CCVolumeOO22 No. 3CCSummeOOr 2006 NNUUTT TTEELLEEGGRRAAPPHH www.margaritaville.com Photo: Gr eg Dumas NewNew Orleans Orleans JazzJazz && HeritageHeritage FestivalFestival 20062006 The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was envisioned as a cultural event thatwould have popularappeal in and out ofThe Crescent City.It called fora large daytime fairwith multiple performers from varied musical backgrounds,food booths ofLouisiana cuisine,and arts and crafts booths,along with an evening concert series.Less than 400 people attended the firstJazz Fest in April of1970,and theywere entertained byMahalia Jackson,Duke Ellington,Pete Fountain,Al Hirt,The Preservation Hall Band,and manyothers. Jazz impresario George Wein opened the festival noting that,“The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival repre- sents a new and exciting idea in festival presentation.This festival could onlybe held in New Orleans because here and here alone is the richest musical heritage in America.”In 2001,the Festival celebrated Louis Armstrong’s centennial,and the total attendance eclipsed 650,000,shattering records forvirtuallyeveryday ofthe Heritage Fair,including the all-time single-dayattendance record of160,000.Wein’s prediction that New Orleans would become the first cityofjazz festivals had clearlycome true. Jimmyhas appeared atJazz Fest manytimes overthe years,joining ZacharyRichard,LennyKravitz,the Neville Brothers,Lyle Lovett and countless others in scheduled and impromptu appearances.In an A&E In Concert Series,Jimmynoted that,“I came here in 1966 the first time and have continued to playmusic here eversince.But a lot ofpeople don't know that I spent about fouryears working around here on Bourbon Street - everything from a barkerto a musician.Most ofthe people I knew went to Memphis,orAtlanta,orNewYork, got straightjobs.But I neverhad anydoubt in mymind that I wanted to run awayto New Orleans and do something weird.” The Margaritaville Store and Café are in the same neighborhood where he spent these formative fouryears, and I can not imagine howJimmy,a right-brained balladeer,must feel prowling his old haunts;hazydays and mistynights long before he blew out his flip flop.And while New Orleans is a sprawling metropolitan area, manyequate it onlywith the French Quarter,and it is the Quarterthat holds the magic,the history,la joi de vie, cleanup in and around New Orleans.Jimmytold the Times Picayune.“I thought itwas ourcontribution to the that capture yourheart and soul.Aweekend spentwandering the streets,exploring the historyatJackson cityto come backand get that restaurant open.People thatworkat otherlocations did an incredible job of Square,virtuallyabsorbing the sights,smells and sounds will demonstrate its ethnic and cultural diversity. helping out theirfellow workers in New Orleans.Theyput togethera rescue and support system that I had very Spanish and French influences,the colorful mélange offood,music,climate and characterall combine to cre- little to do with,otherthan endorsing it and saying how proud I was ofthem.We paid everybody,and tooka ate the obligatorygumbo reference. big loss.But we're in forthe long haul.We do verywell everywhere else,and itwas the least we could do.” But would there be a Jazz Fest in 2006?A festival afterone ofthe worstweathercatastrophes on U.S.soil?A cel- The Fairgrounds are a shortcab ride from the French Quarterand the streets were lined with poncho and ebration amidst all the ruin?Jimmytold Keith Spera,Music Writerforthe Times Picayune,“Quint said whether umbrella salesman riding the retail wave ofimpending thunderstorms.We made ourwaytoward the Acura it works ornot,we need to step up here.Everybodyis looking forsomething that's the first step back."Quint is Stage afterseveral stops atthe legendaryJazz Festfood booths.OysterArtichoke Soup,Crawfish Etouffée,Creole Quint Davis,president ofFestival Productions Inc.–New Orleans and the producerand directorofthe New SweetPotato Pone,Crawfish Strudel,and ofcourse some BBQ PorkRibs…a true gastronomical experience. Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. There was a scurryofactivityas Jimmyand the Coral Reefers,along with several Little Feat band members, “The firsttime I talked aboutitwas atthe "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy"benefitin NewYorkin September. arrived in theirunmarked white vans.Afteran interview with budding radio personality,Savannah Jane Itcame outofthe emotions stirred up bythatconcert.Little things like going to rehearse with Allen Toussaint's Buffett on Radio Margaritaville,Jimmyran up the backstage ramp to face the 70,000 people waiting forthis band and the guitarplayerdidn'thave a guitar,because itgotwashed away.The emotional level was,"Ofcourse performance.Jazz Fest officials claim nearly350,000 people attended this year.Bruce Springsteen gave a I'll do it."The concern was more on a practical level ofsomeone who does shows fora living.” memorable performance the first weekend,adapting his Asbury,NJ anthem “MyCityofRuins”to New Orleans’ I put out a newsletterfora living,and itwas an excellent opportunityto visit NOLA,spend some time at plight.James Taylor,Dave Mathews,Paul Simon,and an apologetic Fats Domino were there as well.But Margaritaville and witness the rebirth and revival ofthis historicallyrich city.To mygreat pleasure,Judith Saturdayafternoon belonged to Jimmy. Ranger-Smith,Executive DirectorofSinging ForChange was there as well.We caught up overan Italian dinner Flashbackto Sunday,September4.Jimmyis in Chicago forone ofthe biggest shows ofhis life,the first concert and a literofhouse red on Fridaynight priorto SonnyLandreth’s performance at the café.Myemployercalled everheld at WrigleyField.New Orleans is underwater.One ofJimmy’s dearest friends was Chicago native Steve waytoo earlyon Saturdaymorning to “request”mypresence at a sit down with Sisters Jane Remson and Blaise Goodman,and one ofSteve Goodman’s best known songs is “CityofNew Orleans.”The record setting show at Fernando.SisterJane heads the New Orleans Artists Against Hungerand Homelessness,NOAAHH,and is a fix- WrigleyField opened with a 1983 video ofmustachioed JimmyBuffett singing the national anthem,dedicating ture in the beleaguered borough’s charitable community.We accompanied these lovely,spiritual ladies on a it through an emotionallybroken voice to Steve Goodman.Jimmy’s 2005 appearance on this same field also personal tourthrough the devastated areas in and around New Orleans to visit beneficiaries ofand witness began with a dedication,“To myfriends and familyalong the GulfCoast.”The ironywas missed byno one.After the good that comes from SFC contributions.(See Judith’s report on hervisit underSFC). the second encore,Jimmyappeared deep in the right field bleachers,just he and Mac McAnally,illuminated by On ourreturn trip SisterJane reminisced about an appearance with Jimmyand Rita Coolidge at an early a single spotlight,and performed CityofNew Orleans.A private,poignant moment shared with 40,000 fans. NOAAHH Concert.“I haven’t seen Jimmyin a while,please give him mybest.”Now I’m not a big believerin divine SaturdayMay6,2006.A lightning and hailstorm bearing down on New Orleans from the west split around the intervention,and I know that ifa higherpowerexists he/she would have something more pressing to attend city.Jimmyappears on stage and,recalling his earlierconversation with SisterJane,thanks herforwhatever to than a conversation in the backofa compact,yet comfortable Honda.But what are the odds ofus pulling up influence she had in changing the weather.He then opened the show with… CityofNew Orleans.I could swear to the hotel to find Jimmypropped beside a shinySUV?“Here’s yourchance Sister,”I said.“Tell him yourself.” I heard his voice breaka bit. Jimmyspoke brieflywith the soft spoken postulants as we parted ways.Jimmywas headed forlunch with old NOLA pals and we went to Margaritaville foran employee discount lunch.The filet gumbo and salmon were InIn thethe MiddleMiddle of Hopelessness, terrific,and the New Orleans Café crew were relishing in a rare busyweekend.Margaritaville was one ofthe first businesses to reopen afterHurricane Katrina serving mainlyreliefworkers and others tackling the thethe oneone thingthing we have to cling to is Music.

Photos: Greg Dumas Marshall Chapman Mellowicious!

