43 La Santa Cecilia Moonage daydream. Representing Mexico in New Orleans.
46 Hot 8 Brass Band Big tuba sizzles.
48 Little Freddie King
Monarch of New Orleans blues.
50 Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars
Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars are bringing every listener to the music.
52 Seun Kuti
King of the hard-hitting jazz-funk.
56 River Benders
Quirky Americana vibe.
58 LVVRS
Do you wanna rock and roll?
60 Samantha Fish
Slash and burn. Samantha Fish’s emotional ride.
62 Woodenhead
Perseverance: Celebrating 50 years.
64 Were You in the Audience When… A collection of moments in Jazz Fest history
66 Trombone Shorty
Pays it forward and back: A conversation with Trombone Shorty.
68 Bill Frisell
Guitar hero. Bill Frisell is not showy or lashy.
71 Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five and Hot Seven Centennial Tribute
A conversation with Armstrong House Museum’s Ricky Riccardi.
73 Tin Men
A band that could be only from New Orleans.
74 Clifton Chenier Centennial
The king of zydeco with special guests
C.J. Chenier, Sonny Landreth and Marcia Ball.
75 Chloé Marie
Discusses her performance with Harry Mayronne.
76 Bonsoir, Catin
Christine Balfa treasures her roots.
78 Rickie Lee Jones
Going back to Coolsville.
80 Jazz Fest Stage Schedules and Map
98 Mr. Sipp
Mr. Sipp is not one-dimensional
100 River Eckert
Piano prodigy. River Eckert is putting good energy into the world.
102 Gladney
High vibrations and deep meditations.
104 Johnnie Allan
The swamp pop senior performs with Gregg Martinez & the Delta Kings.
106 Kyle Roussel
Refreshing and intellectual: Kyle Roussel’s Church of New Orleans.
108 Youssou N’Dour
The voice of Senegal.
111 Tribute to Pete Fountain featuring Tim Laughlin
Every note has a smile.
113 Odd the Artist
A conversation with Odd the Artist
114 Sarah Quintana
Sarah Quintana is all about innovating some serious fun.
116 Loose Cattle
Loose Cattle is Southern roots rock, Americana and deinitely alt-country.
118 Guitar Slim, Jr.
Guitar Slim Jr. doesn’t care about fortune and fame.
120 Wendell Brunious
Passing it on. A conversation with Wendell Brunious.
122 Dwayne Dopsie
Dwayne Dopsie remembers his 2024 performance with the Rolling Stones.
123 The Creole String Beans
Rhythm and melody. From Fats Domino to Cookie and the Cupcakes.
126 A to Z
All you need to know is in our Jazz Fest guide.
154 Listings
156 Backtalk with Lila Downs
Steve Hochman talks with Lila Downs.
LOUISIANA MUSIC, FOOD & CULTURE
JAZZ FEST BIBLE 2025 VOLUME 38, NUMBER 5
PUBLISHER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jan V. Ramsey, janramsey@offbeat.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Joseph L. Irrera, josephirrera@offbeat.com
LAYOUT AND DESIGN
Eric Gernhauser
CONTRIBUTORS
Joseph Biondi, Herman Fuselier, Mark Guarino, Steve Hochman, David Kunian, Jay Mazza, Cree McCree, Brett Milano, John Radanovich, Dan Willging, John Wirt, Geraldine Wyckoff, Michael Allen Zell
COVER ART
Tim Neil
WEB CONSULTANT Veronika Lee Claghorn
PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER/WEB SPECIALIST Noe Cugny, noecugny@offbeat.com
We are proud and happy to honor Irma Thomas as our “Forever Soul Queen” on this year’s Jazz Fest Bible™ cover. I thought long and hard about who would grace it, and I couldn’t think of a better subject than our musical queen and icon, Irma Thomas Jackson. Irma is the epitome of talent, grace, intelligence and standing up for herself as a musician. She’s now in her mid-eighties and is still performing. I admire all of our living legacy musicians who are continuing to thrill audiences locally, and worldwide. They are all ageless to me, and I cannot imagine what my life would have been like, had I not become involved in music activism and media some 40-plus years ago. I’ve been privileged to meet, befriend, work and learn from so many musicians, writers, artists and photographers, and creative professionals and business owners over the years via OBeat to say nothing of our staff through the years. It has been very humbling and truly an honor to work with them and to serve the music communities’ interests for almost 40 years.
Over the years, OBeat has grown and changed despite many setbacks. We got through Katrina. We got through COVID (barely). We produced several CDs (that ancient format!) of Louisiana musicians that were used by the Louisiana Office of Tourism to promote Louisiana music. It was a pleasure to be able to honor musicians and music businesses with OBeat’s “Best of The Beat Awards.” Over the past 25 years. OBeat created the firstever comprehensive “Louisiana Music Directory” of musicians, bands and music businesses throughout the state of Louisiana, which was an invaluable tool for the music industry cohort to communicate with each other and to let the “outside world” know how to get in touch with virtually everyone in music and the music business (it hasn’t yet been replicated). Currently
New Orleans & Co. hosts a smaller database of musicians and bands. There’s a real need for better communication, not just within the members of the music community, but for everyone. Social media—while supposedly connecting people better—has not done what it initially promised. In fact, it’s created concrete silos of like-minded people who are stuck there and who aren’t interested in experiencing anything but what they feel comfortable with in their own little towers. How can you discover new music and culture if you’re not willing to leave your comfort zone? I also fear for live music, with the profound changes in demographics, the impacts of tourism on music, and again, inferior communication within and to potential music audiences.
