The world-renowned New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival released its 2000 schedule today, confirming that the Zawinul Syndicate will perform on April 29 as part of the festival’s opening weekend. According to reports from Zawinul’s European booking agent, Victor Bailey will not be available for this performance (or the Denton Jazz Festival performance the previous day) because he will be winding up his own European tour. Bailey will rejoin the Syndicate for its May concerts in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Rumor has it the subsitute bass player will be Richard Bona, but this is unconfirmed.