New Orleans Jazz Fest Poster

The artists is chosen based on merit, which considers the artist previous works of art as well as try to find a find a connection between the artist's work and a valid Festival subject. Many times the artist chosen is born in, working in or otherwise connected to Louisiana.

Some artist who have been chosen include:

George Rodrigue
James Michalopoulos
Paul Rogers
Bill Hemmerling
Francis Pavy

Thirty-fourth in the Jazz Festival Poster series. This year's poster depicts Irma Thomas, the soul queen of New Orleans. Irma Thomas ranks among New Orleans R&B's greatest and most enduring
musical ambassadors. Her first single released You Can Have My Husband, But Please Don't Mess With My Man hit #22 on the Billboard Rythms & Blues chart in May 1960. Her career began to thrive when she started recording with Allen Toussaint. They produced such hits as It's Raining , "Ruler of My Heart" , "I Did My Part" and "I Done Got Over It. Released in 1964 was her biggest hit ever, "Wish Someone Would Care", a top-20 pop hit that rose to #2 on the R&B charts. Many of her recordings have snce been reproduced by the likes of Otis Redding,"Ruler of My Heart" into "Pain in My Heart" and Rolling Stones, "Time Is On My Side. After 49 years Irma won a 2007 Grammy award for best contemporary blues album After the Rain .

Artist
Douglas Bourgeois is one of the best artist in Louisiana and Louisiana's leading fantasy based realist painter. But is not widely because he creates just a handful of paintings each year. His art work combines religious figures, pop-culture artifacts, environmental concerns, and social issues, as well as iconic stars of Hollywood's Golden Age and the hey-day of rock 'n' roll, including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Martha and the Vandellas, and cult figures like Little Eva. He fuses private fantasy with social document, while exploring everything from glamour to racial tension, from violence -- both domestic and social -- to the nature of celebrity.

This years poster was named the best ever Jazz Fest poster by art critic Don MacCash.

To order this year's Jazz Fest poster prior to the openning of Jazz Fest go to Art4now.com.

Thirty-third in the Jazz Festival Poster series. This year's poster depicts Jerry Lee Lewis known as the Killer. Born in Ferriday, LA he was , is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #24 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Lewis' first #1 hit Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On was recorded in 1957. His next release, Great Balls of Fire did even better. More hits followed, including "High School Confidential, Lewis Boogie, Breathless and Another Place, Another Time.

Artist

Francis X Pavy from Lafayette, LA has been called the "Picasso of Zydeco" by Rolling Stone. Francis Pavy's paintings capture the memories, music, and tradition of the south. This is his second Jazz Fest poster. His first poster was the 1997 Neville Brothers poster.

Thirty-secondth in the Jazz Festival Poster series. This poster depicts New Orleans living legend Fats Dominio . He performs annual at Jazz Fest. He is known as the Fat Man. With his easy-rolling boogie-woogie piano and smooth rhythm & blues vocals, Fats Domino put a New Orleans-style spin on what came to be known as rock and roll. A pianist, singer, and songwriter he sold more records (65 million) than any Fifties-era rocker except Elvis Presley. Between 1950 and 1963, he cracked the pop Top Forty thirty-seven times and the R&B singles chart fifty-nine times. They include "Ain't That a Shame," "Blueberry Hill," "I'm Walkin'," "Blue Monday" and "Walking to New Orleans." His awards have been many, including Grammy's Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Artist
James Michalopoulos is a well known New Orleans based artist who is one of two artists that have more than two Jazz Fest posters. This is his fourth Jazz Fest poster. The other three include 1998 (Dr. John), 2001 (Louis Armstrong), and 2003 (Mahalia Jackson).

Michalopoulos is best known for his distinctive architectural renderings, he has created a reputation based on his unique portrayal of the music and energy lurking in houses. His oil paintings capture the life, movement and personality of these structures. In this spirit his houses live, breathe and move like the people who inhabit them. His work can be described as expressionistic, gestural, energetic and colorful.