All good things must come to an end. Over the past couple of years, I’ve tried to find the entity to take over OBeat and to further its legacy as media that was created purely as a support and marketing mechanism for our local and regional musicians.
No one has stepped up: print media is in serious trouble—social media is killing it, and the cost to print these days is outrageous and may get a lot worse with tariffs on items you need (like paper). The future of OBeat’s archives dating from Summer 1988 through January 2025 is also in jeopardy—as we close the business, we will no longer be able to host the website or the archives. It’s a heartbreaking “C’est la vie” situation. My dear husband and partner Joseph, and I are 75 years old and it’s time for us to retire.
So, this will my last Mojo Mouth—at least in the Jazz Fest Bible™. I am eternally grateful that I sort of “fell” into this business and was able to help our music community over the past 37 years. Music is life, and don’t ever stop listening.
Thank you for reading and participating in OBeat over these 40 years. We love and appreciate you. ✯
The moment was triumphant—Mick Jagger inviting Irma Thomas onstage with the Rolling Stones last April at Jazz Fest and then joining her to sing the song they once recorded separate versions of in 1964.
“The lady that did the song first, she’s the soul queen of New Orleans!” Jagger shouted. She entered and he took her hand and brought her to center stage. The piano kicked in, then the drums, then guitars. The duo traded verses on “Time is On My Side”—and near the end, Thomas turned to Jagger and wagged her finger. “I know, I know it like I told you, like I told you so many times before,” she sang. “You’re gonna come running back, yes you’re gonna come running back knocking on my door.”
Next, Steve Jordan banged his snare drum to punctuate each word: “Time. Time. Time.”—By then Thomas had turned away from Jagger and faced the audience. Accentuating each syllable by patting her chest, she smiled coolly. Time has always been on my side, she was saying. Was this even a question?
Other female soul singers of her era may have had more hits, may have toured more of the world, or indeed become more of a household name. But what makes Thomas so singular, in New Orleans and everywhere else, is not the scorched fire in her vocals or the physical dynamism of her performance. Over a career that has lasted more than 65 years, Thomas has always defied the definition of a soul singer by the cool reserve she brings to whatever she sings. Because time is on her side, she doesn’t have to hurry. On “It’s Raining,” one of her earliest hits, she interprets the isolation of waiting for a storm to lift into the gentle resignation of a love fading away. Similarly, on the minimalist beauty “Ruler of My Heart,” the way Thomas translates deep longing by just two wordless syllables—“Mmm-Mmm”—is staggering in its simplicity.
Audience With the Queen Irma Thomas and Galactic tackle social injustice
BY MARK GUARINO
“I’ve been that way as far back as I can remember,” Thomas, 84, said recently of her tranquil, yet potent, vocal style. Even the hype of appearing with the Rolling Stones didn’t phase her.
“When I look over the field and see all those people, I picture them in my living room. They’re my guests. You don’t get nervous when you invite
Saturday, April 26 at 4 p.m. Shell Gentilly Stage
The Gospel Soul of Irma Thomas Sunday, April 27 at 4 p.m. Alison Minor Music Heritage Stage Friday, May 2 at 3:45 p.m. Gospel Tent presented by Morris Bart
people to your home and you’re entertaining them. I was entertaining my guests!” she said. “I’m very comfortable with it.”
“I’ve never been afraid to go before an audience,” she continued. Even as a little bitty girl. They would have you in church and say a little piece or sing a little song they taught you in Sunday school or something. I’ve never been
afraid to do that. I look forward to doing it,” she said.
In New Orleans, Thomas is one of the few stars from the city’s golden period of R&B who is still actively performing and recording with a voice that defies the odds in how robust it sounds.
In that way she shares a kinship with Jagger, 81, whose world tour last year generated some of his
IRMA T H OMAS
best reviews. She credits regular doctor visits (“If you go early enough and nip it in the bud you can still do what you love to do”), not eating five hours before singing, and the gift of self-confidence which meant she never needed alcohol or drugs as crutches to get her through a show.
“I felt it was a blessing,” she said of last year’s appearance with the Stones. “He’s in his eighties and I’m in my eighties. You don’t know how long you’ll be on this earth and for us to be in the business that we are in and still doing a viable job of performing ... to me, that was a blessing.”
AUDIENCE WITH THE QUEEN
And like Jagger, Thomas is continuing a recording career she began in 1959 when she was a teenager. Audience With the Queen is a set of new songs recorded with New Orleans powerhouse funk band Galactic. The record is not a sonic retread of the classic soul era. Instead, the record defies time for how contemporary it sounds, and Thomas sounds downright invigorated on every note.
