The city of New Orleans is riding high these days. With the beloved football team winning the Super Bowl, a new mayor promising a brighter future, a rebuilding of structures and economy, and a new HBO television show, Treme, extolling the virtues of the unique culture of this musical mecca, times could not be better for the 41st Annual Jazz and Heritage Festival. Like its famed cuisine, this huge music marathon offers a gumbo of sights and sounds; a diversified assortment of styles ranging from jazz to blues to gospel to rock, and everything in between. The local population is proud of its heritage, and tourists are flocking to discover the attributes of music seemingly embedded in the soil...second-line parades, zydeco bands, and Cajun dance troupes open doors to an entertaining Petri dish of musical styles. During two weekends in late-April and early-May, spanning about a dozen stages, the second oldest horseracing track in the country comes alive with a bountiful assortment of musical talent, sprinkled with areas displaying art, crafts, food, and culture, both regional and international. In a single afternoon, one could sample numerous exotic flavors...spicy jambalaya, cochon au lait po'boys, and crawfish monica, while strolling through art exhibits, blacksmith demonstrations, and even taking a ride on a folk-art inspired merry-go-round built by a Cajun woodworker...