Shake Your Hips, Babe

It was music to our ears (and stomachs) when we heard the news. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will not take the year off . So we are clearing our schedule for the same time and same place as we do each Spring – New Orleans’ Fair Grounds, last weekend in April and first weekend in May.

It was going to take a lot more than a hurricane to keep the spirit of New Orleans and its music down, and a very surprising benefactor made sure of it. For the first time, the Festival will have a lead corporate sponsor. Get this, Shell Oil Company has agreed to drop a serious amount of cash to make sure the city and its people do not lose one of its long-standing traditions this year.

"We wanted to do something to restore an important part of the city," said Marvin E. Odum, executive vice president of Shell Exploration & Production, which operates in New Orleans. "We're not going to disclose how much it is."

The Fest lineup has not been announced and thousands of local artists have been displaced, but we imagine you can expect an amazing turnout from local and national artists. So figure out ‘how you gonna clap,’ get on the stairmaster and start making room for soft-shell crab po-boys, and get some rest, because it is back on in the Big Easy.

Tickets are On Sale Now!

The 2006 Poster featuring NOLA legend Fats Domino is available at Art4Now.