Marshall Chapman was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina. To date she has released ten critically acclaimed albums, and her songs have been recorded by a variety of artists including Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Wynonna, Joe Cocker, and Jimmy Buffett. She has toured extensively on her own and opened shows for everybody from John Prine and Jimmy Buffett to Jerry Lee Lewis and The Ramones. In 1998, Marshall began exploring new outlets for her creativity. One was theater. She and songwriting pal Matraca Berg contributed fourteen songs to Good Ol' Girls, a country musi- cal based on the stories of Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle. The New York Times called it a "feminist literary country music review." In fall 2003, Good Ol' Girls played theaters through- out the South. Marshall's first book, Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller (St. Martin's Press), was published in September 2003. Simultaneously, a companion CD was released. The book was a 2004 SEBA Book Award finalist, and one of three finalists for the Southern Book Critics Circle Award. A RADIO MARGARITAVILLE: soft cover edition was released in September 2004. ACROSS THE CONTINENT AND In the past year, Marshall has performed from San Francisco to New York, from Blytheville, Arkansas, to Loachapoka, Alabama, developing a one-woman show called "The Triumph of AROUND THE WORLD Rock and Roll over Good Breeding." Now Chapman has crafted a work – her first studio album in nine years – that provides salvation for the listener with its remarkable authenticity. Radio Margaritavlle is Jimmy's very own radio station, which means you can always expect the unexpected! Here is a record that possesses a beating heart, an album that is fun, beautiful, and has a beat Heard around the world on the Internet and additionally on Sirius Satellite Radio (Channel 31) in the US and you can dance to. But more than anything else, Mellowicious! is all about the music. Canada – Radio Margaritaville continues to feature fantastic new music and great songs from nearly every genre. Chapman has always been the kind of singer / songwriter who completely reveals herself Jimmy is now on the road for his Party at the End of the World tour –and Radio Margaritaville is there every step though her music, and she displays that vulnerability and humanness on her new CD. Her of the way. You can listen to every show LIVE – with Jimmy's daughter Savannah hosting the pre-show tailgate observations about the magic of everyday life are captured in songs like “Call the Lamas” in party! Listeners were also treated to Jimmy's triumphant return to Jazzfest in New Orleans – along with live con- certs by Sonny Landreth and Little Feat at the Margaritaville Cafe in the French Quarter. which she sings of a baby sitting in a grocery store cart who seems to possess beatific Jimmy also made his first musical appearance at the Margaritaville Cafe in Myrtle Beach – and while two hun- powers over other shoppers in the store, or “Railroad Track,” a tribute to dred VIPs with free passes and lucky locals won their way in saw Buffett's hour-long performance, Radio Johnny Cash about the power of being alone to find one’s Margaritaville was there to share the excitement with listeners the world over! self every once in a while. Other Radio Margaritaville exclusives included a tribute to Nicolette Larson – starring Jimmy, Bonnie Raitt, Carole Marshall has come King, David Crosby, Steven Stills, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne and others -- heard earlier this year. to a place where Jimmy has also made quite a splash on the silver screen – with the release of Hoot, a motion picture based on everything fell a novel by Carl Hiaasen. Steve Huntington joined director Will Shriner for an insider's look at the making of the together to make an movie. We're also featuring all the great songs on the Hoot soundtrack! album that fairly pul- Radio Margaritaville takes listeners to the far side of the world every day! Carson Cooper caught up with Captain sates with wit, poetry, Frothy in Tobago, the somewhat elusive fishing boat captain in Jimmy's book "A Pirate Looks at 50." Jerry Jeff Walker phoned in from Belize. Our friend Chris Mooney checks in via satellite phone from his boat, Moonsail, wisdom and palpable while sailing the Bahamas. Carson has also been on the coconut telegraph with Rio de Janeiro, Trinidad, St. Kitts, love for life. Chapman’s Martinique, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ghana, Egypt, Christmas Island, Ireland, France, joy for living, and signa- and various locales throughout North America. ture songwriting skills Radio Margaritaville is, quite simply, like no other radio station you've ever heard! inform every song. Check us out on line – it's free – at www.radiomargaritaville.com. Or enjoy the mobility of Radio Margaritaville on Sirius Satellite Radio (Channel 31.) Go to www.sirius.com to sign up. Marshall Chapman’s new CD Mellowicious! can be purchased at www.tallgirl.com

