Jackson Hole Underground

(Ed. note: This is the second in a series of posts from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Click on photos to enlarge.)

Jackson Hole is to natural beauty what New Orleans is to soul.

Down here, we subsist on music as much as oxygen. So when I arrived sleep deprived and feeling nearly dead, I decided to head out to the Fairgrounds to catch the last few hours of the festival. Sunday service would be celebrated by the Rev. Al Green.

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If I had to pick one moment as the pinnacle of the 2007-08 ski season, it was the Jackson Hole Mountain Festival on March 29.

The concert, featuring The Radiators and Michael Franti and Spearhead, captured the joy of an epic winter in Jackson Hole, coming on a string of powder days in a powder week in a powder season. The jubilation flowed right off the slopes to the stage to the frozen parking lot, where a crowd in hats, gloves and puffy down jackets shimmied like a sea of helium balloons.

With everyone bumping and grooving and attuned to the music, the vibe was as good as anything I’ve experienced outside New Orleans.

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Apologies for any confusion — the earlier post here was premature.

The Black Crowes are slated to perform this summer at the new Jackson Hole Music Festival. The two-day event will be held Aug. 16 and 17 at Teton Village.

Although promoters have had discussions with Wilco and Neil Young, no deals have been reached.

Still a work in progress, the concert is being produced by The Festival Network, which puts on the JVC Jazz Fests in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Newport, R.I. The company plans 17 events around the U.S. and internationally this year.

Festival Network executives visited Jackson Hole earlier this winter and met with local officials, according to a person who took part in the discussions.

The idea of a Jazz Fest-type event at Teton Village has been discussed for years, but this is the most serious planning effort yet, the person said.

Already a buzz has been building around the valley, as rumors of Young’s possible appearance spread like wildfire.

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A blizzard is raging outside, so it seems odd to be writing about searing heat, round-the-clock music and spicy Cajun eats. Then again, it’s never too early to begin planning spring break.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has released its preliminary music schedule, and whether you’re rolling with the Spread Heads, Parrot Heads, Fish Heads or ‘Fess Head, the lineup is stacked.

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“Me whole tribe just having fun … We gonna dance till morning come.”

The spirit of Professor Longhair was in the house as the celebrated pianist and hoodoo guru Dr. John brought his boogie-woogie funk to the Mangy Moose last night.

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