Vendredi

TREME -- New Orleans' fragrant spring flowers mixed with the distinctive scent of All Night Drinking this morning in Armstrong Park, as jazz came home to Congo Square for International Jazz Day. The 7 a.m. concert not only featured the rare sight of Herbie Hancock playing for free, but also New Orleans musicians getting up early.

Even Kermit Ruffins wasn't deterred by the sunrise start time. Dressed to the nine in a suit and fedora, he played his trademark rendition "Sunny Side of the Street" with a little local flavor, including a reference to Louis Armstrong and a slight scramble of the lyrics in the chorus. At the piano, Ellis Marsalis pushed the song along with his light touch.

After a rousing version of Watermelon Man that featured local students sitting in (and around the world via simulcast), Hancock was joined by New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard, percussionist Bill Summers and clarinetist Dr. Michael White for a version of "A Night in Tunisia" that showed the diversity of jazz these days. Summers added a Latin beat, while Blanchard and Hancock stuck to straight-ahead. White added some flourishes straight out of the 1920s. And, all the while, the display to the right of the stage showed performances from Rio de Janeiro, Paris and other cities that were holding their own concerts at the same time.

"Jazz was born here, but now it belongs to the world," said UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, as she made remarks to commemorate the day.

Judging by the crowd's mix of whiskey bottles and coffee cups - depending on sleep status - it still managed to bring everyone together, too.

If you were at work early or still at the bar, watch the whole concert here.