Thirty-one in the Jazz Fest Poster series. This years poster depicts Charles "Buddy" Bolden and his band.
Charles "Buddy" Bolden, also know as King Bolden is regarded by many as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of rag-time music which later came to be known as jazz. His approach - the hot-jazz ensemble of six or seven players anchored by a coronet - is what we think of today as the New Orleans sound. Louis Armstrong called him, "a one man genius ahead of 'em all." One of the most famous Bolden numbers is a song called "Funky Butt" (known later as "Buddy Bolden's Blues") which represents one of the earliest references to the concept of "funk" in popular music. In 1907, Buddy's world came crashing down. While marching in a New Orleans parade, Bolden collapsed to the ground. He was diagnosed with dementia praecox and commited to a state mental hospital. Bolden spent the remaining 24 years of his life in the mental hospital and never played the cornet again. Buddy died in 1931 and his tremendous talent died with him. He left no recorded music for us to listen to. Of the many original compositions he wrote only one remains--Buddy Bolden's Blues

Artist
Bill Hemmerling depicts The Funky Butt Hall, a popular dance hall where Bolden played. His eclectic paintings made from - and on - found, forgotten and discarded objects, reflect and personify the heart and soul of Louisiana culture. His paintings sell before they're dry and are in collections world-wide.
See more of Bill Hemmerling work at his website.

Thirtieth in the Jazz Fest poster series. This years poster depicts New Orleans native Harry Connick, Jr. The reach of New Orleans' musical heritage into contemporary hearts is exemplified by Harry Connick, Jr. Composer, musician, singer and actor, Harry trained with New Orleans piano legends James Booker and Ellis Marsalis and was influenced by countless others. His charismatic vocal style is coupled to a transcendent keyboard technique while his compositions breathe life into our emergent feelings. Harry's multi-platinum albums showcase these facets but only hint at his expansive talents.

He wrote the score and sang several songs for Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally... (1989), the soundtrack for which went multi-platinum. So far, while bringing back swing and big band music, he has earned one gold, four platinum and three multi-platinum albums, plus two Grammies. His film acting debut was as B-17 tail-gunner Clay Busby in Memphis Belle (1990). He played mass-murderer Daryll Lee Cullum in the Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter film Copycat (1995) and Captain Jimmy Wilder ("Let's kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy!") in Independence Day (1996).
Learn more about Harry Connick.

Artist
Paul Rogers is California based artist. This is his second Jazz Fest posters. First is the Wynton Marsalis poster for the 2002 Festival. This poster he depicts Connick composing at the piano in a sun-splashed balconied French Quarter aerie.
Learn more about Paul Rogers.

Twenty-nineth in the Jazz Fest poster series.
This year's poster depicts Mahalia Jackson. Mahalia Jackson, a New Orleans native, is considered the world's greatest gospel performer. She performed at the first Jazz Fest in 1970 with Duke Ellington. Singing in a grainy, full-throated soprano that employed slurs and blue notes, Jackson brought a heightened drama and syncopated bounce to her readings of such gospel classics as "Move On Up a Little Higher," "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" made the Billboard's Top 100 and "How I Got Over." She sang for Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, performing at the latter's inaugural. Jackson recorded for Columbia from 1954 until 1967. She recorded about 30 albums during her career, and her records included a dozen "golds"-million-sellers. She received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy award in 1972 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. She sang for Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, performing at the latter's inaugural. A favorite of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson sang at his request immediately before his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington in August 1963. She died of heart failure outside Chicago in 1972.

Artist
James Michalopoulos is a well known New Orleans based artist who is one of two artists that have more than two Jazz Fest posters. This is his third in a series of four Jazz Fest posters. The other three include 1998 (Dr. John), 2001 (Louis Armstrong), and 2006 (Fats Domino).

Michalopoulos is best known for his distinctive architectural renderings, he has created a reputation based on his unique portrayal of the music and energy lurking in houses. His oil paintings capture the life, movement and personality of these structures. In this spirit his houses live, breathe and move like the people who inhabit them. His work can be described as expressionistic, gestural, energetic and colorful.

