An Awkward Spot

Since I raise the age issue with respect to the Jazz Fest lineup each year, it’s hard for me to carp too much about someone young and relatively unknown playing the festival. The festival could book a toaster oven on every stage and draw 40,000 people, and with almost 40 years of history, it seems like it could take a few chances.

Today a DVD of the single “Ain’t No Reason” by Brett Dennen landed on my desk accompanied by a note saying he’s playing Jazz Fest Friday, May 2. Sure enough, he is, at 12:55 p.m. on the Gentilly Stage – one of the festival’s two biggest stages. It confirms my sad feeling that the festival loves its blues, soul and folk music John Mayerized, and its world music, Paul Simonized.