Dear Listener,

Well, it's Bayou Boogaloo and Cajun Crawfish Festival time again, but don't go looking for it on the shores of St John. That was last month. I'm talking about another event that featured all that goes into a good old-fashioned New Orleans festival: jambalaya, gumbo, etoufée, alligator, muffuletta, andouille and beignets; the Iguanas, C.J. Chenier, Feufollet, the Delondes, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Hot 8 Brass Band, Sonny Landreth, Meschiya Lake, George Porter, Jr., Big Sam's Funky Nation and Hurray for the Riff-Raff. WWOZ had its very own stage - rare outside New Orleans - and had them dancing in the aisles! But this Boogaloo was in Norfolk, Virginia. WWOZ's intrepid outreach krewe, George Ingmire, Dimitri Apessos and Melanie Merz, were on hand to represent. They report feeling lots of love from the crowd, as well as the producers of the Norfolk Bayou Boogaloo who reached out and invited us to 'OZ-ify their festivities every which way. And did we ever!

This weekend WWOZ will shift to the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic, where we’ll be broadcasting the best of rural delta blues from one of the most authentic music offerings available anywhere. The Picnic happens Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27, near the corner of HWY 7 and HWY 310, about 15 miles north of Oxford MS. If you can’t make it, join us via the airwaves from 10am to midnight to hear the complete lineup of Saturday’s performances by major contemporary artists having direct ties to R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Otha Turner.

And on July 2, WWOZ will be recording (for later broadcast and streaming) a benefit concert we're co-producing with Mickey Hart during the Grateful Dead’s Fare Thee Will Tour in Chicago. Our party will be held at The Metro and feature a New Orleans Super Band that includes Ivan Neville, Papa Mali, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Tony Hall, Willie Green and Marc "Buddha" Balsam. There’s a really cool video, put together by WWOZ’s video director, Charlie Steiner, that illustrates just how profoundly moved folk are from one end of the country to the other by the music of New Orleans and the station that champions that music: WWOZ. By the way, there’s still time to get tickets, if you’re gonna be anywhere near Chicago on July 2.

Yours in construction zones and chicken bones,

David Freedman
General Manager

We're going to the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic! The two-day event primarily features artists born and raised in the North Mississippi hill country. R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough first made a name for blues in the region, and their descendants will be among the musicians on stage at The Picnic Friday June 26 and Saturday June 27. We plan to broadcast live all of the acts playing on Saturday. We'll also record acts playing on Friday, and play some back, as time permits, between the acts broadcast live on Saturday.

» Hill Country Picnic line up

WWOZ and famed Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart are co-presenting a concert, "Busted on Bourbon Street, A Journey to New Orleans," at the Metro in Chicago on July 2. The show serves as a pre-party to the Grateful Dead shows in Chicago on July 3-5. Join us for performances from Ivan Neville, Papa Mali, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Tony Hall, Willie Green and Marc "Buddha" Balsam on Thursday, July 2 at The Metro, 3730 N. Clark St, Chicago.

» Get tickets for Busted on Bourbon Street

WWOZ is highlighting new releases from local artists every week this summer. Check out the latest albums from The Deslondes, a group from the Lower 9th Ward that embodies the Americana genre, and Tom McDermott and Aurora Nealand, a duo that showcases their love of traditional New Orleans jazz as well as the sounds of Latin America on their first release together, City of Timbres.

» The Deslondes

» Aurora Nealand & Tom McDermott, City of Timbres

You don’t have to wait for this monthly newsletter to find out the latest with your Jazz & Heritage Station. Join us on the social media networks—you can find WWOZ on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, and Soundcloud.

 » WWOZ on social networks

WWOZ's video unit has been busy creating original videos featuring artists in performance at local festivals, special events, and in the WWOZ Studio. Artists include, among others, Davell Crawford, Mario Abney, and Ruthie Foster. And our "Busker Blog" series profiles notable street performers like Doreen Ketchens. Find it all at WWOZ Video Central.

 » WWOZ Video Central

This month we would like to honor Bayou Paddlesports for their sponsorship support of WWOZ. Owner Rhonda Ardoin created her business five years ago because there was a need for accessible paddling within the city. "When I decided to go out on my own, I wanted to share my experiences on the water with everyone and operate a green, sustainable business. I wanted to share the outdoors with others and teach them how to responsibly navigate our local waterways."

 » More about Rhonda Ardoin and Bayou Paddlesports

This month we reprise a recipe which came to us courtesy of Liberty’s Kitchen: a traditional New Orleans bread pudding. That, of course, makes it the best of all the many versions in the world!

 »  Recipe: New Orleans Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce