Welcome to Festival Circuit. This is a new narrative series focusing on the history and impact of festivals and cities around the world. The first season, focused on the music of New Orleans and the annual jazz festival, premieres today.

In episode 1, we explore the history of the city and the history of music in New Orleans, including how the institution of slavery influenced the unique rhythms of the city. We also trace the evolution of jazz music and how that led to the creation of the jazz fest in 1970. The next episodes will focus on the families of the city, the creation and evolution of the jazz festival, memorable performances in the festival’s history, the impact of late night shows around the city, and the legacy and lasting appeal of New Orleans music.

For this series, we interviewed Ivan Neville, George Porter, Jr., Irma Thomas, Anders Osborne, Ben Jaffe, Papa Mali and dozens of other musicians. We also talked to writers, academics and music fans about what makes the music of the city so unique. Thanks to all interviewees, and to our partners at WWOZ.

Festival Circuit is presented by Osiris Media. This series is Narrated and Produced by Rob Steinberg. Executive Producers are Christina Collins, Andrew Goodwin and RJ Bee, who also double duties as series writer and creator. Produced, Edited and Mixed by Matt Dwyer. Show logo by Liz Bee. The theme song is “JazzFest Time,” by Circus Mind. To check out more shows that help deepen the connection to music you love, please visit OsirisPod.com. 

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