Galactic “didn’t try to change what I was doing or go back retroactively so it sounds like what I used to do. They wanted me to sound ‘today.’ And they accomplished exactly what they were after,”
she said. Galactic co-founder and bassist Robert Mercurio agreed.
“We didn’t want to recreate one of her old records,” he said. One of the band’s guiding lights was Dr. John’s 2012 Locked Down recording that Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach produced. “He did a great job of contemporizing Mac but with a nod to his past,” Mercurio said.
Thomas and Galactic crossed paths in 2010 when she recorded “Heart of Steel” on the band’s acclaimed Ya-Ka-May record, a song that is now part of her live repertoire. A full-length follow-up got underway in December 2022 after Mercurio and saxophonist Ben Ellman got the idea to invite Thomas back into the studio. The previous year they had launched the Tipitina’s Record Club, the all-vinyl label dedicated to unreleased recordings, historic reissues, and live performances from New Orleans artists throughout history. A ThomasGalactic record presented the opportunity to stretch things further with a collection of completely new music and for Galactic to do something it hadn’t done before: Collaborate with a living legend over the full course of a single album.
Thomas agreed but had two requirements: The lyrics couldn’t have religious imagery, and the songs had to have a “good storyline.” In other
PHOTOGRAPH
Irma Thomas in the studio.
words, “don’t make up gimmick songs and think I’ll sing it because it ain’t gonna happen,” she told the band.
The songs emerged from conversations Thomas had with the band and lyricist Sean Carey about her memories from her life in music. “I was in Paris drinking champagne when you were in diapers,” she told the musicians one afternoon. Later, she was delighted to discover the line showing up for her to sing on the sassy funk track, “Where I Belong.”
Ellman and Mercurio pushed Thomas out of her comfort zone through a recording process that required her to add vocals, line by line, to their prerecorded tracks.
Singer Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph recorded demos to give Thomas a feel for each song. For Thomas, comfortable with recording an album with a live band in under two weeks, the process was unusual. “I was accustomed to having the musicians there. We help each other feel the song and the music,” she said. “Whereas when you sing to a track, it’s not the same.”
It didn’t take long for her to adapt. After a rocky start, the band invited her back for a second session where she put on headphones to listen to the results from the prior day. Mercurio remembered watching her face light up as she listened. “Is that me? You guys got me sounding so young!” she told them. From that day forward, Thomas dove headfirst into the process.
she sings.
The song, she said, “fits in today more than anything else” on the album.
Mercurio said witnessing Thomas record the song “was a powerful moment.” “You can hear that history in her voice,” he said. “For me, a song like that has more power when it comes from someone with so much history and knowledge.”
EARLY CAREER
Thomas said her early career rarely focused on social justice because her songs, largely about relationships, were relatable to both White and Black audiences. Much of that was due to the material Allen Toussaint was writing for her when she recorded for New Orleans-based Minit Records where he was the in-house producer and songwriter. “I was one of the few people who played a lot of White clubs. They were the audience that wanted to hear me perform. I sang my repertoire and whatever was current on the radio at that time, and they loved it,” she said.
“I made myself available. I wasn’t one who got off the stage and went to the dressing room and stayed put. If they wanted autographs or wanted to talk, I spent time talking and giving autographs and I still do it.”
“We made it work,” she said. “I kept singing a line until it felt right. That’s the advantage of the technology nowadays.”
Despite emerging from the Civil Rights era, Thomas had never tackled social injustice in her music as strongly as the new song “Lady Liberty,” a wake-up call to the perennial sin of social oppression. “There’s some people outside and they’re feeling so tired they’ve done had enough/ Another Black man shot down last night, and they keep adding up,” she sings. “If you don’t do something, you know nothing’s gonna change/ We’re writing history, but every page is the same,”
When she encountered racial prejudice, she would not abide its presence. She recalled playing a lounge in Mansura, Louisiana in the early 1960s and hearing a racial epithet ring out from a man in the audience. Thomas stopped the show and told the band to pack up. When the club owner rushed to her side to ask what was going on, she demanded an apology and added: “Look, I didn’t travel all that way on those little back roads to be called all that. Unless that person goes, we’re gone,” she said. The manager apologized and kicked the man out, the audience applauded, and the show went on.
Thomas, a Grammy winner, has operated with similar grit and determination ever since. She has only missed a single show her entire career, she said, because [bandleader] “Tommy Ridgley and his car broke down on the spillway and they didn’t have cell phones.” She is devoted to her audience to the point of allowing them to determine what she sings each show. Her philosophy has never wavered: “We are entertainers. We are there to
entertain the people.”
“I made myself available,” she said. “I wasn’t one who got off the stage and went to the dressing room and stayed put. If they wanted autographs or wanted to talk, I spent time talking and giving autographs and I still do it.” On the days she doesn’t “feel like being Irma Thomas,” the choice is simple: She stays home.
These days, home is her happy place. New Orleans continues to be where she thrives; she moved once to southern California after Hurricane Camille in 1969. It didn’t take. “Los Angeles was a ‘me, mine, and I’ city. The club owners wanted you to pay them to work,” she said. So instead, she took a day job at Montgomery Ward and gigged on her own terms each weekend. The experience, like all her stories, is shared, not with anger, but as a life lesson.
