's Sausage is among the last of the original vendors at the fest....
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Snooks Eaglin a giant of the Fest
NEW ORLEANS- Fird Eaglin Jr., or Snooks Eaglin as he was known was a one of a kind New Orleans guitarist with a storied career. The Flamingos, 1954 with Snooks Eaglin on guitar, Allen Toussaint on...
View ArticleGiants of the Fest: Irma Thomas occupies rare air in the music world
NEW ORLEANS -- Irma Thomas is the Grammy-winning Soul Queen of New Orleans -- and she's been rocking at Jazz Fest since 1974. Thomas, who pursued a career on the West Coast before moving home in the...
View ArticleMichael Murphy a giant at capturing historic Jazz Fest moments
NEW ORLEANS -- Historic moments happen every year at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and while capturing these moments today is part of the production of the fest, we've got one man to...
View ArticleGiants of the Fest: The King of Zydeco leaves his mark 30 years after his death
NEW ORLEANS -- When you see Buckwheat Zydeco, Sunpie Barnes and other stars like Terrance Simien grace the stages of Jazz Fest, they're all there thanks to a man known as the King of Zydeco. Barnes...
View Article‘Moose’ Jamison helped make sure ‘Jazz’ stayed in the Fest
NEW ORLEANS-- Few people lived their passion like Don "Moose" Jamison, Moose was a lover of music, but more so, a lover of people. He was a former musician, and after he stopped playing his horn,...
View ArticleHow the Neville Brothers took the music from Valence Street to the world stage
NEW ORLEANS-- Few groups have captured the New Orleans Sound and the spirit of the Jazz Fest like The Neville Brothers. They took the music from Valence St. to the world stage, all the while combining...
View ArticleGermaine Bazzle a giant in the classroom and a giant of the fest
NEW ORLEANS-- The great Germaine Bazzle continues to dazzle audiences well into her 80's. And while she started on stage as a bass player, her singing calls to mind another giant of the jazz world....
View ArticleRonnie Kole a pianist and entertainer that made NOLA his home
NEW ORLEANS-- Central to the New Orleans music story of the second half of the 20th Century are the hands of Ronnie Kole. He hails from Chicago and years ago Ronnie was getting tired of touring with...
View ArticleGeorge French a master on bass and a voice to match
NEW ORLEANS-- One musical family has been at the forefront of promoting and playing New Orleans music for decades. That family is the French family and the patriarch of this generation is the great...
View ArticleFor drummer Vidacovich, the first Jazz Fest was ‘like a big picnic’
NEW ORLEANS-- Drummer Johnny Vidocovich is a force whenever he's on stage. Be it with the modern jazz quartet Astral Project that he's played with for years, or with his own trio, this man can beat...
View ArticleJames Rivers showcased his many talents at all 50 Jazz Fests
NEW ORLEANS-- It generally takes a lifetime for most horn men to master a single instrument, but the great James Rivers is not like most men. James started playing back at Craig Elementary school with...
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