Miriam Makeba during her last performance in Italy on Sunday
Photo: Carlo Hermann/ AFP/ Getty Images

Miriam Makeba, the legendary South African singer known affectionately as "Mama Africa," died Sunday during a benefit concert in Italy. According to Agence France-Presse, the 76-year-old singer was performing for a crowd of around 1,000 for a half hour before collapsing on stage.

"There were calls for an encore and at that moment someone asked if there was a doctor in the house. Miriam Makeba had fainted and was lying on the floor," according to an AFP photographer who covered the event. Makeba received treatment while the audience shouted for encores, but died in the hospital as a result of a heart attack. The singer was the headlining act in a concert in support of author Roberto Saviano, who has received death threats from the Italian mafia for "Gomorrah," his book about the underground crime family.

Makeba became the musical embodiment of black South Africans' struggle against the racist apartheid regime, as well as an international music star thanks to such hits as "Pata Pata" and "The Click Song." Born in Johannesburg, South Africa on March 4, 1932, Makeba became the nation's musical ambassador during the period when future South African president Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years for his fight against the apartheid government. Her South African citizenship was revoked in 1960, forcing Makeba into a three-decade exile during which she lived in the U.S., Guinea and Europe and was even denied permission to return to her home for her mother's funeral.

Among those paying tribute to Makeba was anti-apartheid leader Mandela, who said, "She was South Africa's first lady of song and so richly deserved the title of 'Mama Africa.' She was a mother to our struggle and to the young nation of ours."

While Makeba's music was outlawed in her former homeland, she achieved international success and won a Grammy award for Best Folk Recording along with Harry Belafonte in 1965 for the album An Evening With Belafonte/ Makeba. The award came five years after Makeba's citizenship was revoked due to her appearance in the 1959 anti-apartheid film, "Come Back, Africa." Among her five marriages was a controversial one to Black Panthers leader and civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael, and one to famed trumpeter and fellow South African exile Hugh Masekela.

Makeba made another splash on the international scene in 1987, when she performed with Paul Simon on his "Graceland" tour in a show in Zimbabwe, which neighbors South Africa.

• Miriam Makeba
• Harry Belafonte
• Paul Simon

Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon
Photo: CBS News

When they broke up in 1970, folk rock duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel weren't on the best of terms. But 33 years spent mostly apart with only occasional reunion tours have healed wounds and turned the former bitter enemies into old friends. At least, that's what they'd have us believe as they prepare for their Old Friends Tour, their first major outing since 1983.

Simon & Garfunkel announced the reunion in a New York press conference on Tuesday at the club the Bottom Line. A brief performance of their songs "Old Friends," "Homeward Bound" and "The Boxer" followed the news. So far, 28 shows have been planned, starting October 18 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dates will run through the middle of December. Some will go on sale on Monday.

The concerts will mostly consist of material from the group's five studio albums, Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, (1964), Sounds of Silence (1966), Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (1966), Bookends (1968) and Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970). However, Simon & Garfunkel will perform a smattering of songs from their respective solo careers. Some songs will be played as a duo and others will be performed with a backing band.

The duo grew up together as friends in Forest Hills, New York, and started recording together in 1957 as Tom & Jerry. After breaking up, they discovered the reflective ring and lilting harmonies of folk music, and re-formed as Simon & Garfunkel.

Although they didn't make a splash right away, gradually they would develop a large following with songs like "The Sounds of Silence," "I Am a Rock" and "Homeward Bound." But it was "Mrs. Robinson," a song penned for the Mike Nichols film "The Graduate," that catapulted Simon & Garfunkel into the mainstream.

The track won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1969 and Simon was honored with a Grammy for Best Original Score for a Motion Picture. The band's next record, Bridge Over Troubled Water, received several Grammys, including one for Album of the Year.

Simon & Garfunkel broke up in 1970 because of personal and artistic differences, yet remained aware of their appeal to the public, and occasionally got back together. In 1975 they recorded the single "My Little Town" and they played a few shows here and there. One of these shows, a 1981 concert in Central Park, drew 500,000 fans, and was captured on the 1982 disc Live in Central Park. The success of the album led to a 1983 tour, but plans to record a new album were thwarted because of their inability to get along.

Most recently, Simon & Garfunkel opened this year's Grammy Awards with a performance of "The Sounds of Silence" and were honored at the ceremony with the Lifetime Achievement Award. A double-disc retrospective, Essential Simon & Garfunkel, will be released on October 14.