Twenty-eight in the Jazz Fest poster series. This year's poster depicts Wynton Marsalis. Wynton Marsalis is a New Orleans born jazz musician and composer, who has performed many times at Jazz Fest. The son of Ellis Marsalis, a music teacher and pianist, and longtime fixture on the New Orleans jazz scene. In addition to his father's musical achievements, several of his brothers are notable musicians, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, and drummer Jason Marsalis.
Wynton, who was influenced by Duke Ellington, has made his reputation with a combination of skill in jazz performance and composition, an impressive knowledge of jazz and jazz history, and skill as a classical trumpeter. He has composed sixteen classical and more than thirty jazz recordings, has been awarded nine Grammys between the genres. He was the first jazz musician to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, for his epic oratorio, Blood on the Fields. In addition to these many accomplishments, he has influenced many young musicians such as : James Carter, Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Harry Connick, Jr., Nicholas Payton, Eric Reed and Eric Lewis.

Artist
Paul Rogers is California based artist. This is his first Jazz Fest poster. He also was the artist for the Harry Connick poster for the 2004 Festival. This poster he depicts Wynton Marsalis
Learn more about Paul Rogers.

Twenty-seventh in the Jazz Fest poster series. This year's poster depicts Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong, a New Orleans native, is known by many as Satchmo. He was first known as a cornet player, then as a trumpet player, and toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and became one of the most influential jazz singer. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. His influence, as an artist and cultural icon, is universal, unmatched, and very much alive today.
His career achievements are remarkable. During his career, he:

Developed a way of playing jazz, as an instrumentalist and a vocalist, which has had an impact on all musicians to follow;

Recorded hit songs for five decades, and his music is still heard today on television and radio and in films;

Wrote two autobiographies, more than ten magazine articles, hundreds of pages of memoirs, and thousands of letters;

Appeared in over 30 films as a gifted actor with superb comic timing and an unabashed joy of life;
composed dozens of songs that have become jazz standards;

Performed an average of 300 concerts each year, with his frequent tours to all parts of the world earning him the nickname "Ambassador Satch"; and
became one of the first great celebrities of the twentieth century.

In the early 1920s Armstrong's popularity explode as he left New Orleans for Chicago to play with "King" Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, and then moved on to New York, where he influenced the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra with improvisation and a new musical vocabulary. Armstrong also played in Kid Ory's band. As a bandleader in his own right, Armstrong cut some revolutionary jazz recordings with His Hot Five and His Hot Seven between 1925-27. He was one of America's most significant artists by the late 1930s, and had created a sensation in Europe with live performances and records. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound.
He continued to sing and play jazz brilliantly into the Fifties and Sixties, even managing to unseat the Beatles from the top of the charts in 1964 with his spirited rendition of "Hello, Dolly!" from the Broadway musical of the same name. This feat made him the oldest musician in Billboard history to have a Number One song. In 1971 Armstrong died at age 69.

Artist
James Michalopoulos is a well known New Orleans based artist who is one of two artists that have more than two Jazz Fest posters. This is his second of four Jazz Fest posters. The other three include 1998 (Dr. John), 2003 (Mahalia Jackson) and 2006 (Fats Domino).

Michalopoulos is best known for his distinctive architectural renderings, he has created a reputation based on his unique portrayal of the music and energy lurking in houses. His oil paintings capture the life, movement and personality of these structures. In this spirit his houses live, breathe and move like the people who inhabit them. His work can be described as expressionistic, gestural, energetic and colorful.

Twenty-sixth in the Jazz Fest poster series. George Rodrigue completes a New Orleans Jazz Trilogy, paying tribute to Al Hirt. Al Hirt a New Orleans native was a popular trumpeter and bandleader. He spent over six decades playing at the New Orleans Fairgrounds. Al recorded more than 50 albums in his career. He had 22 different record albums on the Billboard Pop charts in the 1950s and 1960s such as Honey In the Horn and Cotton Candy. He won a Grammy Award for Java. Other accomplishments include playing for standing room only concert at Carnegie, playing for Pope John Paul II and 8 U.S. Presidents including inauguration of President John F. Kennedy and was 15 times voted World's Top Trumpeter in Playboy Magazine's reader polls.

Artist

George Rodrigue is a Cajun artist who grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana. Rodrigue began painting outdoor family gatherings framed by moss-clad oak trees in an area of French Louisiana known as Acadiana.
Rodrigue's early notable works include The Aioli Dinner and Three Oaks.
More recently and worldwide he is known for his creation of the Blue Dog, attributed to his deceased dog named Tiffany and influenced by Loup Garou legend. The Blue Dog was made popular by Absolut Vodka in 1992, when Rodrigue was honored as an Absolut Vodka artist, joining famous artists such as Andy Warhol and glass artist Hans Godo Frabel. The Blue Dog was used by both Absolut Vodka and the Xerox Corporation through national ad campaigns. The blue-hued, ghostly spaniel/terrier is often featured with a white nose and yellow eyes. Her symbol helped coin the term Blue Dog Democrat, which refers to a conservative member of the Democratic Party.
Rodrigue has galleries in Aspen, Colorado, Carmel, California, Lafayette, Louisiana and New Orleans, Louisiana.

This is the last in a series of three Jazz Fest posters George Rodrigue has designed.

To learn more about George Rodrigue visit his web site.

Twenty-fifth in the Jazz Fest poster series. This year's Jazz Fest poster depicts Henry Roeland Byrd. He is better known as Professor Longhair or Fess and is hailed as "the Picasso of keyboard funk" and "the Bach of rock." He began his career by tap dancing for tips on Bourbon Street and playing piano in clubs.

Professor Longhair's only Billboard hit was Baldhead which was released in 1950. Professor Longhair influenced many generations of New Orleans pianists that came up behind him, many of whom made their mark in the interlocking worlds of rhythm & blues and rock and roll. Some of his more prominent musical heirs include Dr. John, Fats Domino, Huey "Piano" Smith, James Booker and Allen Toussaint. His influence can be heard in many popular music in Her Mind is Gone, Hey Now baby, and Professor Longhair's Boogie, all recorded between 1949 and 1953. Little Richard recorded Tutti Frutti in New Orleans in 1955. Fats Domino, produced by Dave Bartholomew (whose band Fess originally replaced at the Caledonia), recorded Ain't That a Shame in New Orleans in 1955 and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and Great Balls of Fire in 1957. In the mid 1960's Professor Longhair abandoned the music business but was rediscovered at the second New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1971. He would closed out Jazz Fest each year after until his death in 1980.

He won a posthumous Grammy in 1987 as Best Traditional Blues Artist for recordings produced in 1972 by Festival Producer Quint Davis. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

Artist
George Dureau

Artist George Dureau is best known for his male figure studies and narrative paintings in oil and charcoal and for his black-and-white photographs. His work has been displayed at galleries and museums in Paris, London, Houston, Los Angeles, Portland, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.
Dureau's versatility is evident in the variety of his creations, which range from major sculptural pieces such as the gates at the New Orleans Museum of Art and the pediment sculpture for Harrah's Casino in New Orleans to elegant posters for the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He has also executed accomplished still lifes and landscapes. But his most persistent subject is the human figure, whether presented in narrative contexts, mythological fantasies, portraits and self-portraits, clothed or nude, painted or photographed.

Twenty-fourth in the Jazz Fest poster series. This year's Jazz Fest poster depicts Dr. John. Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr. better know as Dr. John is a New Orleans native pianist, signer, and song writer. His music spans from blues, New Orleans R&B, rock, and Mardi Gras music to his very own unique voodoo music. His debut album, Gris-Gris, combined voodoo rhythms and chants with the New Orleans music tradition. This album is on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. His first solo hit was Right Place, Wrong Time which was produced by Allen Toussaint, with backing by the Meters. Another famous local New Orleans song is Iko Iko played during Mardi Gras.
Dr. John's voice is hear in the Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits' "Luv dat chicken..." jingle as well as theme music for tv drama series K-Ville and sitcom Blossom. His music has been featured in films such as "Such a Night" and "Colors He has performed version of "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" with Harry Connick, Jr. As well as joined other famous New Orleans native to perform at Super Bowl XL and the NBA All-Star game. He joined Allen Toussaint, Bonnie Raitt, The Edge, and Irma Thomas to perform "We Can Can" as the closing performance at the Grammy Awards. In 2008, he was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame. He performs regularly at Jazz Fest.

Artist
James Michalopoulos is a well known New Orleans based artist who is one of two artists that have more than two Jazz Fest posters. This is his first in a series of four Jazz Fest posters. The other three include 2001 (Louis Armstrong), and 2003 (Mahalia Jackson), 2006 (Fats Domino).

