Dr. John

 The Mississippi River bends in a crescent shape as it makes its way around and through New Orleans, giving rise to one of the city’s nicknames. This year, the Crescent City will be honored as the birthplace of jazz at the Carolina Jazz Festival, Feb. 24-28 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Taking the theme “Crescent City Connections,” the festival will offer eight performances, three educational events and two late-night jam sessions at Chapel Hill’s West End Wine Bar. Many of the sessions will be free to the public. New Orleans musicians will perform; works by the city’s jazz composers will fill the air. In a sold-out opening concert, New Orleans’ the Neville Brothers and Dr. John will rock Memorial Hall on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 24. Tickets remain for the second marquee concert, by the Branford Marsalis Trio on Feb. 27. The 8 p.m. show in Memorial will feature the New Orleans native and three-time Grammy winner, a saxophonist, composer and bandleader. These two concerts also are part of this year’s Carolina Performing Arts season.

Patricia Barber © Andrea Canter

Alaska Airlines & Horizon Air Portland Jazz Festival presented by The Oregonian A&E will also present numerous free performances all over Portland throughout the festival schedule, February 13-22. Various showcase performances will be present at The Art Bar at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, Rogue Ales Public House, West Cafe, Dragon Fish at the Paramount Hotel, and the ongoing PDX Jazz @ RiverPlace series at the RiverPlace Hotel featuring Portland vocalist Rebecca Kilgore, saxophonist Devin Phillips, and pianist/vocalist/humorist Dave Frishberg.

Roy Haynes © Andrea Canter

WKCR-FM New York is presentong a radio festival devoted to jazz drummer and NEA Jazz Maaster Roy Haynes. WKCR will be airing his music continuously from Sunday, January 11th at 8 am until Friday, January 23rd at 9pm, a total of 301 hours. To listen to the festival online visit www.columbia.edu/cu/wkcr and click on "Live Broadcast".

Seemingly ageless, Roy Haynes has played the drums from the bebop days of the 1940s to the present day with the same restless energy. Haynes has remained fresh in his outlook and in his thirst for collaborating with younger artists and those who play in challenging styles, as is shown in his work with such disparate artists as Roland Kirk, Danilo Pérez, and Pat Metheny. He also has been a favorite sideman for any number of artists because of his crisply distinctive drumming style. Thelonious Monk once described Haynes' drumming as "an eight ball right in the side pocket."