New Orleans Jazz Festival

New Orleans, LA, USA

Charter a Private Jet to the New Orleans Jazz Festival

It was April 1970. Mahalia Jackson – perhaps the greatest gospel singer ever – was in her hometown of New Orleans during its first Jazz & Heritage Festival. She was hanging out with Duke Ellington, another of the first performers, when the Eureka Brass Band marched in front of them, leading a crowd of second-liners partiers.

The festival organizer handed Mahalia a mic, and she started singing and marching along with the crowd.

1975: The first in the poster series features Fats Houston, leader of the Eureka Brass Band. If you can find it, you’ll pay about $2,500 for it.

2017: The Meters, one of the headliners at the first Jazz Fest, are featured on the official poster as they were in 1966: Art Neville, George Porter Jr., Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste" and Leo Nocentelli.

Also in 2017, there is a Congo Square poster of Jon Batiste.

New Orleans Jazz Festival private jet charter

We Can Get You There

If you long for that kind of spontaneous, one-of-a-kind, goosebump-producing musical moments, Paramount Business Jets can arrange a charter flight for you to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival into any nearby airport, including:

Southern Seaplane Airport, 65LA, 65LA, Belle Chasse, United States (6 miles)
Lakefront Airport, KNEW, NEW, New Orleans, United States (7 miles)
Alvin Calendar Nas Airport, KNBG, NBG, New Orleans, United States (9 miles)
Louis Armstrong International Airport, KMSY, MSY, New Orleans, United States (12 miles)
St Charles Airport, LS40, LS40, Amarillo, United States (13 miles)
Triche Field Airport, 1LA1, 1LA1, Hahnville, United States (22 miles)
Slidell Airport, KASD, ASD, Slidell, United States (31 miles)
St John The Baptist Paris Airport, K1L0, 1L0, La Place, United States (32 miles)
South Lafourche Airport, KGAO, GAO, Galliano, United States (37 miles)
Covington-Vincent Airport, LA87, LA87, Covington, United States (39 miles)

Jazz Fest history

The festival started in 1970 as a way to celebrate the music and culture of the city of New Orleans. Although it’s called a Jazz Fest (and there is plenty of jazz there), it features all indigenous music, including the blues, R&B, Cajun, Afro-Caribbean, zydeco, Latin, rock and blue grass.

In recent years, musical stars from all over the planet have been invited to play as the fest grew from 350 fans buying $3 tickets to see acts on four stages in Congo Square in 1970 to 400,000 fans buying $50 daily tickets for music on 14 stages and tents in 2016. The 145-acre Fair Grounds is just 10 minutes from the French Quarter.

Congo Square, which was known as Beauregard Square in 1970, has always been a sacred place, the place where slaves would gather in the 1700s. Traditionally given Sundays off by their French-Spanish Creole owners, slaves would gather in “Place Congo” to make music and dance.

Today, in addition to the music playing on the 14 stages at the Fair Grounds – where it was moved in 1972 – visitors also get to buy any and all famous Louisiana foods and crafts from local artisans.

Jazz Fest founders invited George Wein, the founder of Rhode Island’s Newport Jazz Festival to produce the first event.

Wein didn’t go to the French Quarter to find musicians; he went to the African-American clubs, where New Orleans’ signature sound was born.

The first artist booked was Snooks Eaglin, a guitarist and singer who had been making a living performing on the streets. He died in 2009.

In addition to Eaglin, Mahalia Jackson and Duke Ellington, fest-goers also got to hear the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Pete Fountain, Al Hirt, Clifton Chenier, Fats Domino and The Meters. Brass bands of Mardi Gras Indians paraded around playing music between acts.

The Jazz Fest has been steadily growing ever since, surviving drops in attendance after 9/11 and after Hurricane Katrina. Today more than 600 acts perform over the two weekends.

A Souvenir

There are a lot of trinkets and souvenirs to buy at the Jazz Fest but none as famous as one in its series of limited-edition posters, recognized as the world’s most famous poster series.

The first one, which was made to commemorate the festival in 1975, was a painting of Fats Houston, leader of the Eureka Brass Band. If you can find it, you’ll pay about $2,500 for it.

The official 2017 poster, which is a drawing of The Meters, can be purchased new for about $70.

Who’s Played Jazz Fest

Past entertainers include:

FROM NEW ORLEANS (or elsewhere in Louisiana)

Professor Longhair
Fats Domino
The Neville Brothers
Wynton Marsalis
Dr. John
Branford Marsalis
Harry Connick Jr.
Ellis Marsalis
The Radiators
Irma Thomas
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Allen Toussaint
Buckwheat Zydeco
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Better Than Ezra
Ernie K-Doe
Vernel Bagneris
The Zion Harmonizers
Beausoleil

INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN:

Aretha Franklin
Miles Davis
Bob Dylan
Ella Fitzgerald
Dizzy Gillespie
Santana
Sarah Vaughan
Paul Simon
Jimmy Buffett
Max Roach
B.B. King
Dave Matthews Band
Patti LaBelle
Tito Puente
Allman Brothers Band
Bonnie Raitt
James Brown
Willie Nelson
The Temptations
Van Morrison
Erykah Badu
Dave Brubeck
Gladys Knight

SCHEDULED IN 2023:

To be announced

Hungry?

There are few places in the world more famous for its wonderful dishes than New Orleans. Throughout the festival, there are stands and food trucks selling just about anything your heart desires, including: