What the hell happened? Who decided on these Jazz Fest posters for this year? http://www.nojazzfest.com/

You can check out this years' choices at the above URL. But don't waste too much time.

Last year the official Jazz Fest poster was ok, nothing phenomenal. But the Congo Square poster of the Rebirth tuba player was amazing. Mr. Osborne may have produced the best all-around poster to ever grace the Fest.

But this year honors went to two individuals who put very little efforts in their work, or at least the understanding that the poster is supposed to represent the FEST, not just the people in it.

The official poster is of Irma Thomas in some sort of Jamaican bayou, holding her leg like she has a gunshot wound. The texture is early bathroom ceramic tile, and the entire idea is just lame. No disrespect to Ms. Thomas, who deserves wholeheartedly to be depicted as a representative of the Fest. But wow, what a disgrace this poster is to her.

The Congo Square poster isn't much better. Kermit Ruffins is taking a break from playing alone in some courtyard. And Kermit himself is depicted in some bright blue colors that make him look as good as he is. But the rest of the poster is hardly graceful or even artistic. It is early placemat art, circa 1970.

Thankfully the artists lined up this year are guaranteed to be awesome. But the posters this year are a travesty, and do not earn their artists a call-back for '09.