The most remarkable way Thomas assesses her long history is when she sits down with all the albums she’s recorded—including compilations, they number more than 40 and counting. Songs deep in her catalog keep resurfacing—from
fan requests at shows, or when new generations discover them in unorthodox ways, which was the case when “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand),” a Jeannie Seely and Randy Newman original she recorded in 1964, appeared on the Netflix show “Black Mirror.” When her husband operated the Lion’s Den, the club where she headlined most of the week, she could play them all. But the club shuttered in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. Today she holds out hope that young female singers in New Orleans will sing her songs by making them their own.
“You don’t want to sound like Irma, you want to sound like who you are doing one of Irma’s songs,” she said. If having time on your side for so long has taught her one thing, it’s this: “Do it your own way.”
Mark Guarino is the author of “Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival” (University of Chicago Press), which was named book of the year by the International Country Music Association in Nashville. He interviews Marty Stuart onstage at Jazz Fest at 3:15 p.m. May 4.
Let the Gentlemen Do Their Thing
Jon Cleary talks about his album The Bywater Sessions
BY JOHN RADANOVICH
The night Jon Cleary arrived in New Orleans as a teenager, he assumed that he was taking his first steps on American soil—at the Maple Leaf with Earl King on stage. He hadn’t really landed in the United States exactly, but instead in the northern musical capital of the Caribbean. For decades he learned from the legends of New Orleans R&B, absorbing the syncopations and swing. “It was a real pleasure playing with bands of guys who invented R&B, like Earl King” he says, but he was also learning the funk buried deep in the delta mud.
Later playing in New York City over an extended period, Cleary also got to see all the salsa greats. “I was able to dive in the deep end of the
New York Latin scene. I really loved that piano sound, and was fascinated by it, but it was a style I just didn’t understand.” He does now. Cleary first visited Cuba in 1992 and has returned often. He recently went to Havana to play for the annual jazz festival and just began writing a substack newsletter about his experiences on the island.
After a lifetime of learning and performing, he is capable of the most deeply satisfying New Orleans funk and R&B and blues, ’70s soul, and isn’t afraid to throw intoxicating Cuban piano figures into his compositions. Cleary’s funk is transcendent, on the same level now as the legendary Meters of the 1960s.
Cleary is fond of saying that funk is the folk
music of New Orleans. James Brown may have called out to “Make It Funky” in 1971, but the origin of that lockstep drum and bass wasn’t Augusta, Georgia—it was New Orleans. Lee Dorsey’s recording of the Allen Toussaint composition “Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky (From Now On)” had been released back in 1969, and New Orleans drummers had been funky since long before the 1960s.
Although he had mostly left behind the guitar when he moved to New Orleans, it was a guitar player who taught Cleary the most—the late great Walter “Wolfman” Washington. “I really learned a lot from Walter, those lovely big chord voicings. The timing was really good—it really stretched me.”
Cleary’s new record is one of the most solid and enjoyable funk and R&B albums to come out of the city in recent memory. For his many fans worldwide, this is going to be an instant favorite.
Cleary’s band, the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, are Cornell Williams on bass, Xavier Lynn on guitar, the classicallytrained Pedro Segundo with all percussion, and Nigel Hall, who adds Hammond organ and vocals (“basically all your favorite soul artists rolled into one.”) All members sing at least backup, but Cleary’s soulful voice has few equals. He plays an electric piano or a Nord Electro keyboard with its many funky sounds, sometimes both at once. Thomas Glass is Cleary’s new drummer, replacing AJ Hall. Depending on the availability of horns for gigs, the band can swell to 10.
Pedro Segundo, with organ fills. The song first appeared on the magnificent 2002 Basin Records Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen. The new version is already getting lots of airplay in England and around the Gulf Coast. In Cleary’s deft hands this gospel style pays tribute to all the swinging groups backing the uplifting choirs in the Fest gospel tent, and old friends like Jo “Cool” Davis.
With verve and hard swing, Cleary revisits the Meters masterpiece “Just Kissed My Baby” also from his first Basin Street album that kept the modulation and slide from the original (then played by Bonnie Raitt), the “Loose booty!” chorus but no horn parts. This time he adds horn accents to the bass, and some of the time-suspending stops he uses live to tease the dancers. It’s an inventive tour de force of perfect instrumentation and arranging, with the bottom forward in the crisp production sound mix, a Cleary trademark.
Although he had mostly left behind the guitar when he moved to New Orleans, it was a guitar player who taught Cleary the most—the late great Walter “Wolfman” Washington. “I really learned a lot from Walter, those lovely big chord voicings. The timing was really good— it really stretched me.”