Michalopoulos is best known for his distinctive architectural renderings, he has created a reputation based on his unique portrayal of the music and energy lurking in houses. His oil paintings capture the life, movement and personality of these structures. In this spirit his houses live, breathe and move like the people who inhabit them. His work can be described as expressionistic, gestural, energetic and colorful.

Twenty-third in the Jazz Fest poster series by Francis Pavy. This year's poster portrays the Neville Brothers. The Neville Brothers are the first family of music in New Orleans. Art, Charles, Aaron, and Cyril have been together and recording since 1978. From their modest Uptown New Orleans upbringing, they have reached the point of worldwide fame. Even though each brother has pursued projects of their own, the heart of the matter is family. Family brings them together and keeps them together. With family, there is the miracle of Neville music which has created some of the funkiest sounds this world has ever heard.

Art, Poppa Funk, is the oldest and Founding Father. As both inspired singer and blistering keyboardist, his role models were Fats Domino and Bill Doggett. Art began his recording career, when he cut "Mardi Gras Mambo," a song that has become the annual unofficial anthem for Mardi Gras. Art also tours with the Funky Meters.

Charles is a year younger than Art. His instrument is the saxophone and is called The Boy Wonder of Sax At fifteen, he was the first brother to leave home and hit the road, playing with everyone from the Rabbit Foot Minstrels to B.B.King. Charles has recorded a series of critically acclaimed jazz records.

Aaron has a highly successful solo career. His vocal aesthetic is downright angelic, an extraordinarily sweet mixture of Gene Autry yodeling and Golden Age gospel crooning. Along with Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye, he is classified as one of the seminal soul singers. Aaron scored a Top Ten hit in 1991 with the single "Everybody Plays the Fool," taken from the Ronstadt-produced Warm Your Heart. In 1993, he notched a minor hit with "Don't Take Away My Heaven" from the LP The Grand Tour; a year later, he found success with "I Fall to Pieces," a duet with country star Trisha Yearwood.

Cyril is the baby, a generation younger than his big brothers. His attitude is radical - a rougher, tougher blend of balls-out R&B and uncut bayou funk and militant social consciousness. As a writer, percussionist and powerhouse singer, he has made his mark as the most fiery brother and impassioned keeper of the Neville flame. Cyril has led the Uptown All stars for years.

Since their initial album in 1978, the Neville Brothers have released eight additional new albums. Their most successful and best known album is Yellow Moon. The Nevilles continue to provoke, entertain and excite audiences around the globe. They are the final show each year at Jazz Fest.

Artist

Francis X Pavy from Lafayette, LA has been called the "Picasso of Zydeco" by Rolling Stone. Francis Pavy's paintings capture the memories, music, and tradition of the south. This is his first Jazz Fest poster.

Twenty-second in the Jazz Fest poster series by George Rodrigue. For the first time ever, an artist created two Jazz Fest posters in a row. This poster portrays Pete Fountain, the most famous of all New Orleans jazz clarinetists. Pete has always been considered an ambassador of New Orleans Jazz as he performs his music on guest appearances on network television and specials. Some of the highlights have been such classics as the Ed Sullivan, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Andy Williams specials. More recently his credits include A Close Up of Pete Fountain, Super Bowl Saturday Night and the National Memorial Day Concert. He also performed 59 times on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show." Pete has performed at four U.S. State Dinners by command performance for four Presidents of the United States. He has also performed for Pope John Paul II at the New Orleans Papal Mass.

During Pete's career, he has recorded over 90 albums. Three of Pete's albums have gone gold, "Pete Fountain's New Orleans," "The Blues," and "Mr. New Orleans." He also received a gold record for his hit single "Just A Closer Walk With Thee."
Through Pete's career he has received numerous awards and honors including a Doctorate of Music from the College of Santa Fe, he was voted the #1 Jazz Clarinetist for 13 consecutive years in the Playboy Readers Poll, he was King of Bacchus; he received an Emmy for the 1990 Super Bowl Pre-Game Music; he was awarded the 1993 Louisiana Legends Award; and Pete received the 1998 Lifetime Achievement Award in Music. Fountain was a founder and is the most prominent member of The Half Fast Walking Club, one of the best known marching Krewes that parades in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day

Pete has performed with music legends ranging from Louis Armstrong and Harry James to Harry Connick, Jr. Yet to this day his greatest thrill is taking the stage and performing the music he loves, watching as it works its irresistible magic on the audience.

Artist

George Rodrigue is a Cajun artist who grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana. Rodrigue began painting outdoor family gatherings framed by moss-clad oak trees in an area of French Louisiana known as Acadiana.
Rodrigue's early notable works include The Aioli Dinner and Three Oaks.
More recently and worldwide he is known for his creation of the Blue Dog, attributed to his deceased dog named Tiffany and influenced by Loup Garou legend. The Blue Dog was made popular by Absolut Vodka in 1992, when Rodrigue was honored as an Absolut Vodka artist, joining famous artists such as Andy Warhol and glass artist Hans Godo Frabel. The Blue Dog was used by both Absolut Vodka and the Xerox Corporation through national ad campaigns. The blue-hued, ghostly spaniel/terrier is often featured with a white nose and yellow eyes. Her symbol helped coin the term Blue Dog Democrat, which refers to a conservative member of the Democratic Party.
Rodrigue has galleries in Aspen, Colorado, Carmel, California, Lafayette, Louisiana and New Orleans, Louisiana.

This is the second in a series of three Jazz Fest posters George Rodrigue has designed.

To learn more about George Rodrigue visit his web site.

Twenty-first in the Jazz Fest poster series. This year's poster depicts Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong, a New Orleans native, is known by many as Satchmo. He was first known as a cornet player, then as a trumpet player, and toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and became one of the most influential jazz singer. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. His influence, as an artist and cultural icon, is universal, unmatched, and very much alive today.
His career achievements are remarkable. During his career, he:

Developed a way of playing jazz, as an instrumentalist and a vocalist, which has had an impact on all musicians to follow;

Recorded hit songs for five decades, and his music is still heard today on television and radio and in films;

Wrote two autobiographies, more than ten magazine articles, hundreds of pages of memoirs, and thousands of letters;

Appeared in over 30 films as a gifted actor with superb comic timing and an unabashed joy of life;
composed dozens of songs that have become jazz standards;

Performed an average of 300 concerts each year, with his frequent tours to all parts of the world earning him the nickname "Ambassador Satch"; and
became one of the first great celebrities of the twentieth century.

In the early 1920s Armstrong's popularity explode as he left New Orleans for Chicago to play with "King" Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, and then moved on to New York, where he influenced the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra with improvisation and a new musical vocabulary. Armstrong also played in Kid Ory's band. As a bandleader in his own right, Armstrong cut some revolutionary jazz recordings with His Hot Five and His Hot Seven between 1925-27. He was one of America's most significant artists by the late 1930s, and had created a sensation in Europe with live performances and records. His music had had a major effect on "swing" and the big band sound.
He continued to sing and play jazz brilliantly into the Fifties and Sixties, even managing to unseat the Beatles from the top of the charts in 1964 with his spirited rendition of "Hello, Dolly!" from the Broadway musical of the same name. This feat made him the oldest musician in Billboard history to have a Number One song. In 1971 Armstrong died at age 69.

Artist

George Rodrigue is a Cajun artist who grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana. Rodrigue began painting outdoor family gatherings framed by moss-clad oak trees in an area of French Louisiana known as Acadiana.
Rodrigue's early notable works include The Aioli Dinner and Three Oaks.
More recently and worldwide he is known for his creation of the Blue Dog, attributed to his deceased dog named Tiffany and influenced by Loup Garou legend. The Blue Dog was made popular by Absolut Vodka in 1992, when Rodrigue was honored as an Absolut Vodka artist, joining famous artists such as Andy Warhol and glass artist Hans Godo Frabel. The Blue Dog was used by both Absolut Vodka and the Xerox Corporation through national ad campaigns. The blue-hued, ghostly spaniel/terrier is often featured with a white nose and yellow eyes. Her symbol helped coin the term Blue Dog Democrat, which refers to a conservative member of the Democratic Party.
Rodrigue has galleries in Aspen, Colorado, Carmel, California, Lafayette, Louisiana and New Orleans, Louisiana.

This is the first in a series of three Jazz Fest posters George Rodrigue has designed. This poster was sold out before the Festival's second weekend.

To learn more about George Rodrigue visit his web site.

Twentieth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Peter Max. This 25th anniversary print was the second horizontally formatted Jazz fest poster ever produced and the first to be produced as a two part image. Arrayed on the stage are many of the greats of New Orleans music (from left to right): Wynton Marsalis, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Pete Fountain (upside down) Danny & Blu Lu Barker, Al Hirt, Irma Thomas, Clifton Chenier, Aaron Neville and an uncredited grand marshal.

Artist

Peter Max is a multi-dimensional creative artist. He has worked with oils, acrylics, water colors, finger paints, dyes, pastels, charcoal, pen, multi-colored pencils, etchings, engravings, animation cells, lithographs, serigraphs, silk screens, ceramics, sculpture, collage, video and computer graphics.

Max often uses American symbols in his artwork and has done paintings and projects for Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush. Recently he created his 100 Clintons, a multiple portrait installation whose images were used through the four days of the Presidential inauguration. More recently, Max completed his fourth Grammy-Award poster, redesigned NBC television's symbolic peacock, was appointed as the official artist for the World Cup USA 1994 and created a "Peace Accord" painting for the White House to commemorate a historic signing.

A lover of music, Max has been designated Official Artist for the Grammys, and the Woodstock Music Festival.

In the sports arena, Max has been the Official Artist for five Super Bowls, The World Cup USA, The U.S. Tennis Open and the NHL All-Star Game.

Nineteenth in the Jazz Fest poster series by John Scott produced this challenging mosaic of traditional New Orleans music.

Artist
John T. Scott is one of New Orleans' most nationally renowned and respected visual artists.

Throughout his career John Scott has drawn on New Orleans' rich culture and musical heritage in creating his innovative and diverse works of art. Much of his art work solidifies the elusive feel of New Orleans and the historical and spiritual influence of its culture. Scott is best known for creating vibrantly colored and multi-layered prints and kinetic sculptures, Scott's work has been referred to as "optical jazz," evoking the spirit of music and dance in his art. Scott employs an improvisational technique that he describes as "Spherical Thinking," which allows him to see relationships between all things, even when the relationship may not be blatantly clear.

In 1992 he won a "genius" grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a hefty sum of money that he used to build a bigger studio where he crafted several of his monumental public sculptures, including his 1994 Spiritgate at the side courtyard of the New Orleans Museum of Art, and his 2002 Spirit House on DeSaix Avenue, in collaboration with Martin Payton. In 2005, his Circle Dance: The Art of John T. Scott retrospective premiered at the New Orleans Museum of Art

Sixteenth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Louise Mouton. The banner of notes diagonally dissecting the image is the chorus of the song, "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans." Above the banner is a collage of items from the by-gone days of 78's and bits of New Orleans architecture. On the lower left is Kid Sheik, 88 years young at the time of the print's release, whose trumpet traced the arc of New Orleans Jazz almost from its birth.

Fifteenth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Richard Thomas. This poster depicts New Orleans living legend Fats Dominio, known as the Fat Man . He performs annually at Jazz Fest. With his easy-rolling boogie-woogie piano and smooth rhythm & blues vocals, Fats Domino put a New Orleans-style spin on what came to be known as rock and roll. A pianist, singer, and songwriter he sold more records (65 million) than any Fifties-era rocker except Elvis Presley. Between 1950 and 1963, he cracked the pop Top Forty thirty-seven times and the R&B singles chart fifty-nine times. They include "Ain't That a Shame," "Blueberry Hill," "I'm Walkin'," "Blue Monday" and "Walking to New Orleans." His awards have been many, including Grammy's Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Artist
Richard Thomas' pop portrait of Fats Domino began a new direction in subject matter, editions and technique. The 20th anniversary of the Jazz Fest marked the first in a still-continuing series of portraits of the people who made New Orleans music unique. Thomas reflected the dynamic personality of his legendary subject.

Fourthteenth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Kevin Combs. Zydeco is a popular accordion-based musical genre hailing from south-central and southwest Louisiana. Contrary to popular belief, it is not Cajun in origin; rather, zydeco is the music of south Louisiana's Creoles of Color, who borrowed many of zydeco's defining elements from Cajun music. This poster captures the energy of this musical art form.

Thirteenth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Hugh Ricks. This is Hugh Ricks second Jazz Fest poster. He also was the artist for the 1983 poster.

Artist
Hugh Ricks a New Orleans native is one of the country's best poster artist. He has designed The Crescent City Classic poster, the Albuquerque Balloon Festival poster, and the Boston Marathon poster. He has also designed the famous Zatarain's spice labels.
Other than George Rodrigue (1995 & 1996), Hugh Ricks was the only artist to do two posters (see 1983).

Twelfth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Lyndon Barrois. This year poster portrays instruments instead of the ususal musician. This poster was the first horizontally formatted poster. The only other horizontal poster is the 1994 poster.

Artist

Eleventh in the Jazz Fest Poster series by Tore Wallin. This was the first poster to be translated from an original oil painting. The image is the first to consider the introspective nature of the soloist.

Tenth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Philip Bascle.
Philip Bascle, whose artistry with textile design is well known throughout the United States, creates a page of musical notation of the Jazz Fest experience in this detailed allegory.

Ninth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Hugh Ricks. This year's poster is a celebration of gospel music.

Artist
Hugh Ricks a New Orleans native is one of the country's best poster artist. He has designed The Crescent City Classic poster, the Albuquerque Balloon
Festival poster, and the Boston Marathon poster. He has also designed the famous Zatarain's spice labels.
Other than George Rodrigue (1995 & 1996), Hugh Ricks was the only artist to do two posters (see 1987).

Eighth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Stephen St. Germain. Lyrically drawn musicians nest in soft clouds defined using the pastel gradation techniques introduced in 1980.

Seventh in the Jazz Fest poster series by K. N. Martin. The colorful harp of an upright piano, a staple in jazz since Jellyroll Morton, form the center of this image. The shirt on the musician inspired production of an annual commemorative shirt, production of which continues today.

Sixth in the Jazz Fest poster series by Phillip Collier. This year's poster depicts musicians playing in the rain under a crescent moon. Collier has won many local, regional and national design awards.

Fifth in the Jazz Fest poster series by John Martinez. The grand marshal returns for the Jazz Festival's 10th anniversary; as does the "cut paper" technique first seen in the 1977 poster. The vivid palette matches the brassy celebration marking a decade of Jazz Fest.

What is this poster worth? Go to art4now.com to see current value.

Fourth in the Jazz Fest Poster series by Charest & Brousseau. This poster depicts a trombone player and banjo player playing music on the front porches of a New Orleans home.

Artist
Charest & Brousseau are husband and wife artist from Canada.

What is this poster worth? Go to art4now.com to see current value.

Third in the Jazz Fest poster series by Kathleen Joffrion. This was the first poster to employ the "cut paper" technique to achieve bold flat areas of color. The poster celebrates a jazz ensemble against a yellow mountain landscape.

Artist
Kathleen Joffrion is one of the first local artist to design the Jazz Fest poster. She is also best known for designing the logo for Tipitina's.

Second in the Jazz Fest poster series by Maria Laredo. This year poster portrays Fats Houston, the definitive grand marshal of the Eureka marching brass band. With his signature derby hat in one hand and woven straw fan in the other, he was the embodiment of all the dignity and style that New Orleans jazz could attain. The Eureka marching band was active from 1920 to 1975. The group's membership varied at any given time, usually holding between nine and eleven members. The typical group consisted of three trumpets, two trombones, two reeds, tuba, snare drum, and bass drum.

First in the series by Sharon Dinkins & Thorn Grafton. This is the poster that started the Jazz Fest poster annual tradition. The poster depicts an umbrella-wielding grand marshal in a typical pose leading one of New Orleans' unique marching jazz bands. The New Orleans Jazz Festival Poster was created by ProCreations Publishing Company in 1975 as a fifth anniversary fundraiser for the non-profit New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The nature of the series as a limited-edition silk-screen poster was established with this first print.

Learn more about the first jazz fest poster go to art4now.com the offical Jazz Fest poster publisher.

The Jazz Fest poster is a limited addition poster. Since the poster is limited and will not be reproduced once the series is sold out. The poster increases in value, which make this poster series very popular. Art4now, the publisher of annual Jazz Fest poster, provides the poster value each year.

Click here to see what the current value of your Jazz Fest poster is.