Sheryl Crow to headline jazz fest

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. recording artist Sheryl Crow is set to headline the opening night of this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Interscope Records said the April 25 gig will be part of a short run of dates intended to preview Crow's upcoming summer tour.

The label said New Orleans holds a special place in Crow's heart, since she recorded her eponymous second album there and she pays tribute to the city's optimism and resilience in her current single, "Love is Free."

The singer is also scheduled to perform in Wichita, Kan.; Tulsa, Okla.; and Florida cities Pensacola, Jacksonville and Clearwater in April ahead of her full-scale nationwide tour this summer.

One dollar from each ticket sold will go to the U.N. World Food Program, Interscope said.