Confirmed Simon & Garfunkel tour dates, according to their publicist:

• 10/18 - Auburn Hills, Michigan @ Palace of Auburn Hills
• 10/22 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
• 10/24 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
• 10/26 - Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
• 11/5 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion at San Jose
• 11/14 - Anaheim, CA @ Arrowhead Pond
• 11/17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center

• Simon & Garfunkel
• Paul Simon
• Art Garfunkel

Renée Zellweger in "Chicago"
Photo: Miramax

A film set in the Windy City breezed past the competition to score the most nominations for the 75th annual Academy Awards.

"Chicago" received 13 nods, including four acting honors and Best Picture, a category in which the flick about two headline-hungry murderesses will face off against Martin Scorsese's 19th century epic "Gangs of New York," the Virginia Woolf-inspired "The Hours," second in the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (click here for photos from the film) and the Holocaust drama "The Pianist."

"Chicago" actress Renée Zellweger received a nomination for Actress in a Leading Role, while her co-stars Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones picked up nods for Actress in a Supporting Role. "Chicago" cohort John C. Reilly is gunning for a statuette in the Actor in a Supporting Role category, while Rob Marshall was nominated for Best Director (see "The Oscar Noms: Kurt Loder Weighs In").

Eminem, U2 and Paul Simon got their first Oscar nominations, in the Music (Song) category. Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and "The Hands That Built America," written by U2 for "Gangs of New York," will go up against Simon's "Father and Daughter" from "The Wild Thornberrys Movie," "Burn It Blue" from "Frida" and "I Move On" from "Chicago."

Although "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" led the Oscar pack last year with 13 nominations, the "Two Towers" sequel nabbed less than half as many. Besides Best Picture, the fantasy flick's other five nods fell in technical categories.

Nicolas Cage was nominated for Actor in a Leading Role for dual parts as a quirky screenwriter and his twin brother in "Adaptation." Cage is competing against Daniel Day-Lewis' suave yet sinister crime boss Bill the Butcher in "Gangs of New York" and "The Pianist" star Adrien Brody. Also up for the honor are Michael Caine for "The Quiet American" and Jack Nicholson for "About Schmidt." With 12 nominations in his career, Nicholson is the most nominated male actor.

In the Actress in a Leading Role category, Zellweger will face off against Salma Hayek ("Frida"), Nicole Kidman ("The Hours"), Diane Lane ("Unfaithful") and Julianne Moore ("Far From Heaven"). In addition to Latifah and Zeta-Jones, the women vying for an Actress in a Supporting Role honor include Kathy Bates ("About Schmidt"), Moore ("The Hours") and Meryl Streep ("Adaptation").

The top moneymaking movie of 2002, "Spider-Man," got just two nominations, both for special effects.

A partial list of nominations for the 75th annual Academy Awards:

Best Picture:
• "Chicago"
• "Gangs of New York"
• "The Hours"
• "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
• "The Pianist"

  Actor in a Leading Role:

• Adrien Brody
• Nicolas Cage
• Michael Caine
• Daniel Day-Lewis
• Jack Nicholson

  Actor in a Supporting Role:

• Chris Cooper
• Ed Harris
• Paul Newman
• John C. Reilly
• Christopher Walken

  Actress in a Leading Role:

• Salma Hayek
• Nicole Kidman
• Diane Lane
• Julianne Moore
• Renée Zellweger

  Actress in a Supporting Role:

• Kathy Bates
• Julianne Moore
• Queen Latifah
• Meryl Streep
• Catherine Zeta-Jones

  Directing:

• Rob Marshall, "Chicago"
• Martin Scorsese, "Gangs of New York"
• Stephen Daldry, "The Hours"
• Roman Polanski, "The Pianist"
• Pedro Almodóvar, "Talk to Her"

  Animated Feature Film:

• "Ice Age"
• "Lilo & Stitch"
• "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"
• "Spirited Away"
• "Treasure Planet"

  Art Direction:

• "Chicago"
• "Frida"
• "Gangs of New York"
• "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
• "Road to Perdition"

  Cinematography:

• "Chicago"
• "Far From Heaven"
• "Gangs of New York"
• "The Pianist"
• "Road to Perdition"

  Costume Design:

• "Chicago"
• "Frida"
• "Gangs of New York"
• "The Hours"
• "The Pianist"

  Documentary Feature:

• "Bowling for Columbine"
• "Daughter From Danang"
• "Prisoner of Paradise"
• "Spellbound"
• "Winged Migration"

  Music (Score):

• "Catch Me If You Can"
• "Far From Heaven"
• "Frida"
• "The Hours"
• "Road to Perdition"

  Music (Song):

