Nawlins, Part III

Our last day at the Fest was a traditional tourist experience. We visited the French Quarter and ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde before hitting the Fest. Despite the devastation we had seen the day before, the Quarter looked much like I expected it to look. The neighborhood was spared much of the flooding and weather that plagued the rest of the city and tourists like me were there in force. Cafe Du Monde was bursting with people, coffee and powdered sugar.

Once at the Fest, we listened to the Treme (pronounced "tre-MAY") Brass Band at the Economy Hall tent, while a sudden downpour drenched passers-by. The band attempted to march through the crowds but the surging crowd prevented it, so they contented themselves with playing standards with irrepressible energy.

We sat in on an interview between Harry Shearer (of "Spinal Tap" and "The Simpsons" fame) and Marcia Ball. They talked about music, of course, and of the towns they lived in. Ms. Ball lamented the fact that Austin is no longer the town she knew 20 years ago, and I must agree.

We wandered back to Fais Do-Do, where the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars played a set and finished the day at the Jazz Tent. Nicholas Payton was supposed to play at the Tent but he could not make it, so a pick-up band of brass players improvised a set of standards. It was an extraordinary thing and highlighted what makes New Orleans so special. Brass bands are such an institution in this city, and the players are a close knit community, that members of different bands can play with members of other bands so seemlessly. The music they made on the fly was extraordinary, a wall of triumphant sound that continued to build as more musicians took the stage until the audience could hardly stand it! It was the perfect way to end the Fest.