Phish and the city of New Orleans have a long relationship. Since the band first played the city in 1990, Phish performed there semi- regularly and have been adopted with typical local hospitality. Keyboardist Page McConnell’s father co-founded the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic for local musicians in 1998, funded in part with money raised by the sale of a collaborative CD titled “Get You A Healin'” on which Page appears, along with bassist Mike Gordon and an all-star NOLA cast. Page also recorded Vida Blue’s self-titled first album there and drummer Jon Fishman has played there with a variety of bands. The city also provided the backdrop for the formation of Oysterhead, guitarist Trey Anastasio’s collaboration with Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland. All the band members have enjoyed working and playing in New Orleans, collaborating with local musicians, in Phish and other projects over the years. From the early Tipitina’s shows to State Palace Theater and ultimately to the Jazz and Heritage Festival and beyond, Phish has soaked up the bayou’s unparalleled taste for exploratory music and next-level reveling. By the time they arrived at the 27th annual Jazzfest in 1996, Phish was welcomed with open arms and they played in a manner befitting the occasion.
Phish’s “New Orleans Relief” consists of the entire April 26, 1996 performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and is available now at livephish.com in both MP3 and lossless FLAC format. “New Orleans Relief” is rounded out with filler consisting of the entire second set from November 7, 1991 at Tipitina’s where Phish was joined by special guests from Colonel Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit, who opened the show. The master cassette of set I of the Tip’s show is missing, so “New Orleans Relief” provides a perfect chance to highlight the magic that occurred when Phish and ARU combined their talents to the great appreciation of those sufficiently “out-erested” to follow along. Both shows were mastered from the original 2-track soundboard recordings and were mastered by Fred Kevorkian.
In addition to this very special download release, Phish Dry Goods is offering a special “New Orleans Relief” T-Shirt and a brand new, limited edition poster by Jim Pollock. The t-shirt and poster are available for pre-order now at drygoods.phish.com/nola .
All artists and vendors involved in the project donated their time to the cause and ALL proceeds from “New Orleans Relief” downloads, t-shirt and poster sales will be donated directly to Tipitina’s Foundation and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation has earmarked their funds for “Raisin’ The Roof”; a program that builds affordable housing for New Orleans musicians, and to fund 2nd Line Parades.