• "Chicago"
• "8 Mile"
• "Frida"
• "Gangs of New York"
• "The Wild Thornberrys Movie"

  Visual Effects:

• "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
• "Spider-Man"
• "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones"

  Writing (Adapted Screenplay):

• "About a Boy"
• "Adaptation"
• "Chicago"
• "The Hours"
• "The Pianist"

  Writing (Original Screenplay):

• "Far From Heaven"
• "Gangs of New York"
• "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
• "Talk to Her"
• "Y Tu Mamá También"

• Queen Latifah
• Eminem
• U2
• Paul Simon

George Harrison
Photo: MTV News

The loss of George Harrison on Thursday (see ) affects people from nearly every facet of the music industry. From artists who've worked with the former Beatles guitarist to those who've only experienced his impact on record, Harrison will be sadly missed, though the legacy he leaves behind will never be forgotten.

Those who personally knew the youngest Beatle describe him as a humble gentleman whose sincerity and kindness were matched only by spiritual devotion and love of music. As one of the first musicians to use his influence for humanitarian endeavors, he paved the way for industry efforts such as Live Aid and the Tibetan Freedom Concerts.

His sense of humor was also legendary. During the Beatles' first recording session, when producer George Martin asked the group if they didn't like anything, it was Harrison who reportedly quipped, "Well, first of all, I don't like your tie." Some 40 years later, when reports of Harrison's cancer battle depicted him with one foot in the grave, the feisty guitarist recorded his final song, entitled "Horse to the Water," a riff off the adage "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

Meanwhile, those who knew him from his musical contributions alone stress that there isn't an artist around who hasn't been influenced in some way by Harrison's innovative style. "The Beatles have an impact on every band playing today," said Creed frontman Scott Stapp, before adding that Harrison's musical lineage was equaled by his affable manner. "People always talked about how down-to-earth he was. That's the legacy you want to leave behind."

"We are all devastated by this news. It's deeply sad to lose such a beautiful guy. Luckily Heather [Mills] and I saw George a couple of weeks ago, and true to form, he was laughing and joking. George was a very brave man with a heart of gold, but also someone who didn't suffer fools gladly. I'll always remember that without George it all wouldn't have been possible. I'll miss him dearly and I'll always love him — he's my baby brother." — Paul McCartney, Beatles singer/bassist

"George was a best friend of mine. I loved him very much and I will miss him greatly. Both [my wife] Barbara and I send our love and light to [George's wife] Olivia and [son] Dhani. We will miss George for his sense of love, his sense of music and his sense of laughter." — Ringo Starr, Beatles drummer

"I am very saddened by George's death and will miss him enormously. As a guitarist, he invented many classic lines that were much copied by others, and he wrote several very beautiful songs that we will always remember. He was a very complex character, both quiet and funny with a very sweet nature, but he also could be rather combative at times. He was the first musician I knew who developed a truly spiritual side, and he was generous with his time to both charity and to friends." — Mick Jagger, Rolling Stones singer

"To me — George was, always will be, above all, a real gentleman, in the full meaning of the word. We both felt we held similar positions in our respective bands, which formed a special, knowing bond between us. Let's hope he's jamming with John." — Keith Richards, Rolling Stones guitarist

"George has given so much to us in his lifetime and he continues to do so even after his passing with his music, his wit and his wisdom. His life was magical, and we all felt we had shared a little bit of it by knowing him. Thank you, George. It was grand knowing you." — Yoko Ono, widow of Beatles singer/guitarist John Lennon

"George was a wonderful musician and a fine human being. He was the baby of the Beatles, unlike Paul and John, he had a hard time developing his songwriting talent and making his music alone. But he worked hard and with enormous patience, building his music meticulously, he eventually came to write one of the greatest love songs of all time, 'Something.' George was a true friend, intensely loyal, caring deeply for those he loved and he inspired much love in return. Olivia and Dhani gave him the ideal family that he needed, and they have borne his illness with enormous courage and devotion. He was always so proud of them. George loved his garden in England, and creating beauty among his trees and plants was almost as important to him as his music. His marvelous sense of humor is well known, and we always had a good laugh when we were together. ... Now I believe, as he did, that he has entered a higher state. God give him peace." — George Martin, Beatles producer

"George Harrison did on Earth what he came to do. He made people ecstatic with the beauty of his music. His spirit will live on in the hearts of all who he rocked, and I wish him well in his new place. George knew that all things must pass, but his music will last forever. Thank you, George, for making my life as a kid and an adult a way more amazing ride." — Anthony Kiedis, Red Hot Chili Peppers singer

