The History of the New Orleans Jazz Festival

The New Orleans Jazz - Heritage Festival is also commonly referred to as Jazz Fest. It can include the festival itself but also commonly refers to the days and weeks surrounding the actual festival, during which numerous musical performances and cultural events are held in the New Orleans area. These events and performances are not formally associated with the festival but strongly influenced by the festival's historical and cultural roots.

The Jazz Festival celebrates the authentic culture and music of the region. It holds strong to the historic roots of the culture of New Orleans and Louisiana but also encompasses a variety of musical traditions, all of which share common musical ancestors in the traditional New Orleans Jazz and Blues families. Performances can include music of many forms, including blues, gospel, R-B, zydeco, folk, Cajun, bluegrass, country, rap, Latin, and rock. Jazz performances are, of course, prevalent, in both traditional and contemporary versions.

The Festival was first held in 1970, founded by the New Orleans Hotel and Motel Association. The association formed the New Orleans Jazz - Heritage Foundation which actually owns and oversees the annual festival. The foundation employs the services of Festival Productions, Inc. to actually produce Jazz Fest itself. This company put together a group of artistic advisors to ensure the Fest is all that it should be.

The advisory group has long consisted of rich musical talent, as well as educators and historians in the field of New Orleans jazz. Not only have these educators and historians influenced the development of the annual festivities, they have also recorded the events of the festival for future generations. The archives of previous years' performances and interviews with musicians can be found among the Hogan Jazz Archives at Tulane University.

Jazz has long been held as a truly American invention, finding its birth in the cradle of the New Orleans Delta, where history and culture converged in such a unique manner as to produce an entirely new and completely American form of music. The festival celebrates the birth of jazz as well as the influence it has held over the development of other forms of American music.

Performances by musicians and bands of many varieties can be found at the annual festival. New Orleans has a long history of African and French cultural influence. The city was originally founded by the French in the colonial period and remained a French possession until the departure of France from the New World following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

African American heritage in the region is strong and a powerful cultural influence in the development of the area's music. Early African slave culture contributed to the musical heritage of the region and Blacks in the area enjoyed freedoms seldom seen in other parts of the United States until recent decades. In fact, New Orleans was a haven for many early Black Americans. The Creole people of mixed French and African descent formed a unique class among the population. They held prominent positions in society and government long before these rights and privileges were available to Blacks throughout the rest of the United States.

The position of the Creole population in New Orleans was unfortunately undermined during Reconstruction after the Civil War. The backlash against freed people in the South during years after the Civil War removed Blacks from places of political, social, and cultural influence in the region but the long traditions and heritage of the people could not be destroyed. The musical heritage of the region is a testament to the continued influence of the French, African, Creole, and contemporary Black American cultural strengths in the area.

Earlier New Orleans music festivals have long had a place in the city's history. Various jazz festivals were held in the region throughout the 1960s but the modern Jazz Fest was established in 1970. For the first two years, the Festival was held in Louis Armstrong Park which was at the time known as Beauregard Square. The park is located in Congo Square, an historic district in the City of New Orleans, adjacent to the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium.

Beginning in 1972, Jazz Fest found a new home at the New Orleans Fair Grounds and Racetrack. Contemporary Jazz Fests take place during the day. Most festivities take place between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. during two weeks each year. The festival begins the last weekend in April each year and runs through the first weekend in May.

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina forced some temporary changes to the festival schedule and offerings. The jazz tradition and the cultural importance of the festival have allowed for recovery quite quickly however. As a result, the present Jazz Fest calendar and activities are equivalent to those of past festivals.BookIt.com is an online travel company determined and dedicated to becoming the leader in providing travelers with the most intuitive online booking experience full of relevant information, helpful guides and travel tips. Rest assured that BookIt.com is working to provide you with the best online travel experience by offering deeply discounted travel arrangements, the best web interface and fantastic customer service! Find great deals on new orleans hotels at BookIt.com!