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2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – A Melting Pot of the Finest Music

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival kicked off its 50th year anniversary with a bang. The annual two-weekend fest featured world-renown musicians, tempting food concession stands, a friendly crowd of music fans and a positive vibe that was even warmer than the sun.

Published

7 years ago

May 14, 2019

Oakland Post

By Dwight Brown, NNPA Newswire Film Critic

The 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival kicked off its 50^th year anniversary with a bang. The annual two-weekend fest featured world-renown musicians, tempting food concession stands, a friendly crowd of music fans and a positive vibe that was even warmer than the sun.

Jazz Fest dates back to 1970, when Mahalia Jackson and Duke Ellington graced the stages for famed producer/impresario George Wein. Over the years that spirit has developed into a festival that embraces indigenous music, jazz, blues, soul, funk, Dixieland and Zydeco, rock, pop, country, Latin music, folk and other genres.

As you walk around the Fair Grounds where the fest takes place, on lush lawns or soft sand, you encounter various stages and gigantic white musical tents (jazz, blues, gospel). There’s a wide variety of food booths (ever hear of Alligator Pie?), arts and crafts tents and cultural centers too.

This year, the list of vibrant acts included artists like these:

Ziggy Marley: Legendary singer Bob Marley had 12 children. The most famous is Ziggy Marley, who heads the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. His career has spanned 15 years and his latest album “Rebellion Rises,” which continues his father’s legacy of social awareness, formed the basis of his energetic performance on The Congo Square Stage, which is usually reserved for African Heritage music. Dancing to a reggae beat and swaying in unison with his backup singers, Ziggy’s optimistic vibe lit the crowd up. One of the biggest treats for his sundrenched fans was his classic, “True to Myself.” Bob had a once-in-a-lifetime voice. Ziggy has a verve all his own and he passes on his father’s spirit of peace and love.

Tom Jones: He’s been around since the ‘60s, currently appears on The Voice UK and Tom Jones’ set was on Gentilly Stage, second largest at NOJHF. Stripped down to just a guitar, a bass and drums, Jones’ band captured a strong beat as his baritone voice bellowed through the air. He performed like he was a young rocker in his prime, and not like a 79-year-old man. Screaming “Maybe there ain’t no heaven. Maybe there ain’t no hell,” the lyrics from his hit song “Burning Hell,” Jones held the audience in the palm of his hand. He was in fine voice, oblivious to the ravages of time and displaying enough British swagger to start a street fight. As his concert continued, with something old and something new, the crowd was amazed that this is the man who rose to fame in 1965 with “What’s New Pussycat.” That’s 55 years ago and counting!

Mavis Staples: As Mavis Staples approaches 80 years of age, she’s turned back the clock by working with younger producers (Ben Harper), exploring music that takes her out of her comfort zone of R&B, Blues, Soul and Gospel, and incorporating those sounds into whatever music she tackles. Innovation came to mind when she launched into The Talking Heads “Slippery People.” Backed by a top-notch band, she infused a funky gospel spirit into her arrangement: “What’s the matter with him? He’s alright. How do you know? The lord won’t mind. Don’t play no games, he’s alright
Love from the bottom to the top.” Emphasizing the syncopation, swirling around on stage, throwing her hands in the air, shuffling her shoulders and occasionally letting out her famous earthy growl, she slayed the crowd. It was a song that the Staple Singers had covered in the mid ‘80s, and Mavis, like she always does, made it her own. The crowd inside the Jazz Tent was so large it spilled outside. They all knew they were watching an icon create a moment that was going to be memorable for years to come. Staples was equally strong with the socially conscious Buffalo Springfield hit “For What It’s Worth.”

Chris Stapleton: Stapleton used to be known for writing hit songs for country music stars like Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton. That changed one night in 2015 on a broadcast of the Country Music Awards when he dueted with Justin Timberlake. They sang harmony together on “Tennessee Whiskey,” and Stapleton flaunted a supple, elastic voice that was far more flexible and soulful than that of most country western singers. As he took his place on Acura, the biggest stage at NOJHF, the audience had grown deep into the thousands and the Grammy-winner didn’t disappoint. Catchy songs like “Traveler” and “Broken Halos” played to country music fans. His performance of “Millionaire” was more reminiscent of a southern/soul/rock style, the kind that rock legends like Delaney & Bonnie or Leon Russell coined back in the 70s when they blended genres. With his gravelly voice, Stapleton led the listeners through his stable of songs, ending the night with the aforementioned “Tennessee Whiskey,” a sweet song even Patti LaBelle covers in her concerts.

