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Rock News: Music's high and low notes

By JOHN SWENSON, United Press International
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JAZZFEST A HIT

Joe Cocker, Snooks Eaglin, Ornetter Coleman, Dr. John and Gerald Levert co-headlined the final day of Jazzfest's first weekend Sunday in New Orleans. The first four days of the event took place under sunny skies and featured great performances from Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, Bonerama, Anders Osborne, Ivan Neville and many others. New Orleans R&B great Earl King, who passed away days before the festival started, was remembered fondly by the subdudes, who opened their set Saturday with an eccentric version of King's classic song "Big Chief." King's funeral is set for this coming Wednesday and should prove to be the kind of celebration New Orleans funerals are known for. After a viewing, service and musical tribute at Gallier Hall, the streets of downtown New Orleans will close for a public "second line" parade to Armstrong Park at about 2 p.m.

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O'CONNOR CALLS IT QUITS

Irish vocalist Sinead O'Connor announced on her Web site she plans to retire later this year. "As of July 2003 I shall be retiring from the music business," wrote the 36-year-old singer. O'Connor explained she would be embarking on an unspecified new career, then thanked her fans for "a great time and a great education." O'Connor is best known for her No. 1 recording of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" and for ripping up a picture of the pope during a performance of Bob Marley's "War" on "Saturday Night Live."

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JIMI FOR SALE

Rock memorabilia collectors Greg Dorsett and David Brewis won a lawsuit against the estate of the rock icon Jimi Hendrix concerning the authenticity of a 1967 Fender Stratocaster said to have been owned by Hendrix. A San Diego jury awarded their company, Rock Stars Guitars, $131,000 in damages after the Hendrix estate challenged the provenance of the instrument. The guitar, purchased from a former Hendrix roadie for $60,000, is valued at $350,000.


NO JACKO TAX BREAK

Michael Jackson can't ask for an agricultural preservation tax benefit for his Neverland ranch, according to county officials in Santa Barbara, Calif. Jackson's ranch is worth over $12.2 million, according to the County Assessor's Office, leaving him owing $13,000 in taxes.

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