IN NEW ORLEANS : JOY, MAGIC’S A HERITAGE AT FESTIVAL

Two thousand people danced and cheered lustily as Fats Domino’s 11-piece band swung effortlessly into the seductive groove of one of the rock pioneer’s biggest hits, “Blueberry Hill.”

The uproarious response may have been predictable enough for a hometown hero, but the setting certainly wasn’t. Domino was playing his classics while the river boat President cruised New Orleans Harbor. The river-boat concerts are only part of the special flavor that has made the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival one of the country’s most colorful and rewarding music events.

The festival has progressed from modest beginnings in 1970 when the 300 musicians outnumbered the crowd two to one, to this year’s 10-day extravaganza that is expected to attract a total attendance of 300,000. The festival, which operates on a $2 million budget, features more than 400 bands, 130 crafts booths and 60 food stands.

“The festival is an indigenous celebration of the culture of New Orleans,” said producer-director Quint Davis. “This city is unique and those heart and soul ways are coming out in this festival. When the gates open, there are infants in strollers and grandparents in wheelchairs . . . so it’s like the wheel of the cradle to the wheel of the grave.

“The main thing about the festival is not the music or any one act. It’s about the human quality that happens when all these people come together and interact with the joy of the culture.”

The 18th annual festival--which began Friday and runs through next Sunday--features seven evening concerts headlined by such nationally prominent rock and R&B; artists as Domino, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Neville Brothers. But the event’s core is six days of outdoor daytime concerts spread over two weekends at the Fairgrounds Racetrack here. Daily admission to Fairgrounds is $6 in advance or $8 at door.

With 10 stages operating seven hours a day, the festival offers an abundant display of American roots music, with a focus on the many strains of New Orleans black music. Its notoriety has spread beyond the city limits: Los Lobos arranged its tour schedule to include a club date at Tipitina’s on Saturday night and took Sunday off to check out the festival.

By saluting regional music, the festival serves a valuable role in today’s world of glossily packaged pop. Most of America’s enduring musical currents have been seasoned by the distinct character of regional music. But regionalism has all but disappeared from today’s mass record market as radio programmers and label executives feel the idiosyncratic nature of regional music is commercially limiting.

Even just one day here, however, awakens a visitor to the vitality of regional music. Most performers featured on these stages have only a long-shot chance of signing a national record contract, but that doesn’t appear to dampen their spirit. They simply thrive on the chance to play the music they love before appreciative audiences.

Over the festival’s 10-days, the music ranges from the updated sounds of the Rebirth Brass Band and the energetic zydeco of Terrance Simien and the Mallet Playboys to the tough, biting Mississippi blues of Jesse Mae Hemphill. One irresistible attraction, particularly for out-of-towners, is the gospel tent, where a succession of singers infuse listeners with an enthusiasm that is rarely experienced in the normal confines of commercial pop music.

Said producer-director Davis, “We wanted to create a popular festival as opposed to a pop festival . . . something that all people came to, young and old, hip and non-hip, but to keep it traditional music. We brought in blues and gospel artists, but we let the festival grow and be true to what it was. We never put on an act that was bigger than the festival, even though we were losing money (in the beginning).”

Davis, 39, credits George Wein, executive producer of the New Orleans event, with devising the concept for the festival. Wein, who developed the Newport Folk and Jazz festivals, was determined to produce an event that would reflect the distinct cultural heritage of New Orleans. He needed someone who knew the local scene and that’s where Davis came in.

The first festival was held at Congo Square, a place where slaves gathered to play music on Sundays in the 1800s. “We did nighttime concerts, put a fence up around the Square and did almost an exact mirror of what is happening now on a larger scale,” recalled Davis.

“We had four stages, a tiny little tent with an upright piano. Mahalia Jackson came out and sang, ‘Just a Closer Walk With Thee’ with the Olympia Brass Band. The magic was there from the very first. There have been some great performances . . . Stevie Wonder jamming with the Meters . . . Bonnie Raitt doing a slide-guitar solo performance in front of 20,000 people that made me cry. But the real highlight for me is the fact that the people here love this festival.”