"George Harrison was my favorite Beatle. He was the cool, dark side of the Beatles. The songs I loved by them, George Harrison had written. It's a big loss." — Mark Tremonti, Creed guitarist

"George Harrison was always my favorite Beatle. His quiet sensitivity always seemed so noble. His songs seemed sweeter and deeper than the rest. Beyond being an amazing player, his ability to convey such emotion with just his guitar played a huge part in the Beatles' music for me. He was the secret weapon. One of the first guitar leads I ever learned was from the song 'Something,' when I was about 11 years old. I paid tribute to him on our first record with the song 'Oh, George,' a reference to the slide lead. He was always my favorite ... and always will be." — Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters singer/guitarist

"It was my sitar and Indian music which connected me to George in the beginning, but very soon our relationship went beyond that. He was a friend, disciple and son to me. George was a brave and beautiful soul, full of love, childlike humor and a deep spirituality. We spent the day before [he died] with him, and even then he looked so peaceful, surrounded by love. [My wife] Sukanya, [daughter] Anoushka and I are deeply affected by this loss, and our love and prayers are with Olivia and Dhani. George has left so many precious moments and memories in all our lives which will remain with us forever." — Ravi Shankar, sitarist/composer

"There was a certain mysterious and unknowable quality about his music which made him a very attractive figure and gave a whole other dimension to the Beatles." — Bono, U2 singer

"He wrote some of the greatest Beatles songs, but more than that, he had a gentleness and spirituality that made spending time with him a great pleasure. I have been dreading this loss, and I will really miss him." — Paul Simon, singer/songwriter

"George was a good and humble man who believed in the power of love to overcome all adversity. He lived his life without asking anything for himself, and his courage to quietly remind us that God created a world for peace and compassion has had a profound effect on all of our lives." — Billy Corgan, former Smashing Pumpkins singer/guitarist

"George was not only an exceptionally talented recording artist, but a remarkable and spiritual human being. He touched the world not just through his music, but also through his many generous humanitarian contributions and desire for peace around the world." — Hilary Rosen, president/CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America

"The Beatles completely reinvented music forever. There wasn't anything like that before; and definitely that kind of melodic rock becoming so popular and having such an influence on so many bands changed the landscape of music. There's not a band around today that plays rock music that isn't influenced in some way by the Beatles." — Mark Hoppus, Blink-182 singer/bassist

"I'm deeply saddened to hear of the loss of my dear friend George. We've lost one of the most important figures of popular music, but more importantly, one of the kindest, most generous and funny people that I have ever met. All of my sympathy goes to his wife and son, and I would ask that their privacy and feelings are respected." — Jools Holland, former Squeeze singer/keyboardist and host of the BBC's "The Top of the Pops," who collaborated with Harrison on "Horse to the Water," Harrison's final recording

"We lost another Beatle today. It stinks. The Beatles were a huge influence on me. The whole British Invasion was so profound. It is almost beyond words." — Richie Sambora, Bon Jovi guitarist

"George, too, was a dreamer. He believed in making the world a better place, and with his idealism, activism and, most of all, his music, he did exactly that. He lived a life of quiet dignity and today the world is a lesser place." — Mike Mills, R.E.M. bassist

"George. He died as he lived, with dignity, with bravery and with comedy. He inspired all the lives he touched. He was a truly blessed man, loved by his family, his friends and strangers all around the world. I loved him from the first moment I met him and I shall miss his eyes, his laughter, his honesty, and his wonderful guitar-playing. The world has lost a very fine man, but we are all the richer for his life. Thank you, Olivia and Dhani and dear sweet George, for letting [my wife] Tania and [daughter] Lily and me be a part of your incredible family. I hope the world will respect Olivia's request to allow them to honor his passing in peace and dignity." — Eric Idle, member of the Monty Python comedy troupe (Harrison's Handmade Films produced "Monty Python's Life of Brian." Harrison also appeared in Idle's 1978 Beatles parody "The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash.")

"You always knew where you stood with George, he was totally honest. I feel blessed to have been so close to him. He was a great friend. He wrote brilliantly original songs, played the greatest slide guitar and had the most amazing sense of humor. He really had the 'Inner Light,' and always will. Some of the happiest days of my life were spent in the studio with George." — Jeff Lynne, Traveling Wilburys/ELO singer/guitarist

[This story was updated on 12.03.01 at 11:35 a.m. ET.]

Share your thoughts and read other fan remembrances in our special .