For this new record, The Bywater Sessions, Aaron Narcisse on tenor, Charlie Halloran on trombone, and Jason Mingledorff on baritone have all the registers covered. A longtime collaborator with Cleary, master trombonist Halloran shares Cleary’s fascination with the music of the Caribbean. He has been getting lots of his own deserved attention for his latest Tropicales release, the superlative Jump Up, with guests Cyrille Aimée and Quiana Lynell. When Cleary calls out “A-chord, fellas…” to launch “So Damn Good” Cornell Williams leaps forward with a driving gospel bassline under a sharp two-beats-to-the-measure tambourine by
“Fessa Longhair Boogaloo” is another of his tributes to Fess, using the structure of “Tipitina” with percussive Cuban-style chording against the layered percussion and drum, and a section of Latin syncopation. The horns quote “Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand” before a percussion break, and then perfectly executed piano montunos.
A more subtly AfroCaribbean influence appears with the structure of the naughty and sly “Pickle for a Tickle,” borrowing from the obscure 1949 Perez Prado “Habana” that combined a danzon with a mambo. Cleary pairs a kind of a languid junker’s blues with a fast middle of music from both sides of Hispaniola, then returns to the blues. One sexual metaphor after another and the mix of music would seem to be a very appropriate song for next year’s carnival season.
“Zulu Coconuts” is a Mardi Gras song with all the right elements to get itself added to the Carnival classics, with a few Fess chording touches and raunchy lyrics that lend themselves to being yelled downtown (though not G rated for Uptown parades). Let’s hope it gets added to the canon. ✯
Friday, May 2 at 2:15 p.m. Shell Gentilly Stage
Sweet Crude Drums and voices
BY BRETT MILANO
From their founding 10 years ago, Sweet Crude has been on a mission to reimagine Cajun French music through the lens of modern alternative rock. This has led them down some interesting paths, including diverse originals, collaborations with everyone from the Louisiana Philharmonic to Big Freedia, and the occasional eyebrowraising cover tune (like Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” at Jazz Fest last year). “It’s been a wild and wacky journey,” vocalist Alexis Marceaux says. “We’ve made 10 years as a band, and we’re grateful that we can continue on this path.” She and the band’s co-founder, multi-instrumentalist Sam Craft, were interviewed from the tour van enroute to South by Southwest, where they were
performing in their electronic pop alter-ego, Alexis & the Sanity
At the moment Sweet Crude is planning a full-fledged concept album. On their next release—the first since the ill-fated Oiciel/ Artiiciel, released around the same time as COVID-19—they’re going back to their roots (oops) and applying their modern style to a full set of traditional Cajun tunes, with a little help from their friends (double oops) in that musical circle.
“We want to dig deep and remember what this is all about,” Craft says. “Until now we’ve been content to say, ‘Let’s not ask permission. Let’s make the fun music that we like and just be bilingual with it. But we want to take the guess work out of what we’re doing—paying homage to the traditional music of the past, making it abundantly clear that what we aim to do is give this culture posterity via modern music. We want to double down on our statement that there are many ways of waving the flag.”
How will the traditional Cajun musicians react?
“That’s what we want to find out,” Craft says. “We’re perfectly willing to rattle some cages—so far one of those songs has entered our live rotation, and besides the melody and some of the lyrics it’s gotten a pretty extensive facelift. So, the foundation has been laid that we’re paying homage to that
SWEET CRUDE
music, not mocking it or saying ‘We’re young and you’re old’. We’ve gotten to play some shows with BeauSoleil and done some commiseration with them—when they started out, the older musicians were telling them, ‘Y’all are adding elements of jazz and rock to this music, and you’re ruining it.’ But if you listen to them now, it sounds pretty rootsy and traditional.”
Adds Marceaux, “With the longevity of where we are as a band, we’ve been introduced to people we look up to—and some of them had to trudge through the mud to get where they are, so I hope they can relate to what we’re doing on our end.”
The plan is to collaborate on the new project with various Cajun musicians, working from traditional performances of the songs to Sweet Crude’s modernized versions. Much of it has yet to be recorded but they hope to begin rolling out individual tracks by Fest time, starting with the one they’ve been doing live—that most familiar of Cajun songs, “Jolie Blonde.” Marceaux has been singing it, but not before giving the lyrics a rethink. “I think there’s a traditional, more conservative outlook on women in some of those songs, it’s always the man talking about being married or not being married. In our version the woman is saying ‘I know what you’re up to, I see what you’ve been doing with these other women. So, it’s flipping the narrative, giving the woman more of the control.”
You can’t always hear the Cajun roots in Sweet Crude’s music, but they’re always there: When they do a familiar pop cover, they usually include a verse in French. And while their trademark use of percussion may recall the world-music experiments of Peter Gabriel and David Byrne, to them it’s more an homage to traditional parade music. “We don’t want to be too inauthentic or touch on styles of music that we might not have much acumen in,” Craft says. “But people like [Byrne and Gabriel] were on their own fact-finding mission and they also came full circle. It’s true that we try to marry the vernacular of Louisiana Francophone music but it’s really about the spirit, the joie de vivre. Our whole motto at the beginning was ‘drums and voices,’ we want to take this music out to the street and parade with it. And if the power goes out in the venue, we want to be able to keep going.” ✯
CAROLYN WO NDERLAND
Friday, April 25 at 4:10 p.m. Blues Tent
Saturday, April 26 at 1:30 p.m. Alison Miner Music Heritage Stage
Carolyn Wonderland Let’s play a game
BY BRETT MILANO
The last time Texas guitar virtuoso Carolyn Wonderland played at Jazz Fest in 2018 was an especially memorable one: It was her debut with British blues legend John Mayall, and she was so new to the band that she hadn’t met them all, much less rehearsed. “It was beautiful and frightening,” she recalls. “I had just been sent about 80 s ongs to learn, and I just hacked them in terms of keys, what feel they had and what to avoid. Then I met Jay [drummer Jay Davenport] for the first time going on stage. But I had played the Blues Tent before and knew a few of the people there, and that kept me from being absolutely frightened to death.”