Gary Clark Jr.: Out on a tour that will last at least until September, Clark did his usual opening song, “Bright Lights.” It’s the perfect song to use to begin a set, as he sings to the audience, “You gonna know my name by the end of the night.” This gifted lead guitarist is often mentioned in the same breath with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Prince. He’s not as enigmatic as the Jimi, as melodious as Eric nor as dynamic on stage as Prince, but he lets his strumming do the talking. A modern, wide-brimmed hat along with his signature red Fender Stratocaster solidifies his brand. Classic songs like “When My Train Pulls In” and “Gotta Get Into Something” pushed the crowd into a fervor.

Rita Coolidge: Known as the first person to sing the song “Superstar,” and later credited for co-writing it, Rita Coolidge stepped on to the stage dressed in a white blouse and pants with white sneakers. Her set list started with the feminist song “Basic Lady:” “Basic lady doesn’t need a diamond ring…” She sashayed around the stage with great confidence as her country-sounding band played on. Her voice was not as rich and smooth as it has been (the 2005 jazz album “And So Is Love” features her smoothest vocals), but her star power was making up for it. Fans liked her most popular hits the best: “Higher and Higher” and “We’re All Alone.”

Gladys Knight: She’s got more hits than most, a stronger voice than many and her fans know the words to her songs as well as she. So, when Gladys Knight asked the crowd to sing along with her, she got a backup chorus that was in tune and well-rehearsed. Strutting around in a black jumpsuit with a white blouse, Knight commanded her band and crooned. After several residencies in Vegas, this show woman knows exactly how to make an audience happy. With a great sense of urgency, she sang: “I’ve got to use my imagination. To think of good reasons. To keep on keepin’ on (keep on keepin’ on)…” The Pips were missed but ably replaced by a gigantic crowd of well-wishers. “The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” was just one in a string of tunes to come that had the audience remembering how Gladys Knight has been such a unique talent for five decades.

Los Lobos: This rock band from East Los Angeles defies categories. Hints of Tex-Mex, zydeco, R&B, blues and other genres are the sounds that make their music distinctive. Their brand of brown-eyed soul has made them a vibrant presence on the music scene since the 1970s. Different members have come and gone over the years, but their affable vibe has remained the same. The band’s name means “The Wolves,” so when they broke into one of their most famous songs, “Will the Wolf Survive?” the audience was particularly happy. Also, of great interest was their rendition of “La Bamba:” the group’s leader, David Hidalgo, sang it, just like he did for the movie of the same name. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips played the lead character Richie Valens in that film, but when it was time to sing, he was miming to Hidalgo’s savory vocals.

These were but a few of the magical roster that had attracted artists from everywhere, who were performing all kinds of music: Diana Ross, Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band, The Doobie Brothers, Santana, Gregory Porter, Katy Perry, Al Green and Bonnie Raitt were all a part of the festivities along with many others.

The 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was a big gumbo of music that gave NOLA audiences lots to savor.

Visit NNPA Newswire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

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COMMENTARY: Jim Crow 2.0 at the Pentagon

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

Published

5 days ago

August 3, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Pete Hegseth insists that he is restoring “merit” to the United States military. But after months of dismissals, blocked promotions, and ideological purges, the evidence tells a different story. His campaign against so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” has become something far more dangerous: an assault on equal opportunity that falls with particular force on African Americans, while also targeting women, Latinos, gay Americans, and transgender service members.

The latest example is both troubling and infuriating.

Once again, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the promotion of an exceptionally qualified woman—Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt. Bauernschmidt is no ordinary officer. She became the Navy’s first woman to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, one of the most demanding leadership assignments in the world. Her career reflects decades of exemplary performance, operational excellence, and leadership under extraordinary pressure.

Yet once again, a distinguished military career appears to have been subordinated to an ideological agenda masquerading as “merit.”

I call BS!

The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

The pattern has become impossible to ignore.

