Quint Davis Quotations

People were afraid to come to New Orleans, and we needed a beacon.

I have 2,000 gospel singers and 35 Mardi Gras Indian tribes. You can't just call an agent and order them up.

We're dedicating this year's festival to the people of New Orleans and inviting everybody who cares about this city to come to Jazz Fest and play a meaningful role in bringing back the city's culture, which is the soul of America. Jazz Fest 2006 will be a homecoming party for thousands of New Orleans musicians, Festival chefs and craftspeople, and we want the world to join us in welcoming them back as we present the celebration of a lifetime.

We had a lot of rooms blocked for months.

At that time, 1970, not many white people had seen black gospel in its full glory. Gospel was not common at blues festivals or jazz festivals. So, you know, we got on kind of a mission there to bring gospel on down to the front of the bus, as we called it.

It was touch and go for most of the time. If Shell and our other sponsors had not come through, it would not have been possible. It would have just been too much.

A full-fledged Jazz Fest will generate an average of $200 million for the state of Louisiana and the city.

The money being used to build these homes for New Orleans musicians was raised by New Orleans musicians. Our pact with them was to help New Orleans' musical community.

Anybody who comes to this year's festival will bear witness to the healing power of music.

A major American city is lying in ruins. Where else would nobody care and not do anything? Whatever's going to happen here is not going to happen fast. The size and scope of the devastation ... it's not going to just take years to do, it's going to take years to know what to do.

A lot of people up there will have lost everything, and be struggling to come back and, you know, this is a faith-based music. When they come in there, they talk about having church. So it's not a church -- but it's a place where you have church.

There will be a Jazz Fest in 2006. It will be in Louisiana. It will be as close to New Orleans as we can get it,

There will be a Jazz Fest in 2006. It will be as close to New Orleans as we can get it.

In light of the great financial challenges of presenting the 2006 festival on the grand scale everyone is accustomed to, we simply could not have produced Jazz Fest without... Shell, who becomes the festival's first-ever presenting sponsor.

In the midst of this national crisis, to have the city of New York, which has known such tragedy itself, to reach out to the citizens of New Orleans is a wonderful thing, and to do it in such a way that celebrates the rich traditions of New Orleans music shows an understanding and compassion that is truly heartwarming.

Gospel music is such a raw, direct line to something that is spirit-filled, and spirit-full that you just can't help feel that gospel music can move everybody.

The true heart and soul of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as with New Orleans itself, is music. It's the force that drives and defines us. It's not just for entertainment, but it feeds our soul.