Seven reasons to make Jazz Fest travel plans

List of the Day

The 40th annual Jazz Fest announced its lineup yesterday. It's not bad. In fact, it's so not bad that I find myself almost physically pained to not be in New Orleans right this very minute. Here are seven reasons to book your plane ticket—and, more importantly, your hotel room—as soon as humanly possible.

1. The opening weekend lineup—With all due respect to Aretha, Emmylou, Solomon Burke and the other artists playing on the second weekend, Jazz Fest's opening weekend is absolutely sick. The Avett Brothers, Wynton Marsalis, Spoon, Erykah Badu, Allen Toussaint...come on! And that's not to mention the double-shot of signature brass bands—Hot 8 and Rebirth—both of whom are also on the bill for the first weekend. In fact, the brass bands deserve an entry all to themselves.

2. New Orleans Brass Bands—If you're not acquainted with the Hot 8, you can head to iTunes and sample their set from last year's Jazz Fest, a set that included songs called "Ray Nagin" and "Wolfburger." If you're not acquainted with Rebirth, do you even like music? They're the long-running, hot-blowing band led by Phil Frazier (who, sadly, was sidelined at a NOLA hospital over the weekend, according to local media. Keep your fingers crossed for Frazier's recovery, and for a sizzling Rebirth set at Jazz Fest. I once saw the band play Lil Jon's "Get Low" while wearing LSU football jerseys, and it was a perfect storm of awesomeness.

3. Pete Seeger—The man is 89 years old, people. Show some respect. Oh, and can you guess which weekend he's playing?

4. Vaughan's—Thursday nights with Kermit Ruffins are legendary. When I saw him at Vaughan's a few years ago, he even DJ'd between sets. But the place is worth seeing whether he's there or not. It's one of America's all-time great dive bars. And since Jazz Fest shows get out early, you'll have plenty of time to go explore the city's clubs and restaurants.

5. Turtle soup at Commander's Palace—While we're on the subject of restaurants, may we suggest the turtle soup if you decide to splurge at this frilly (but so delicious) NOLA dining temple?

6. Oyster's at Casamento's—Way uptown, far from the Jazz Fest crowds, is this little oyster bar, which has convenient proximity to the shops of Magazine Street. A fine destination if you intend to spend one day in the Crescent City away from the festival. (By the way, ignore their woefully outdated website, which says they're "closed for the summer." I just called. They're open.)

7. The New Orleans Jazz Vipers—As far as I know, they're still a local secret. But man, they make Dixieland seem fresh and vital after all these years. It's a safe bet that they'll be gigging around town during Jazz Fest. Or you can catch them on site during, yes, opening weekend.