Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story

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Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story

PG-13

Released May 13, 2022

1h 34m

Documentary

Music

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

97%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY weaves together live performances and interviews from the 50th anniversary of The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the signature annual music and cultural event of the city with hundreds of thousands of attendees each year. The N.O. 'Jazz Fest' celebrates the music, food, people, arts & crafts, and culture of all of Louisiana since 1970, and is an essential showcase of the rich heritage of the region. The film, shot at the 2019 Fest, features local music heroes joined on 14 stages by some of the biggest names in the music industry, and a wealth of archival documentary footage from the past half century. Among the 50 plus featured performers are Jimmy Buffett, Pitbull, Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Aaron Neville, The Marsalis Family, Earth, Wind & Fire, Irma Thomas, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Samantha Fish, Herbie Hancock, Al Green, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Mardi Gras Indians, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, Tom Jones, Gary Clark, Jr., and many others. JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY not only captures the Festival in all of its beauty and glory, but also delves deep into the rich culture of The Big Easy.

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Critics Consensus

Like the music showcased by the titular festival, Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story incorporates a long list of rich, colorful ingredients -- and truly comes alive onstage.

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Cary Darling

Houston Chronicle

“Jazz Fest” doesn’t just chronicle the growth of an annual series of concerts. It’s also the story of a city...an image refracted through the lives of Africans, Cajuns, Native Americans and others who make up Louisiana’s cultural gumbo.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 8, 2022

Full Review

Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

The kind of electric, spirit-lifting music documentary that will make you want to reinvent your life so that you can live your entire existence in the heart of Louisiana.

Jun 2, 2022

Full Review

Adam Graham

Detroit News

The festival is an institution that had to survive, that had to come roaring back, and "Jazz Fest" makes the case for its next 50 years going forward.

Rated: B

Jun 2, 2022

Full Review

Marc Glassman

POV Magazine

[D]oesn’t shy away from the diversity of the music at the festival, placing it within New Orleans’ unique history as a city that offered a home for displaced Acadians from Canada, Indigenous people and African-Americans after the end of slavery.

Feb 15, 2023

Full Review

Glenn Dunks

The Film Experience

Its strongest moments, though, are when it weaves performance with story and talking heads, with archival footage from the festival’s past, with photography and even with glimpses of mouth-watering food.

Feb 2, 2023

Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

...a celebration of the Festival, the city that hosts it, and more generally of good music, good food, and taking pleasure in life.

Rated: 7/10

Dec 8, 2022

Full Review

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Leslie

Attended the festival in 2019. Enjoyed learning more about the history of the festival and the culture of NOLA. Entertaining and brought back great memories!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/17/22

Full Review

Kathleen

Excellent, well-paced documentary that immerses its viewer into the Fest,

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/11/22

Full Review

Caleb

Should have been a six part series.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/10/22

Full Review

Tim

Great music, great history documentary and toe tapping fun

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/09/22

Full Review

Joseph K

Heartwarming and memorable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/08/22

Full Review

David

I have been a Jazz Fest patron. Its an experience you want to repeat. You want to take your friends to share. The movie blends the roots of New Orleans with the appreciative popular acts an conveys it well

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/07/22

Full Review

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Frank Marshall

Director

Ryan Suffern

Director

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Self

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Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY weaves together live performances and interviews from the 50th anniversary of The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the signature annual music and cultural event of the city with hundreds of thousands of attendees each year. The N.O. 'Jazz Fest' celebrates the music, food, people, arts & crafts, and culture of all of Louisiana since 1970, and is an essential showcase of the rich heritage of the region. The film, shot at the 2019 Fest, features local music heroes joined on 14 stages by some of the biggest names in the music industry, and a wealth of archival documentary footage from the past half century. Among the 50 plus featured performers are Jimmy Buffett, Pitbull, Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Aaron Neville, The Marsalis Family, Earth, Wind & Fire, Irma Thomas, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Samantha Fish, Herbie Hancock, Al Green, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Mardi Gras Indians, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, Tom Jones, Gary Clark, Jr., and many others. JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY not only captures the Festival in all of its beauty and glory, but also delves deep into the rich culture of The Big Easy.

Director: Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern
Producer: Frank Marshall, Sean M. Stuart, Ryan Suffern
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Sutter Road Picture Company
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Language|Some Suggestive Material)
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 13, 2022, Limited
Runtime: 1h 34m

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