• George Harrison
• The Beatles
• Paul Simon
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Jools Holland

Neil Young performs at "America: A Tribute To Heroes"  
Photo: MTV

Viewers of Friday night's unprecedented telethon featuring Neil Young, Mariah Carey, U2 and Bruce Springsteen pledged more than $150 million to benefit families of terrorist attack victims.

Organizers are considering releasing an album featuring some of the "America: A Tribute to Heroes" performances, according to the Associated Press. Artists who took part in the telethon include Alicia Keys, Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst and Wes Borland, Goo Goo Doll Johnny Rzeznik, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready, the Dixie Chicks, Celine Dion, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Wyclef Jean (see "Mariah Carey, Springsteen, Other Stars Sing For America On Telethon"). Speakers included Tom Cruise, Chris Rock, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Just under 60 million people tuned in for the commercial-free, two-hour program that aired on 35 broadcast and cable networks. That figure ranks the show above this year's Academy Awards (42.9 million) but below the Super Bowl (84.2 million), according to statistics from Nielsen Media Research.

ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC are sharing production costs for the event, while United Way will distribute the proceeds, without making any administrative deductions. Volunteers helped take pledges via phone and the Internet until 7 a.m. on Monday.

For more information on and audience reaction to the attacks, including tips on how you can help, see "9.11.01: Moving Forward."

(This story was updated at 12:04 P.M. ET Tuesday, September 25, 2001.)

• Bruce Springsteen
• U2
• Neil Young
• Mariah Carey
• Celine Dion

Alicia Keys
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect

Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Bon Jovi are a few of the artists joining forces with TV and film celebrities like Jim Carrey and Tom Hanks for an unprecedented telecast of music and supportive messages on Friday.

The event will raise funds for a long-term relief effort for the thousands who have been affected by last Tuesday's terrorist attacks.

The two-hour, commercial-free "America: A Tribute to Heroes" will be broadcast live from New York and Los Angeles on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, and tape-delayed for the Mountain and Pacific time zones, according to an event publicist.

Others slated to appear in the television special include Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, Cameron Diaz, Robert De Niro, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Will Smith, George Clooney, Amy Brenneman, the Dixie Chicks, Clint Eastwood, Calista Flockhart, Dennis Franz, Kelsey Grammer, Tom Cruise, Faith Hill, Conan O'Brien, Ray Romano, Julia Roberts, Paul Simon, Sela Ward and Robin Williams, with more expected to be added.

Production costs will be paid for by the networks, and everyone involved will be donating their time and resources. Methods for contributing money to the relief effort will be announced on the program.

While "America: A Tribute to Heroes" will air on the major networks, all other TV and cable networks are also invited to show the program free of charge. MTV and VH1 are among the stations that have already confirmed their participation.

MTVi's parent company, Viacom, also owns CBS.

• Alicia Keys
• Bon Jovi
• Bruce Springsteen
• Stevie Wonder
• Neil Young

Paul Simon
Photo: Lyn Gaza

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Paul Simon and Brian Wilson presented a study in contrasts during their tour stop Friday at Milwaukee's Summerfest, with one pop legend reinterpreting his classics while the other offered album-perfect renditions of his hits. Their approaches were different, but the crowd of nearly 20,000 responded with as much fervor to Simon's experimentation as to Wilson's faithfulness.

With the sometimes reclusive Wilson, it was a surprise to see him look so comfortable onstage. Though he sat stone-faced, only occasionally letting a grin cross his face, and though he rarely touched the keyboard in front of him, the Beach Boys' mastermind was talkative and playful, even launching into an impromptu rendition of "On Wisconsin" early in his 90-minute set.

Wilson and his 10-piece band covered the gamut of the Beach Boys catalog, from early surf classics like "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "I Get Around" to a suite of complex, almost orchestral tunes from the 1966 classic Pet Sounds, including "God Only Knows," "Sloop John B." and the instrumental title track. He also touched on lesser-known material such as 1973's "Sail on, Sailor" and "Love and Mercy" from his self-titled 1988 solo album.

Wilson's been at odds with original Beach Boy Mike Love since the '70s — ironically, Love's version of the group played another Summerfest stage the night before — but Friday's show left no doubt as to who the band's classic music really belongs to. While Love and his hired hands delivered workman-like renditions of the group's pop hits, Wilson and his backing band offered up spot-on harmonies and nailed the complex arrangements in ways that the other "Beach Boys" simply couldn't.

Instead of faithfully re-creating the singer-songwriter's recordings, Paul Simon's group helped their diminutive frontman re-invent Simon & Garfunkel classics like "I Am a Rock," solo hits like "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" and his more recent world music explorations.