Not only was that a notable moment in her career, but it was also a piece of blues history—since the line of lead guitarists in Mayall’s Bluesbreakers started with Eric Clapton (or technically with Bernie Watson, who was there for one early 45), and it ended with her, the only women to hold that slot. Though known primarily as a bandleader, she played with Mayall for six years until he went off the road, and he still played the occasional close-to-home gig before his death last year. And despite Mayall’s reputation as a taskmaster, her memories from that stint are nothing but sweet.
a lot of freedom in that—I wasn’t the one booking the hotel rooms and worrying how I was going to pay everybody. And always seeing how kind he was, giving everyone the freedom to do their thing. I really loved that man.”
She still keeps a Mayall song in her set, usually the still timely “The Laws Must Change” which he wrote in 1969. “That song is still true in a lot of places, and that’s something you see if you travel
“I thought I played guitar before I joined that band, but I was mistaken. He never wanted the same lick twice, and when we had a gig, he would look at the book for the last time he’d been in that town, and he would do zero of the same songs. And it always seemed he would drop 30 years between walking from the van to getting onstage, that was kind of bizarre. I suppose that also gave me the opportunity to see what it was like being in the band instead of being the leader, there was
a lot. I remember when my husband had to come and bail me out of jail for a joint I didn’t even smoke, so I got out two thousand dollars and one night in jail later. But that’s smalltown Texas. I’m sure that if they knew I was a musician I would have done a lot worse.”
In some ways Wonderland is a quintessential Austin blues artist, given the range of styles she works in and the open-minded approach. And it was an Austin legend, Doug Sahm, who first induced her to move there from Houston. “Living in Houston my whole life, I realized I was starting to write the same song over and over. I ran into him at the High Sierra Festival, and he convinced
PHOTOGRAPH
CAROLYN WO NDERLAND
me that yes, Austin has all those bands into each other’s stuff. It’s the land of free guitar lessons. I had a duplex in Austin and remember being woken up at nine in the morning by the string quartet upstairs rehearsing Bartok.”
She’s crossed paths with an impressive number of legends over the years—a surprising one being Michael Nesmith, who performed her marriage ceremony (she met her husband, the Daily Show/ SNL cast member A. Whitney Brown, when both were guesting on Nesmith’s VideoRanch podcast). They celebrated afterward at Threadgill’s, the Austin hotspot where Janis Joplin once famously waitressed.
Being a strong-voiced woman from Texas she inevitably gets compared to Joplin, though her influences run to deeper blues artists. When she did cover a Joplin tune, she chose a lesser known one, “What Good Can Drinking Do,” to avoid doing the obvious. “Hers are tall boots, and you have to know that nobody’s ever going to fill ’em. In the same way I always say that if you’re going to cover a Jimi Hendrix song, do it on mandolin.” She admits that she owes a few things to Hendrix including, in a roundabout way, her name. “The name was laid on me when I was in high school. I had a friend who made me pay attention to Hendrix, and I mean really pay attention; Okay, put these earphones on your head. And put this piece of paper under your tongue’.” Wonderland was where she wound up soon after.
One thing she couldn’t do much with Mayall was sing, and she’s now making up for lost time. “I’m very utilitarian in that way—If I’m
in a roomful of singers I’m a guitar player, and if it’s all guitar players I’m a singer.” Her Fest appearance will coincide with the release of a new album, Truth Is. It’s her second collaboration with producer Dave Alvin and they took more chances this time, doing a lot of writing in the studio. She points to a Tex-Mex styled track, “Deepest Ocean Blue” as one that wouldn’t exist otherwise. “That was an ear worm I’d carried around for years, the ‘Spanish Flea’ of my existence. The words started coming out and he said ‘Great, far out.’ I came in with a lot of songs I wasn’t married to, and we decided to put in parts and see what happened. He encouraged the weirder side of me.”
Her more political side came out as well.
“Let’s Play a Game” was inspired by her being among migrants and refugees, including a time in the Czech Republic during her last tour. Other tracks are less specific, but the woman’s rage in “I Ain’t Going Back” is hard to miss, as is the title track’s lyric “The truth is. We’ve got to march before we crawl, you may not like it but you better believe it.”
