Hey now! I truly hope all is well with you…there’s sunshine and Jazz blossoming outside so get out and smell the roses…and GROOVE!

This weekend marks the kickoff of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival so you KNOW it’s SPRING! To get in the spirit I’ve been diggin’ on our NEW ORLEANS GUMBO channel at www.myjazznetwork.com and feeling the spirit of it all! I had a rush of entries for free tickets so thanks to everyone who dropped me a note…Congrats to Terrence Bicharaux and Kathy Keen…I can’t wait to see you in New Orleans!

For the first time in years I’m making this a ROAD TRIP…so I’m packing up the truck and rolling from Dallas through the winding Spanish moss of Louisiana to the Big Easy! With A stop over in Shreveport it will be a casual drive (5 hours to Shreveport) then 5 hours to New Orleans the next day. I’ll have my Cam Cam video camera with me and my digital camera so you’ll get the full report in a few weeks…including my stay at the Casa Hinard the home of my dear friend Peter Yokum one of the finest painters in the world. His home is a spectacular piece of New Orleans preservation that has been in his family for some seven generations.

I can’t wait for you to see it. Peter’s paintings of Jazz musicians, still lifes and portraits are in some of the world’s greatest collections.

For a quick escape right there from your desk just go to www.myjazznetwork.com and click the ECLECTIC section in AUDIO LIVE…then just scroll down to the New Orleans Gumbo Channel and you’ll be there with me in spirit!

I’m also making a special trip to the Ninth Ward to see the progress Brad Pitt and his team has made in revitalizing the neighborhood since Katrina and will bring back the news to you first hand. I have so many friends that were forced to leave when they lost their homes and businesses…I’ll especially be thinking of my dear friend photographer Herman Leonard who lost his home and many of his priceless possessions in the disaster. A visit to his incredible home and studio were part of my annual ritual whenever I visited New Orleans.

Whenever I THINK I’m having a tough day I think of what it would feel like to lose my home and my photographs of family and my little companion Dizzy (my dog) like so many people did there and realize I have nothing to complain about.

I can smell the gumbo and hear the street musicians and feel the energy right now sitting here at my desk…it’s just about time for a ROAD TRIP!