Photos: Nancy Lee Andrews It’s an overcast Saturday morning over Jazz Fest weekend, and I'm in New Orleans to talk with Jimmy about the grants SFC has made in the Gulf Coast. Thus far I could only guess at the contrast between the lushness of the hotel and the barren landscape we would encounter out- side the French Quarter. Like many others, I was anxious to see for myself how things looked, what the cur- rent conditions were, and what we could do to help. Our hotel was located just off Canal Street. We left on foot and meandered north across the Quarter to Croissant d’Or, a great place to shake off Friday night festivities. After the minimum requirements were met (Advil, water, coffee and food), we set out on an adventure with Sister Jane at the wheel. Sister Jane Remson, a Carmelite nun, Jimmy’s longtime friend, founder of NOAAHH (New Orleans Artists Against Hunger and Homelessness) and the New Orleans Chapter of Bread for the World, would serve as our guide. She and Sister Blaise Fernando provided commentary along the way. Singing for Change sent NOAAHH $100,000 after Hurricane Katrina, and this was our chance to meet the people she found who were doing the dirty work. I'm reminded of a heart monitor. The reassuring beeps and bumps of the red line were visible in the French Quarter, steadily pumping life blood through the critically ill body of New Orleans. The further we went, out to New Orleans East, into St. Bernard’s Parish, and through the Ninth Ward, the heartbeats slowed, and the pulse weakened. Sister Jane steered as we stared. The lack of movement in the landscape was eerie. No people, no cars. Just the breeze. Strip malls, in ruins and abandoned. Former homes now endless piles of debris. Lives and locales ravaged by the fleeting fury of Hurricane Katrina and turned upon by a break in the fragile levee. There was stillness. Silence. A sudden “beep” from a flat lined patient: we came upon a community of life, of action, of food, wood smoke and laughter. Emergency Communities (EC), a city of domes recognized by its sturdy teepees and for the fresh, hot, free meals from the lifeline that is now the heart of St. Bernard’s Parish. Formed by two college friends, it is meant to be a mobile resource for people in crisis that can assemble and break down with relative ease, when its services are needed in the next disaster area. It felt like the hippie commune that we who missed the Sixties dream about: free food, shared work, quick smiles, roaming dogs, music, organ- ic home remedies, group hugs, and a relaxed, happy and hopeful atmosphere of peace and acceptance. And it’s working! College aged kids and beyond, volunteers from around the country as well as from New Orleans work here, and work hard. In shifts, they prepare food, serve, and clean up, staff the medical tent, sort donations, and seem thrilled to be here. Who wouldn’t at this point? If I were homeless I’d be desperate to connect, to reconstruct meaning in my life, to have fun, to be part of something permanent. Like a great party, the story of Emergency Communities begins and ends in the kitchen. With money from Singing For Change, EC built an up-to-code kitchen complete with prep tent, fire pit and sanitation station, which is completely volunteer-led and run. Once the kitchen was set up, thousands of homeless came from far and wide, getting a meal and then staying to work. Many offered specific skills – such as contractors who hooked up generator trucks for electricity, restaurateurs who pitched in equipment and expertise, even doctors who mended the storm-beaten. Extra tents popped up in the compound as in-kind donations found their way to the site: a “free store” tent for clothes and supplies, and a communications tent where techies in another life now cobbled together phones, computers with free Internet service, and handwritten mes- sage boards. EC founder Mark Weiner has an exit strategy as well; establishing a community board that will continue to run a center for residents once Emergency Communities is off to its next location - a razed parish 40 miles Singing For Change down the road. As we drove out of the parking lot, cars were pulling in. The mantra seems to be “the more the merrier”. Jimmy’s performance that afternoon at Jazz Fest was exciting and uplifting as always, but we had truly wit- nessed the main event. It was encouraging to see signs of recovery, but it’s a long road. Singing for Change has contributed $400,000 to five different nonprofits focused on reconstruction, and partnered with Outback Steakhouse to garner another $750,000 for the same cause. Over dinner that evening, Jimmy renewed his pledge that Singing for Change will remain a strong presence in the Gulf Coast until the work On The Road is done. By Judith Ranger Smith, SFC Executive Director

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Weekly Drawing

Every Friday throughout 2006 we will be drawing names at random from orders placed that week. The winning person drawn will receive a Free Gift for shopping with the Margaritaville Store in Key West. We have set aside unique items that we feel you would enjoy. You may win T'shirt, a cap, or a novelty item. Keep it or pass along to a friend. No returns or exchanges on this gift item, and as always thanks for your continued support. Our Blue Fins Up Bracelet remains a popular item and popular fund raising tool. Proceeds from bracelet sales in June will benefit the Monroe County Association for Retarded Citizens, and to Heron House in July. Blue Fins Up Bracelet #14950 $2.00