The times, she says, can be tough for a musician who wants to speak out politically. “So far only a couple of people have asked for their money back, I’ve only gotten spit on once and only had one violent confrontation, so I figure I’m doing all right. Seriously, there was one guy at a show who didn’t like my stance and let that be known afterward. So just thought, ‘Okay, you’re not worth going to jail for. Next time you can write a song and let me know how you disagree with me’.” ✯
THEFABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS
Friday, May 2 at 5:45 p.m. Blues Tent
Tuff Enuff
Kim Wilson talks about The Fabulous Thunderbirds
BY BRETT MILANO
QOf all the acts headlining the Blues Tent this year, there won’t be many who’ve ever had a Top Ten single on the pop charts. The Fabulous Thunderbirds managed it with 1986’s “Tuff Enuff,” still a rare achievement with a blues band. That was one high point of a run that’s now lasted 50-plus years, always with singer and harmonica man Kim Wilson at the forefront.
For many fans that ’80s lineup, with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan alongside Wilson, was the definitive one—but Wilson begs to differ. The current lineup includes guitarist Johnny Moeller (who’s currently New Orleans-based), pianist Bob Welsh, drummer Rudy Albin and bassist Steve Kirsty; and Wilson says it’s up there with the best. “The cool part is that we can do anything—blues, rock and roll, anything in between. I’ll tell you honestly that I would like to finish my career with these guys. However long that is, and it’s gonna be awhile.”
Jazz Fest is familiar territory for the Thunder-
birds: They made their debut in 1978, before their first album. It was a lower-profile gig back then but for a band of avowed blues fans and record collectors it was heaven. “I’ve got a photo I took that year of Muddy Waters, Professor Longhair and Roosevelt Sykes standing together—How great is that? It was an incredible experience just being around all these people and soaking it up. I would see Longhair at Tipitina’s all the time, and I have a memory of Clifton Chenier at Antone’s, playing a five-hour set without stopping. It was like going to graduate school, just an insane time to be alive.”
The Austin club Antone’s looms large in Thunderbirds’ history, but Wilson’s memories of that legendary scene aren’t all rosy. “Don’t get to thinking it was easy. It was a very trying time; I can remember playing with [Chicago bluesman] Eddie Taylor at Antone’s and there’d be five people there. I spent some time wondering what I was doing with my life. It wasn’t until Muddy Waters put his stamp of approval on us that things started happening. He took us on tour to the East Coast, and it was crazy—our drummer quit in the middle of the tour. But we came back to Austin thinking that we were somebody. They always say that your success starts away from home, and that’s how it was for us.”
Their big hit record almost didn’t come about: They made the “Tuff Enuff” album for a
THEFABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS
label that went out of business, leaving it in limbo for months until Tony Martell, the CBS A&R exec and later a notable philanthropist, stepped forward. “We carried those tapes around until Tony said, ‘I think I can sell this, and I’m going to create my own label, CBS Associated to do it with’.” Did the band know they had a breakthrough on their hands? “We knew we had a good record. For a while we went around playing it for all our friends. I remember one night I was at a hotel, and I left my jacket in the bar, then I get a knock on my door and it’s Brenda Lee. So, she got to hear it as well.” The record hit at a time when radio was opening to R&B and blues if it had a slightly commercial sheen, and “Tuff Enuff” had it. “We had Dave Edmunds who was a hot producer, and those British boards had a certain sound. We thought it was a British kind of sound, but it turned out to be universal.”
Commercial success, as usual, proved a mixed blessing. “I can tell you that I’m still living off that record, and it made a big difference in terms of still working. People still know that song, and they still know ‘Wrap It Up’ (the Sam & Dave song that was the follow-up single). We opened up for a lot of great acts, like Eric Clapton and Bob Seger, though I personally felt we should have been headlining more. We were a little mismanaged at the time.” There was also pressure for a follow-up hit. “I’ll never forget one night having dinner with Tony Martell and he comes up and whispers in my ear, ‘Give me another one just like that last one.’ That was the whole problem with pop music at the time.” Indeed, you’ll never hear the current band play “Powerful Stuff,” a minor follow-up hit, which Wilson says he always thought was a lousy song.
garage and rockabilly instincts made 2005’s Painted On the raunchiest of all T-Birds albums. “The problem with Nick was that I could see that he was meant to be a bandleader. So I did fire him, but only because I could see him languishing in the position of being a sideman for me.”
The names have since changed again, but the mission remains—just don’t call the Thunderbirds a “blues-rock” band. “To me blues and rock are like oil and water—You can’t play them both at the same time. You think back to the originators, the great ones, and every one of them had their own thing. To my mind there aren’t a lot of people singing blues nowadays— They’re singing church, singing pseudo-gospel, and they’re calling it blues. So, if someone asks what we play, I just say it’s good music.”
“You think back to the originators, the great ones, and every one of them had their own thing. To my mind there aren’t a lot of people singing blues nowadays—They’re singing church, singing pseudo-gospel, and they’re calling it blues. So, if someone asks what we play, I just say it’s good music.”
