A rousing end to Jazz Fest

Even the cancellation of closing-day headliner Fats Domino and a midafternoon squall weren’t able to dampen the sense of triumph as the 37th New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival came to a rousing conclusion Sunday. After all, it was just a few months ago that the prospect of even holding the renowned event was in doubt given the damage from Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent massive flooding.

But large crowds gathered for the festival’s second weekend to see the mix of stars (Paul Simon, Jimmy Buffett, Keith Urban) and local acts representing the jazz, rock, R&B;, hip-hop, Cajun and other music styles associated with the region. In fact, while the first weekend, capped by Bruce Springsteen’s inspiring set, felt like an historic mix of anxiety, anger, relief and renewal, this one seemed more like, well, Jazz Fest.

That’s relatively speaking, of course. Domino’s inability to perform because of health issues served as a reminder that this year’s Jazz Fest was as much about marking sorrow and loss as about celebration and hope. The 78-year-old pianist and singer of such essential ‘50s hits as “Ain’t That a Shame” and “Blueberry Hill” was the fest’s literal and figurative poster boy after losing his house and trove of pianos and mementos in the flood last year.

He did come out on the main stage briefly to let people know he was OK, before Lionel Richie moved over from one of the many other performance areas to take over the headliner’s spot.

But it was the preceding set by Simon and his Graceland Band that provided some poignancy. None of the weekend’s star headliners could hope to match Springsteen’s level, and they wisely didn’t try, though some of Simon’s lyrics sounded relevant in his mix of hits (“Mrs. Robinson,” a rollicking “Boy in the Bubble”) and a couple of songs from his new “Surprise” album. One new one made reference to “the banks of a river where the floodwaters pour from the mouth.”

Simon is not a seize-the-moment artist -- he didn’t even do his “Take Me to the Mardi Gras,” a highlight of one of the post-flood television tribute events. But he capped his set with a moment nonetheless, bringing out New Orleans R&B; titans Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas during his encores.

Starting the teaming with “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was perhaps predictable, but Thomas in particular took it to church with her soaring, sturdy vocals. And Toussaint found a way to weave rollicking New Orleans boogie piano into the burbling African rhythms of Simon’s “Graceland” to great effect.

Thomas, whose popular Lion’s Den club was destroyed in the flood, gave a buoyant performance of her own before Simon and after a brief-but-intense downpour, starting with her 1962 hit “It’s Raining” and dedicating “Time Is On My Side” (the Rolling Stones used her version as a blueprint) to the rebuilding of the city.

As is often the case, some of the top moments occurred on smaller stages. On Friday at the tiny Jazz & Heritage Stage, Big Chief Fi Yi Yi & the Mandingo Warriors Mardi Gras Indians turned their Carnival drumming and chanting into a powerful call to the people who have relocated to “come back home.”

And another cancellation (by scheduled Jazz Tent closer Nicholas Payton, because of an injury) led to the perfect conclusion. Members of several local brass bands (Dirty Dozen, Rebirth, New Birth), the lively horn-and-drum groups that lead the city’s second-line parades and arguably are the heart of the musical continuity here, teamed for a rollicking jam session with several hot local jazz stars.

Sure, Simon had earlier reminded in “American Tune” that “tomorrow’s just another working day” -- and there is a tremendous amount of work to be done in New Orleans.

But as long as these musicians, most of whom lost their homes in the flood, can get together and play, the city’s pulse will be strong.