Don't let the cubes turn you into a square. Jazzfest has plenty to offer, and not a lot that should be missed. On Saturday, April 27, violin rules our picks with three very different takes on the time-tested string insturment. Check out who's playing, and a couple other highlights of the schedule, as well:

The holidays are here, and there’s plenty of stuff to do to start your weekend off with some festive fun. Enjoy art and music in Central City all weekend, Allen Toussaint at the Mint, and Anders Osborne and friends at Tip’s. Happy Birthday to Big Chief Joseph “Monk” Boudreaux. The leader of the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indian tribe turns 71 today. Now, more to do this Friday. 

FRENCH QUARTER -- The evening began with a simple question: "Do you want to see the statue?"

As Monday ticks down, there's only one thing on most of our minds this week. No matter if you keep Christmas with a turducken, a giant bonfire or a special prayer to beat the Dirty Birds, the end of the week can't come soon enough. So, to get ready, here are videos of 10 songs that we make merry to here in New Orleans. Click through to view.

The horns keep us moving in the street, but it often takes the weight of a piano to realize the unique genius of New Orleans music. A documentary showing this week at Zeigeist seems to be holding all the keys, as the 1982 film gathers three of NOLA's most notorious ivory itchers. Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together , a film by Stevenson J. Palfi,  was remastered for its 30th anniversary, and will play Monday-Wednesday.

August 2, when the Declaration of Independence was signed (1776), when the first US Census was conducted (1790), when the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed, outlawing pot in America (1937),when Mattel recalled nearly a million Chinese-made toys from its Fisher-Price division that were found to have excessive amounts of lead (2007). It's the birthday of James Baldwin (1924), and Kevin Smith (1970), and the last day of 1859 – Horace Mann (1859), Alexander Graham Bell (1922), Fritz Lang (1976) and Raymond Carver (1988). 

Benny Spellman, one of the many unsung heroes of New Orleans R&B, died Friday in Pensacola at the age of 79. One of the many topline talents in Allen Toussaint's orbit, Spellman scored a hit in 1962 with the Toussaint classic, "Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette)." He first recorded another Toussaint composition, "Fortune Teller," but, as so often happens around here, it took a Rolling Stones rendition for people to realize it was AM gold. Coverage here and here. 

April 14th, When Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of his dictionary (1828), Abraham Lincoln is assassinated in Ford’s Theatre (1865), the first Volvo premieres in Sweden (1927), Viking Press publishes Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1939), Rod Steiger is born (1925), and Simone de Beauvoir dies (1986).

Only one man can beat all of the above: Weezy.

Hola Nola, and hola the first non-celebrity music mixtape in weeks. The original Hola Nola hop skip and jump is back to address the announcing of the cubes - the Jazzfest cubes, that is. The schedule is out for this year's fete at the Fair Grounds, and decisions must be made. The following playlist goes through my top two choices per day, and the sacrifices that will need to be made when circling (in pencil) the who/what/where from April 29th-May 8th.

It's no secret that Hugh Laurie of "House" fame has been partial to the charms of Lady NOLA. There's been a feast of sitings of the man whose strut is usually helped by a cane have been. Around here, we're not surprised to see the boa wrapped around yet another unsuspecting victim. But he doesn't seem to think his fellow Brits will be as understanding - especially since he took a break from acting to record a blues album and with Allen Toussaint and Miss Irma Thomas, among others. Along with a performance at an old bank last night that will likely go viral when video footage is released later today, Laurie also released a qualifying statement about his side venture, anticipating some serious blowback.