Wearing a red button-down shirt, black slacks and a Birmingham Black Barons Negro League baseball cap, Simon opened with the gently percolating "That's Where I Belong," from his 2000 album, You're the One. While he'd play several more cuts from the Grammy-nominated disc, the show was the best kind of greatest hits revue: Fans got to hear the songs they expected, but not always in the styles they're used to.

Simon and band offered up "I Am a Rock" as a full-on blues rocker, as well as a Bo Diddley-on-speed version of "Mrs. Robinson" and a rendition of "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" that traded in the original's rapid-fire salsa for a slower-burning tempo. Only once did Simon lose the crowd with his revisions, when he took the propulsive "Kodachrome" and presented it with Afropop polyrhythms that actually detracted from the original's rhythmic punch.

For the most part, though, Simon showed that he knows when to leave well enough alone. He offered up both "Sounds of Silence" and "Homeward Bound" as solo acoustic numbers fairly true to the originals, and let the crowd sing along to the "lie-la-lie" choruses of "The Boxer." It's hard to tell when an artist of Simon's stature is honestly moved by a crowd response, but the audience's thunderous and relentless applause between encores seemed to genuinely take him by surprise. Slapping hands and taking roses from the front row, Simon basked in the glow after his solo hit "Still Crazy After All These Years" before ending his two-hour-plus set with an a cappella, gospel quartet-style version of "Loves Me Like a Rock."

• Paul Simon

k.d. lang
Photo: Just Loomis

For years, Martha Stewart has offered menu and décor tips for fabulous outdoor parties and barbecues. Now she's providing a play list.

And judging by the selections on Martha Stewart Living: Summer Entertaining, due June 5, one might think it's not just pies getting baked at her backyard bashes. The disc includes smooth-groovin' songs by the Doobie Brothers, Donovan, Paul Simon and the Young Rascals, as well as soulful classics by Smokey Robinson, War, the Drifters and Manhattan Transfer. Stewart even gets a little fringey with cuts by Victoria Williams, k.d. lang and Bebel Gilberto, daughter of bossa nova innovator Joao Gilberto.

Summer Entertaining is the second offering in the Martha Stewart Living series. Last year she released Spooky Sounds for Halloween, a disc of rattling chains, barking dogs, beating hearts, bloodcurdling screams and other scary sounds.

But her record industry career isn't something new. In 1990 Stewart wrote the liner notes for Dinner for Two, a classical album featuring the works of Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Liszt and others. And between 1968 and 1979, she contributed backing vocals on no less than six albums, including Frank Sinatra's Trilogy. The complete track listing for Martha Stewart Living: Summer Entertaining:

• k.d. lang - "Summerfling"
• Donovan - "Sunshine Superman"
• The Young Rascals - "Groovin'"
• Bebel Gilberto - "So Nice (Summer Samba)"
• Paul Simon - "The Coast"
• War - "Summer"
• Dionne Warwick - "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"
• The Doobie Brothers - "Sweet Feelin'"
• Manhattan Transfer - "Soul Food to Go (Sina)"
• Smokey Robinson - "Cruisin'"
• King Harvest - "Dancing in the Moonlight"
• Marshall Crenshaw - "Starless Summer Sky"
• Victoria Williams - "Water to Drink"
• The Drifters - "Under the Boardwalk"

• The Doobie Brothers
• The Drifters
• Paul Simon
• Donovan
• War

Dave Matthews performs Saturday at the New Orleans Jazz Fest
Photo: Matthew Weber

NEW ORLEANS — To paraphrase former New York Yankee Yogi Berra: No one goes to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; it's too crowded.

Due to the Saturday appearance of the Dave Matthews Band on the seven-day event's second weekend, the festival set a single-day attendance record of 160,000. This figure shattered the earlier record of 98,000 visitors set in 1998, when Jimmy Buffett appeared, a festival spokesperson said.

While festival organizers may have been elated by this tally, the press of flesh made enjoying the music a challenge, turning a traditionally crowded day at the Fair Grounds into an often frustrating and occasionally frightening experience. Crowds pressing into the Acura Stage area, where Matthews performed, created an immovable mass through which concert-goers could neither enter nor leave.

Matthews is the mainstream manifestation of a diverse array of so-called jam bands that could be heard on and off the Fair Grounds during Jazz Fest's April 27-May 6 run. His two-hour set of love songs set in apocalyptic scenarios were often embellished with "jams" that were more set pieces than actual improvisations. Kicking off with "Two Step," Matthews' show included guest appearances by Lenny Kravitz and Paul Simon.

