New Orleans Jazz Fest: A Pictorial History »

An extraordinary documentation through photographs of the evolution of this yearly festival that in New Orleans has become a seasonal ritual comparable only to the revelry of ...

Library Journal

Smith, a freelance photographer who has exhibited around the world, has drawn from several thousand photographs to compile a pictorial history that captures the magic of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. From 1970, when several hundred people gathered in Congo Square, to 1990, which saw a crowd of close to a quarter million spread over 35 acres, Smith takes the viewer through a feast of Louisiana's cultural heritage. Jam sessions (jazz, cajun, gospel, zydeco, even Latin American music), food booths (how about some crawfish pie and gumbo?), crowd shots (including one with Harry Connick Jr. as a young boy in 1978), and assorted crafts (knife making, silk painting, boat building) portray an eclectic mix and a lasting tribute to the success of this annual event.-- Kathleen Sparkman, Baylor Univ., Waco, Tex.