Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story

I have been to Jazzfest nine times since the early 1990's, including the 2022 edition just a month ago, and this film produced the same sense of elation and excitement about New Orleans and the festival that I experience every time I go. This is the very best cultural event that celebrates the very essence of all that is great about America. The only shortcoming, if it can be called that, is the lack of time to include the scores and scores of incredible artists that didn't make it into the film, but if you've never attended, you get a very strong sense of what to expect when you go, which I urge you to do...

Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story is a celebration of music, life, death, multi-culturalism and diversity in New Orleans through the New Orleans Jazz festival. I personally never attended the Jazz festival but I did enjoy this fast-paced documentary about this large, annual, event. The documentary primarily focuses on the festival's 50th anniversary with added historical footage to tell the story. The music was great and the documentary did a great job at conveying the vibe at the festival. I highly recommend watching it if you like New Orleans, music or both or would like to find out more. Based on the documentary, I hope to attend the festival at some point in the future.

I know nothing about this event so to learn and understand all the nuances of this multicultural festival was very enjoyable, and uplifting. One of your better musical documentaries. Listen and enjoy!

SXSW 2022 Greetings again from the darkness. We are informed that the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival features 7000 musicians across 14 stages over 8 days. It's a massive and popular event and co-directors Frank Marshall and Ryan Suffern set out to highlight the festival's 50th anniversary in 2019, and ended up with a blend of music, history, and culture. Mr. Marshall, along with his wife Kathleen Kennedy, is a frequent producing partner of Steven Spielberg, and he also directed the 1990 favorite ARACHNOPHOBIA. Marshall and Suffern previously collaborated on music documentaries of Carole King-James Taylor, and The Bee Gees.

In New Orleans, "the air is thick with humidity and culture." Music has long been a key element in the culture, and we see clips of late-greats like Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Fats Domino, and BB King. We also hear from festival co-founders George Wein and Quint Davis, and learn that despite the festival's name, all types of music have been featured, including jazz, gospel, soul, blues, R&B, and whatever that is that Pitbull does. In this spirit, the filmmakers include clips of live performances from such artists as the Marsalis family, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Buffett, Earth Wind & Fire, Al Green (in a comeback), and the great Aaron Neville singing "Amazing Grace."

Any conversation about New Orleans must also include the unique local cuisine, the craziness of Mardi Gras, and the tragedy and destruction of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The first festival held after the hurricane featured Bruce Springsteen, and we get the footage of him performing, "My City of Ruin." The film isn't really structured as a history of the festival, but there is plenty here to justify a viewing, especially the clips of festival performances. To cap it off, Marshall and Suffern show us 2022 as The Big Easy and the festival recover from two years of pandemic shutdown, and leaves us with ... "When the Saints Go Marching In."

Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story is a one-hour-and-a-half documentary about the history of the annual Jazz Fest in New Orleans. A Jazz Fest documentary would not have been my first choice to watch, but I did I learn something new and would like to visit the Jazz Fest in New Orleans one day. And, if you are a person who is interested in jazz music and the history behind it, this is absolutely the movie for you.

This film is about one of America's greatest festivals held in Louisiana, New Orleans. Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story takes a deep dive into the meaningful history and culture behind the iconic jazz fest. Furthermore, the movie shows the celebration of the music and the food of Louisiana.

There is so much talent and extraordinary culture that brings this wonderful event to life. Clips shown of the different jazz performances and cultural dancing all display the beauty behind it all. It's wonderful to see how they can keep the traditions and cultural aspects of Jazz Fest alive. From this documentary you will learn why the festival has a deeper meaning than just a fun festival that happens every year. It brings a positive and warm feeling to the people who attend Jazz Fest, while making the culture known and bringing awareness. Additionally, there were inspirational dance acts with beautiful clothing. The dance portrayed the meaning of the music while being played. This was my favorite part and very cool to watch.

I give Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. By Ava C., KIDS FIRST!