Kravitz joined him for a version of "All Along the Watchtower" that seemed to portend a Jimi Hendrix musical as arranged by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Simon reprised "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard," which he had performed on the same stage only 24 hours earlier during his own show.

Saturday's other big draw was local rap star Mystikal, who added to the day's frustration by arriving onstage 85 minutes late (10 minutes after his show was scheduled to conclude), keeping thousands of fans waiting in the hot sun. By way of assuaging the increasingly testy audience, a stagehand attributed the delay to a late flight, adding, "Nothin' but love, people, nothin' but love." Mystikal's tardiness was an aberration in a festival that usually runs with military punctuality. When he finally appeared, he was limited to a 30-minute set that included PG versions of such hits as "Danger (Been So Long)." The North Mississippi Allstars, who performed earlier Saturday, distilled the spirit of this year's festival with their knowing fusion of Mississippi Delta blues and its late-'60s psychedelic mutation. Led by Luther and Cody Dickinson, the Allstars performed nearly all of their 2000 album Shake Hands With Shorty, concluding with their famous version of Junior Kimbrough's "All Night Long," which weaves together echoes of the Grateful Dead's version of Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Turn on Your Lovelight" with the Allman Brothers' "Jessica." Medeski Martin & Wood, who performed at the State Palace Theatre Saturday night (across the street from where local groove purveyors Galactic were playing and around the corner from Gov't Mule's Southern-fried wall of sound) were among several jam-oriented groups that haunted Jazz Fest with late-night shows that blended improvised rock and R&B music with local flavor. MM&W, for example, added a local four-piece horn section, giving a brass-band bounce to fractured yet funky compositions standing somewhere outside the jazz or rock categories.

Sunday's diminished crowds came as a relief after the navigational difficulties presented by Saturday's onslaught. The day's big names were almost exclusively local and included 22-year-old rock and R&B improvisers the Radiators, R&B legend Fats Domino, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the timeless Neville Brothers, who closed Jazz Fest as they have for many a year.

It was also a great day to dig into the pleasures of Louisiana Cajun and zydeco music as one great group after another — including Balfa Toujours, Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas, and C. J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band — hit the corporately branded Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do Do Stage.

Much of their music had an elegiac edge, insofar as 70-year-old zydeco bandleader Wilson "Boozoo" Chavis had died Saturday in Austin, Texas, following a heart attack. Chavis' "Paper in My Shoe" is generally acknowledged as the first modern recording of zydeco, Cajun music's rural Creole relation.

The crowds and corporate logos sometimes suggest that, after 32 years, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival may be a victim of its own success. But it's easy to forgive a festival that also presents such unrecognized talents as South African guitarist Philip Tabane, who turned in a set of spacious avant-traditional sounds Sunday, or that honored Louis Armstrong with a performance as stirring as clarinetist/bandleader Dr. Michael White's Saturday afternoon reanimations of Satchmo's classic Hot 5 and Hot 7 repertoire.

• Dave Matthews Band
• Dave Matthews
• Mystikal
• Lenny Kravitz
• Paul Simon

Lucinda Williams
Photo: Matthew Weber

Having surpassed all previous attendance counts with this year's opening weekend of Jazz Fest (April 27-29), Louisiana Heritage Fair personnel expect to break those records again during the longer second weekend (May 3-7), weather permitting. The chances look good that they will, as there's been no real threat of rain while the harsh southern sunshine has been offset by brief reprieves of overcast coolness.

Scanning the lineup for the 2001 Fair, the second weekend of Jazz Fest could have been renamed Jam Fest. Widespread Panic, the Dave Matthews Band, moe., Galactic and other jammers are among the acts booked this year that could be expected to attract big crowds with their dedicated audiences.

Outside one of the Jazz Fest entrances opening weekend, a young girl in raggedy jeans and an apron shirt sold Jello shots while a young guy lounged on a nearby lawn next to a case full of glass paraphernalia for sale. An offer of "nugs for extras" to a sold-out non-Jazz Fest String Cheese Incident gig didn't even seem so out of place considering some of the bands on the bill. Yet beyond the gates was quite a different world.

The fairgrounds were riddled with flags — a rainbow Phish logo on white, a Grateful Dead "Steal Your Face" on black, a rubber chicken with a doll's head and a touching banner that read "Gabba Gabba Hey Joey" attached to a fishing pole. It was in front of the main stage and amidst all these flags that the local jazz fans, there to see the Dirty Dozen Brass Band's set, most noticeably overlapped with the jam fans who were there to claim space early for two sets of Widespread Panic.

