In my December 2017 column, I reported on my short visit to New Orleans, concluding that “I shouldn’t wait another 23 years to return.”
I didn’t. Without boring you with all the details, I was able to book an inexpensive trip to NOLA for April, and used it to attend French Quarter Fest.
First, a little background on this festival. Choosing which sets to attend is like selecting from a Chinese restaurant menu—one from column A and two from column B. It’s actually harder than that because you must also consider how much walking you care to do or are able to do between venues. FQF on most days has no fewer than 11 stages ranged over more than half a mile in the southern part of the Quarter—the area nearest the Mississippi River.
This is an outdoor festival. The bands are on covered stages and most of the seating (or standing) areas are in the open. There are covered seats at some stages for people who spring for VIP tickets. The weather this year was dry during the day, so rain contingencies were not needed, and it was not oppressively hot or humid. In fact, Sunday was cool and windy.
If you are looking exclusively for trad jazz, as I was, you may not have too many sets to choose from. The music menu can vary year to year, and with only one experience, my perspective is limited. Also keep in mind that the word “jazz” is not in the festival’s name, so the m
