Jazz Fest is underway, and of course I’m far removed from the action, but doing my best to monitor things. Thus a bit from The Advocate:
Of course, Jazz Fest wouldn’t be Jazz Fest without the city’s funky physician, Dr. John. The doctor and his band played smoky gris-gris music via “Marie Leveau,” a song about the legendary voodoo queen of New Orleans; they also paid tribute to the city’s colorful Mardi Gras Indians, both those who’re still here and others who’ve left the planet, with “Indian Red”; put a silky Latin tinge on “St. James Infirmary”; and got the vast crowd at the Acura Stage wooing along with the singer-pianist’s biggest hit, “Right Place, Wrong Time.”
A couple of years ago I did some research into the song "St. James Infirmary," wrote up what I found, emailed that essay to friends and posted it on my web site (as part of a series of "Letters From New Orleans," as I was living in that city at the time). Based on the feedback, I wrote a second version of the essay, and asked for more feedback. Based on that, I wrote a 
