Paul Simon performs with Buckwheat Zydeco at the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Photo by Douglas Mason

Simon & Garfunkel will make its first appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this April. The group will headline the festival on April 24. Jazz Fest will run from April 23 – May 2, 2010.

“Over the years I’ve always enjoyed performing at Jazz Fest,” Paul Simon said in a statement. “Everyone connected with the Festival, and in particular Quint Davis, has created an atmosphere that is both musical and enjoyable. I am looking forward to the opportunity to perform with my old friend Art Garfunkel at this year’s Festival.”

Other artists scheduled to perform at Jazz Fest include: Pearl Jam, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, The Neville Brothers, Lionel Richie, Allman Brothers Band, Anita Baker, My Morning Jacket, Widespread Panic, Imagination Movers, B.B. King, Jeff Beck, Darius Rucker, Irma Thomas, Gipsy Kings, The Dead Weather, Elvis Costello & the Sugarcanes, The Black Crowes, Drake, Teena Marie, Keely Smith, Jonny Lang, Band of Horses, Allen Toussaint and Elvis Perkins.

Though this is Simon & Garfunkel’s first appearance at Jazz Fest, Simon has appeared at the festival a number of times. Most recently, the singer performed at the festival in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2006.

“For Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel to agree to come together and create this historic Simon & Garfunkel concert for our Festival is not only a great honor, but it will bring to all who attend the rarest opportunity to experience the magic of one of America’s greatest musical institutions,” Quint Davis, producer/director of Jazz Fest, said in a statement. “Thank you Paul and Artie, for bringing your special thrill to New Orleans. No American City can so relate to the need for a Bridge Over Troubled Water, and the power of being Homeward Bound.”