On view: “Music IS the Scene”: Jazz Fest’s First Decade, 1970-1979

Tulane University Special Collections (TUSC) presents “Music IS the Scene”: Jazz Fest’s First Decade, 1970-1979, on display from Friday, March 4, through Friday, May 27, in the TUSC gallery on Tulane University’s uptown campus. The exhibition features archival materials and audio recordings related to the first 10 years of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, also known as Jazz Fest.

In addition to the gallery exhibition, visitors can view the materials online and past May 27 via Tulane Online Exhibits.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019, returns in spring 2022 after its pandemic cancellations during spring 2020, spring 2021, and fall 2021. Despite meager attendance during its first year in 1970, Jazz Fest is now one of the top 10 music festivals in the United States, bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors and hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the New Orleans economy. Though world renowned, the festival remains a local favorite due to its dedication to celebrating New Orleans and its surrounding regions.

The TUSC gallery is located on the second floor of Jones Hall, 6801 Freret St., in room 208A. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Special evening hours for the exhibition take place on “Moonlight Mondays” from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on March 28, April 25, and May 23. Special weekend hours are 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 12; Sunday, April 3; Saturday, May 21; and Sunday, May 22.

For more information about the gallery and online exhibitions, including special events, visit library.tulane.edu/tusc-jazzfest, or contact exhibition curator Melissa A. Weber at mweber3@tulane.edu or 504-247-1807. For more information about Tulane University Special Collections, visit library.tulane.edu/tusc, email specialcollections@tulane.edu, or call 504-865-5685.

Photo: Grand Marshall Walter Lewis marches with the Onward Brass Band at Jazz Fest, 1976, photographer: Harriet Blum, Hogan Archive Photography Collection, PH003075, Tulane University Special Collections.