General Charles Q. Brown Jr., only the second African American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was dismissed despite a career that placed him among the most accomplished military leaders of his generation.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman ever to serve as Chief of Naval Operations, was removed despite decades of distinguished command experience.

Reports have documented interventions that blocked or delayed the promotions of Black officers and women selected through the military’s rigorous promotion system.

Now Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt joins the growing list of highly accomplished officers whose careers have been derailed for reasons that have never been persuasively explained.

Where is Congress?

Its silence has become deafening.

Congress has an independent constitutional responsibility to oversee the armed forces. Instead, too many lawmakers have watched silently while one of the nation’s most respected institutions is subjected to ideological litmus tests and political interference.

This is not military reform. It is testosterone-fueled performative masculinity disguised as a philosophy of military excellence.

The irony is impossible to miss. Hegseth repeatedly invokes “merit,” yet his rhetoric begins with the assumption that Black officers, women, and other historically excluded Americans must somehow justify their achievements in ways that white male officers are rarely required to do.

That is not meritocracy. It is prejudice wrapped in patriotic language.

No one is asking that anyone be promoted because of race or gender. Americans simply expect that promotions be based on demonstrated competence, leadership, integrity, and service. The officers being targeted have already proven themselves repeatedly under one of the world’s most demanding evaluation systems.

Their records speak for themselves.

The attack on African American military leadership has been especially pernicious.

For generations, Black Americans fought in segregated units, earned decorations while denied equal treatment, and repeatedly demonstrated loyalty to a nation that often failed to extend them full citizenship. They broke barriers not because standards were lowered but because excellence finally overcame institutional discrimination.

Today’s campaign against “diversity” threatens to revive old assumptions under new slogans.

The implication that Black generals and admirals somehow owe their success to affirmative action rather than extraordinary performance echoes some of the ugliest stereotypes of the Jim Crow era. Yesterday’s segregationists claimed Black Americans were inherently less qualified. Today’s culture warriors simply employ more politically acceptable language while inviting the same suspicion about Black achievement.

That is why Hegseth’s campaign increasingly resembles Jim Crow 2.0.

The targets may now wear stars on their shoulders instead of military patches on segregated uniforms, but the underlying message is hauntingly familiar: Black excellence is presumed suspect, while white excellence is presumed earned.

America’s military became the finest fighting force in history because it opened its doors to talent wherever it could be found. It grew stronger after President Truman desegregated the armed forces. It became stronger when women assumed greater command responsibilities. It became stronger when every qualified American was given the opportunity to serve to the fullest extent of their abilities.

Diversity is not a concession. It is a strategic advantage.

The nation’s adversaries do not fear an American military because it is racially homogeneous. They fear it because it draws upon the talents of more than 340 million Americans whose diverse experiences, perspectives, and abilities make our armed forces unmatched anywhere in the world.

Every politically motivated dismissal of a distinguished officer sends a chilling message throughout the ranks: excellence alone may no longer be enough if you belong to the wrong demographic group.

That weakens morale. It weakens recruitment. It weakens retention.

And ultimately, it weakens national security.

Pete Hegseth has every right to pursue military readiness. He has no right to redefine merit in ways that repeatedly cast suspicion upon the accomplishments of Black officers, women, and others who have devoted their lives to defending this nation.

America deserves better. The men and women who wear the uniform deserve better. The Constitution deserves better.

And unless Congress finds the courage to exercise meaningful oversight, history may well remember this period not as a restoration of military excellence, but as the moment political ideology attempted to resurrect, in modern form, the old poison of exclusion.

Jim Crow did not strengthen America. Jim Crow 2.0 will not strengthen America’s military. It will only diminish it

Wade Henderson
Strategic Advisor
Civil and Human Rights
wade@wadejhenderson.com

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New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial

By Emilie St. John (Contributor) Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction. Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District […]
The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

1 week ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

By Emilie St. John
(Contributor)

Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction.

Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District Judge John Roach Jr. from overseeing the appeals process.

Two hearings have been scheduled on the motion for Aug. 9 and 10 in the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, according to Fox4 News.

On July 14, Senior Judge Sid L. Harle of the 226th District Court was assigned to preside over the defense’s motion to recuse Collin County Judge John Roach. The assignment took effect immediately and authorized Harle to handle all matters related to the recusal request, the filing read.

