I have scoured the line-up and am disappointed again this year that “Oscar and the Blues Cats” don’t appear to have been selected for the blues tent. They’re not looking to be JF headliners…just appropriately added to the mix. Why are they worthy? These guys hold down the fort at one of the few regular blues gigs going on in New Orleans — the Big Daddy’s Juke Joint Blues Jam every Wednesday night at Deckbar and Grill. They have so many local friends who sit in on those gigs that it would have made for a great blues tent session, perhaps including Owen (Big Daddy O”) Tufts (who really should have been selected for a set of his own), Bob Andrews, and other top-notch local blues players. They are every bit as worthy of a set in the blues tent as some others I see listed, and think it’s an injustice that they haven’t yet had a jazzfest opportunity. Wake up, Quint!

Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks
Tony Clifton
Bettye LaVette, once again
Al Green, once again
Hell Yes! to Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Sufjan Stevens and his Band of Butterflies
Soul Rebels
Hot 8 Brass Band
Ry Cooder
Bonnie Raitt & Keb’ Mo
Oh, and can we resurrect Tito Puente while we’re at it? Kthx

Motorhead
Buckethead
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott
Beastie Boys
Germs
Social Distortion
X
Shamarr Allen
Gorgoroth
Eagles of Death Metal
Cattle Decapitation
Bad Brains
Allman Brothers
Supagroup

an open letter to Quint Davis:

Why do you turn your back on the local musicians who performed for you almost from the beginning of the Fest? Why does your staff intentionally underpay, refuse to hire, and disrespect the local musicians who always draw at the Fest?

I am speaking primarily about the city’s one and only Leigh Harris, aka Little Queenie. Quint, you have known her ever since, yet you refuse to hire her? Why is that? It isn’t draw- when she was there in 06 and 07, it was SRO in spite of the lousy times and places you put her- she still knocked them out and filled the chairs! I saw her at the Lagniappe, and people were asking where has she been? I heard that for the fest right after Katrina, she had to beg and claw her way to the gig and she had to dig into her own dam’ pocket to pay her musicians cause you were too dam cheap to pay her! For all she has done for you, you should be ashamed to call yourself a native. You have no excuse what so ever for this. None. You should be on your knees thankful that she accepted the opportunity to play, and you should be paying her way more than you have. Quint, do the right thing and call her NOW, find her a place to play and pay her what she is worth- like three times what you have been paying her.

Leigh is and has been a mainstay of the Fest and you should have her on the roster at the best times and you should be paying her what she is worth. Prove that you care about those that stayed with you and you care about New Orleans music and call her.