Introduced as the band that "created the modern brass band" and "changed the New Orleans sound forever," the Dirty Dozen hit hard with their unique brand of funky jazz. When Widespread Panic singer/guitarist John "J.B." came out to sing during a scorching rendition of "It's All Over Now" (a favor the DDBB would return for several tunes during Panic's set), 'Spread heads went wild. Meanwhile, the House of Blues/Old School 102.9 stage held Chris Thomas King, who was busting a more mellow blues vibe with father Tabby Thomas. The Banks Family occupied the Gospel stage under the tent o' the Lord, whipping a crowd full of house shakin', foot stompin', hand clappin' believers into a soul sparkin' frenzy. On the BET/WWOZ stage, Irvin Mayfield was laying down the straight jazz for a rapt seated audience that was ready at all times to jump up for a standing ovation after a hot solo. Czech swingers J.J. Jazzmen's set was in perfect keeping with the Louis Armstrong 100th anniversary series of exhibits and panel discussions that were taking place during the festival. The five-piece outfit gave Satchmo's style a whirl in the Cox Communications Economy Hall tent. There, old folks with parasols floated past the front row and a wooden dance floor in the corner gave several couples, a few young children and a lone tap dancer a place to find their own thrills. On the Sprint PCS/LG stage, across the fairgrounds from thousands of happy heads, roots rocker Lucinda Williams accumulated an equally impenetrable mass of twang-inclined fans for her first ever Jazz Fest appearance. With acts like Williams and upcoming performances by Paul Simon, Mystikal, Keb' Mo', Wilson Pickett and Ellis Marsalis, the neo-hippie invasion predictions had thus far been — and most likely will continue to be — proven false for the fest proper; the grounds were far from overcome with tie-dye wearing, patchouli doused, dreadlocked stereotypes.

The annual During Jazzfest nighttime music series by Superfly Presents (unaffiliated with the official festival), however, has added to the jam focus by pitting bands like local favorite groove funkers Galactic against southern rockers Gov't Mule, the String Cheese Incident against Ben Harper and Jaques-Imo's or moe. against Deep Banana Blackout and Ozomatli by booking them at the same times in different venues. While some fans were wandering around with a finger in the air looking for extra tickets to sold-out shows and some "lot venders" were spotted selling burritos and goo balls on the street, the series was more about the music than the scene surrounding it.

Superfly sponsors at least one SuperJam series a year. Last year's historic meeting of Les Claypool (Primus), Stewart Copeland (The Police) and Trey Anastasio (Phish) was followed this year by two SuperJam groups. This year, the festival unofficially began Wednesday night at the Maple Leaf with the first of two performances by the Jaques-Imo's Café AllStars, featuring Jon Fishman (drums, Phish), Jamie Masefield (banjo/ mandolin, Jazz Mandolin Project), Gregory Davis (trumpet, Dirty Dozen Brass Band), Kirk Joseph (tuba, former DDBB), Lucien Barbarin (trombone) and Tim Laughlin (clarinet). The group played Wednesday and Thursday to packed crowds, blasting local flavors like "Mardis Gras New Orleans" and a requisite jam of "Iko Iko." String Cheese Incident and Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals went toe to toe across the street from one another at the Saenger Theater and the State Palace Theater respectively. A percussion and horn-driven Ozomatli (a Santana for the hip-hop generation), opened for Harper, who appeased his audience with his soulful lap guitar funk, then floored the lot of them with a four-song encore, three of which featured the Blind Boys of Alabama. Overcome with emotion, he buried his head in his lap, collected himself and then exited the stage. He and the band returned for a second encore that included "Sexual Healing" and a thunderous "Faded"-into-"Whole Lotta Love"-back-into-"Faded" medley. Over at the Saenger, String Cheese gave their rambunctious glitter-happy, glow-stick-wielding audience two sets, separated by a 20-minute set break. Opening act Femi Anikulapo-Kuti joined the Colorado jamgrassers for a rendition of "Outside and Inside" (from String Cheese Incident's upcoming CD), and closed the first of a two-night run with the Allman Brothers Band classic "Jessica." Medeski Martin & Wood, Joshua Redman, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, DJ Logic, Gov't Mule, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and moe. are all scheduled at New Orleans clubs and theaters throughout the city for the festival's second weekend, as is a different SuperJam, featuring Carter Beauford (drums, Dave Matthews Band), Meshell Ndegèocello (bass), John Medeski (keyboards), Joshua Redman (sax) and Marc Ribot (guitar).

• Widespread Panic
• Lucinda Williams
• The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
• Paul Simon
• Mystikal

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