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New Orleans JazzFest & French Quarter, May 2007
The sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of New Orleans during a JazzFest weekend some years ago.
On May 6, 2007, New Orleans jazz great Alvin Batiste was scheduled to perform a set in the Jazz Tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival fairgrounds. Sadly, he died that very morning. In grand and brave New Orleans style, his family and friends (including Harry Connick Jr., Branford Marsalis, and Trombone Shorty, who all studied jazz under Alvin's guidance) played tribute to Alvin during his scheduled festival time slot just five hours later. One of these pictures shows singer Stephanie Jordan and her trumpeter brother Marlon, Alvin's niece and nephew, tearfully singing through their sorrow. It was one of the most touching and emotional performances I have ever witnessed. This album is dedicated to the memory of Alvin Batiste, and to the indelible strength of the Batiste family.