seven things to do in seven days
Search and Destroy New Orleans Tue.-Wed. May 1-2 | Spanning three nights (Mon.-Wed.) at three venues (Dragon’s Den, Blue Nile and AllWays Lounge), this impromptu jazz fest boasts a who’s-who of the finest improv players in town: Helen Gillet, James Singleton, Simon Lott, Jeff Albert, Aurora Nealand, Mike Dillon, Justin Peake and many more. PAGE 87. ChazFest Wed. May 2 | Bywater’s answer to Jazz Fest is ChazFest, a mid-week outdoor festival with two stages hosting Hurray for the Riff Raff, Happy Talk Band, TBC Brass Band, Debauche, Tin Men with the Valparaiso Men’s Chorus and others. There’s food by area restaurants including The Joint and Yuki Izakaya. At the Truck Farm (3020 St. Claude Ave.). PAGE 85.
Jazz Fest 1970 Wed. May 2 | For all those who grumble that the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival isn’t what it used to be, there’s a free screening of concert footage from the inaugural event in Congo Square. And it’s free, just like the original. The New Orleans Film Society and Louisiana State Museum sponsor the outdoor screening at the Old U.S. Mint. There will be food trucks as well. PAGE 91.
MAY
Jazz Fest | Last year’s Best New Artist Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding
(pictured) is among the headliners at the Fair Grounds for the final four days of the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Other performers include Foo Fighters, My Morning Jacket, Herbie Hancock, Ziggy Marley, Ne-Yo, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Neville Brothers, Allen Toussaint, Mystikal and many more. PAGE 20.
Zoo-To-Do Fri. May 4 | The Audubon Zoo hosts its annual black-tie gala, which lights up the grounds for an evening of live music, food, drink, silent auction, raffles and more. The music lineup includes the Family Stone, Anais St. John, Kinfolk Brass Band and others. At the Audubon Zoo. PAGE 96. Roky Erikson Sat. May 5 | With a bill that includes Texmess madman Roky Erickson, guitar snakecharmer Thurston Moore and Bywater bagmen Morning 40 Federation, what could the promise of “another surprise” bring? Kim Gordon and an instant Sonic Youth reunion? One can dream. Oberhofer opens at One Eyed Jacks. PAGE 87.
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > may 1 > 2012
LPO in City Park Wed. May 2 | The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra performs a free concert in City Park. Guest conductor David Torns leads the symphony in a mix of classic and modern works, including selections from Phantom of the Opera, Irving Berlin — a Symphonic Portrait, and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” At the Goldring/Woldenberg Great Lawn, near the New Orleans Botanical Garden. PAGE 87.
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