The lineup for the 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (a.k.a. Jazz Fest) has just been announced, and, as always, there's much to look forward to when the festivities get under way this spring. Jazz Fest will be held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans the weekends of April 29–May 1 and May 5–8. Among this year's performers are The Low Anthem (April 30), Punch Brothers (May 8), hometown favorites Allen Toussaint and Nicholas Payton (May 7), and Wilco (May 5). The Decemberists, with whom Sara Watkins is touring through the spring, will perform as well, on May 1.

With 12 stages and performers representing a gamut of musical styles, Jazz Fest presents one of the more diverse music festival lineups, including its showcase of Louisiana’s unique culture. Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to attend.

"The 2011 Jazz Fest lineup will deliver an unprecedented balance of the traditional and the contemporary, in all of the many music categories the Festival presents," says Quint Davis, producer/director of Jazz Fest, "along with the unending list of New Orleans super talents. This lineup reminds us that the artists we grew up with are now the icons of today, and that today’s new heroes are tomorrow’s heritage. We’re honored to be able to once again celebrate the soul of America as only New Orleans and the Jazz Fest can.”

For more information and tickets to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, visit nojazzfest.com. For more on upcoming live shows, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.