The Photo Page – JazzFest By Joseph A. Rosen 5.25.12
Chip Eagle | May 24, 2012 | Comments 5
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
New Orleans, Louisiana
April 27 – May 6, 2012
By Joseph A. Rosen
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is a special event. It started over 40 years ago as a small, local event featuring local brassbBands, blues artists, Duke Ellington, and Mahailia Jackson. Over the years it has grown into a huge event spanning seven days over two weekends and featuring a wide range of artist from virtually all musical genres.
During the first week this year you could hear a 30-piece Cajun jam session; zydeco stars; blues of all stripes; reggae’s top bands; gospel; world music; AfroBeat; jazz, both modern and traditional; country, and hip-hop, as well as mainstream headliners like Cee Lo Green, the Beach Boys, Tom Petty, Reverend Al Green, and “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen.
It is also an immersion of all things New Orleans and Louisiana, music, food, culture, crafts, interviews, exhibits, and a whole lot more.
The great thing about JazzFest is that it is so vast, with so much going on that one cannot possibly hear and see all of it. One must choose among the joys and pleasures; in that way everyone has their own unique and personal version of JazzFest. I’ve had the pleasure of attending and photographing the festival, both casually and on assignment, for over 20 years, and my motto is “It’s all good and you can’t do it all (or the other way around)!!”
Both my taste and the fact that I was on assignment for Blues Revue and BluesWax, lead me toward the blues, roots, jazz, gospel, Americana (with a dash of world music) end of the spectrum.
What follows are a selection of photos from my JazzFest experience (and this was only the first, shorter weekend!). I hope they capture some of the spirit of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the artists who give us their music.
I hope you enjoy them and I urge you to make plans to attend and support the city, which Mr. Springsteen called the “Mother City of American Music” and create your own personal JazzFest experience. You won’t regret it!
Joseph A. Rosen is one the most awarded and respected photographers in the blues. He is also a photographer for Blues Revue and a photography editor at BluesWax.
Filed Under: BluesWax Weekly • The Photo Page • This Week's BluesWax
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Awesome work! I was there as well as I always am because I’m from New Orleans. You certainly look like you covered a great amount of performances in an amazing amount of time. Got to move fast to do all of that work. Btw, I happen to be in the Burgh , ever since the Friday before the 2nd weekend of JF, for my daughter who lives in North Allegheny. The Steel City is a great city too! Probably run into you @the NOJHF next year as yinz seem to always know where the action is.
Hi Joe, Another great collection and great atmosphere. I can see you are still on form. As ever they make you wish you’d been there. Sadly I was was there the month before.
Joe,
Very nice work. Thanks for the heads up.
P.S.: One of these days we must get together!
Hey Joe,
Thanks for sharing your work…you are one of the very best!
I’m shooting dance and some studio.
Where and when are the photo meetings these days? would like to drop by to say hello.
Jan(and Jai)
Some photographers just have great lenses and others have great vision for the perfect shot.
Joeseph A. Rosen has great vision and is able to capture the moment in a very special way. Truly one of the great photographers of our time. Thank you Joe for sharing your amazing work.