The Collin County District Attorney’s Office continues to defend its handling of the case by issuing a statement to NBC 5 DFW.

“The defendant’s new lawyers have filed a motion containing several inaccurate characterizations of the trial proceedings. The entire prosecution team and I conducted this trial ethically and in full compliance with the Court’s rulings and any agreements with defense counsel. We look forward to addressing these claims thoroughly in a Court of law in the coming weeks. The jury heard extensive evidence over the course of the trial and returned a unanimous verdict. We remain confident in that verdict and the fairness of the proceedings.”

Anthony’s new legal team, made up of appellate, civil rights, and criminal defense attorneys, was retained following Anthony’s conviction.

“Our responsibility is to determine whether a legal error occurred and to ensure that every issue supported by the record is fully and vigorously presented on appeal,” the team said in a statement.

“We recognize the profound loss suffered by one young man’s family and the uncertainty facing another, and we extend our respect to everyone whose lives have been forever changed by these events,” the release reads.

Anthony was charged with the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas, April 2, 2025. Anthony has long maintained it was an act of self-defense.

The attorneys are representing Anthony pro bono. The nearly 200-page notice of appeal seeks a new trial because his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial was violated.

“The cumulative and practical effect of these provisions was to exclude members of the public from proceedings at every stage,” the filing reads.

The filing also focused on an alleged “handshake deal” that kept Anthony from taking the stand in his defense.

The defense filing said the agreement was that the jury would not hear that Metcalf and his twin brother had been accused of racism and bullying in the past. In exchange, they also would not see Anthony’s cellphone records or his school disciplinary record, according to court documents reported by the Dallas Morning News.

Anthony’s former defense attorney, Mike Howard, said the defense relied heavily on that deal. The team chose not to ask certain questions of witnesses or call on a separate expert witness based on that agreement. It also abandoned plans to introduce testimony and evidence about the allegations against Metcalf and his brother.

Appellate attorney Russell Wilson is now handling post-trial proceedings and Anthony’s appeal. He recently sat down for an interview, stating, “The court committed multiple errors during the June murder trial, preventing him from receiving a fair trial.”

“You know, we file motions that we expect to prevail on, but we understand that there’s two sides to every story. And at the end of the day, it’ll be a judge that has to make these decisions, but we feel confident in the positions that we’re taking,” Wilson said during an interview with WFAA. “There were substantial issues that we thought a reviewing court needed to look at. We thought these were constitutional irregularities, and we could have them addressed now. And so, we put them into a motion for a new trial.”

Bree West, a former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney, found it startling that so little time was given to Anthony’s team for such a serious “life or death” situation.

“I do think that it’s really challenging that potentially a court decided that you have 10 minutes to make that level of decision when it has the potential of being life-altering,” said West during an interview with Fox 4 News.

Judge Harle is no stranger to high-profile cases, having presided over the prosecution of a police officer charged in connection with the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Anthony was convicted on June 9 of the murder of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump!

WESTSIDE GAZETTE — The author criticizes Donald Trump’s rhetoric, noting his use of terms like “Dumbocrats” and “Communist” to describe Democrats and democracy. The column asserts that Trump’s current strategy involves creating doubt about midterm elections due to a lack of Republican agenda.
The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

1 week ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

Frankly Speaking

Wow! Wow! Wow! The swamp drainers have truly stepped down to new levels of stupidity. You remember Weapons of Mass Destruction? We now have Weapons of Mass Distraction. Trump has introduced Dumbocrats and Communists into the conversation about Democrats and Democracy.

Trump lies so much, and his current strategy is to set up doubt about midterm elections because he and Republicans have no agenda!

He has no “Trump “ card, but Iran has a strait! He called it a skirmish; it’s now a War. He said five days; now it’s five months. He said few casualties; now it’s 18 deaths. He knew nothing about Project 2025 but hired its architects! Trump lies about the lies and often forgets these little inventions called cameras and phones

We see and hear and then see and hear the inconsistencies.

I didn’t like 45 and dislike 47 even more!

The post LSMFT! Lord Save Me From Trump! appeared first on The Westside Gazette.

Based on reporting by Westside Gazette.

The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.