A long string of personnel changes began soon after: Jimmie Vaughan left in 1990 (initially to work with his brother Stevie Ray), and a number of heavy hitters passed through the ranks including guitarists Duke Robillard (later with Dylan) and Kid Bangham and Rolling Stones/Allman Brothers keyboardist Chuck Leavell. One short but notable stint was with the late guitarist Nick Curran, whose
He called on a few friends for the band’s latest album, Struck Down, which includes Billy Gibbons (on a track that could pass for vintage ZZ Top), Terrance Simien and Bonnie Raitt—who remains enough of a fan that she covered the T-Birds “I Believe I’m in Love With You” as the last encore in her 75th birthday show at the Saenger last fall. “I recently saw her for the first time in a very long while, I didn’t know what I was going to say, but I walked into the dressing room, and we just started laughing. She’s the greatest.” Next up on tap is a Kim Wilson solo album that will be much different from a T-Birds set. “When the band does an album, I have to have a digital mix that can compete in the market sonically; the hard part is making a modern sounding record that I still like. But I think it’s time to get traditional again. So, this solo album will be a lot of extremely traditional sounding blues, either recorded in mono or panned closely together. The Grammy people will probably think it all sounds like Jimmy Reed.”
Meanwhile he’s on the road with vintage blues recordings for fuel. “I’m staring at my CD collection right now and there’s not one person in there that’s alive, except for Aaron Neville. But I get in that car and my music is going immediately. That’s how it is when you’re a young person—and I still feel like one, even though I’m 74 years old.” ✯
Friday, May 2 at 3:50 p.m. Lagniappe Stage
Don’t Sweat The Rocksteady 007:
25th Anniversary reunion
BY BRETT MILANO
The whole thing is a happy accident,” says Jeffrey Clemens, mastermind of the rocksteady band 007. “We never said, ‘Let’s figure out something that nobody else has played in New Orleans.’ It was more like, ‘I‘ve just discovered this music and I absolutely have to play it.’ And I didn’t even know how to play it. Even though it sounds like reggae and has elements of that, it isn’t reggae. And you can’t play it with just anybody, because you can’t buy alchemy.”
Clemens may well be the first musician who’s moved to New Orleans to play Jamaican music but as he says, it was all by accident. As the founding drummer of the groove band G. Love & Special Sauce, he moved here from Boston to absorb the sounds and expand his musical trick bag. In his downtime he wound up frequenting a favorite record store (the long-defunct Magic Bus in the French Quarter) and got addicted to compilations of vintage Jamaican singles. The bug bit hard enough that he needed a band to play them. One of his first musical friends in town, guitarist Alex McMurray, was the first to come
along. Co-guitarist Jonathan Freilich (of the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars among others) and Joe Cabral (moving over from his Iguanas sax slot to play bass) were next. The lineup celebrates a quarter-century together at Jazz Fest this year.
Rocksteady fell chronologically between ska and reggae, and Clemens explains that it’s got a magic of its own. “Rocksteady happened when the Beatles happened. What they did was slow the downbeat a little and the lyrical content was always going out, getting with your girlfriend— ‘I’m in the Mood,’ ‘Let’s Dance,’ ‘Let’s Do Rocksteady’. It was just a happy time for Jamaican music. There are hundreds, even thousands of lost 45’s from that era. And I love the sound of that period, they were recording on the same kind of gear the Beatles had. People like Desmond Dekker, Toots Hibbert, Ken Boothe—Those guys were the Jamaican crooners, their version of Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. There’s a lot of doo-wop sensibility in the ooh’s and ah’s, and the musicians were jazz guys who were moonlighting, just like the New Orleans guys who played on Little Richard and Fats Domino records.”
While there are countless bands doing vintage ska and reggae, the rocksteady repertoire tends to get overlooked, and only the hippest collectors will know the songs that 007 covers. “After 1967 when reggae became hip, they slowed it down and all of a sudden, the lyrics were not all about dancing and being in the mood. People started growing dreadlocks, there was lots of marijuana and suddenly they were singing about the oppression of the African immigrant. Reggae was more
socially charged and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it lost me there.”
McMurray says he didn’t come into the band with as big a collection, but he caught the bug as well. “What’s great about rocksteady is that the artists were always these dudes hanging out— tradesmen, loafers, layabouts. They’d get together with their friends and sing, then they’d try out. And the producer would say ‘We like that, we’ll put you in a studio with a bunch of backing guys.’ And the record would hit, and they’d get to be stars for a little while.”
The band does its best to play the songs right, which doesn’t necessarily mean playing them too faithfully. Says Clemens, “Although this music is defiantly simple, it’s almost impossible to play. We’re not from Jamaica, and we’re not 25 like those guys were. But we do our best to play that style without any affectations.: Adds McMurray, “One of the maxims we adopted early on was, ‘Don’t sweat the rocksteady’. We would love to sound like Desmond Dekker’s band, but we don’t get too uptight about the re-creation thing.”
At the moment 007 only plays a couple times
a year; since everybody has a their share of other gigs (They did release a new album, The Return of Ben Downlow last year). Clemens left New Orleans after Katrina, retired from G. Love’s band after 27 years, and now resides in Nashville where he’s the go-to studio drummer for producer Dan Auerbach of Black Keys fame. Since nobody’s living off this band, they do it for the camaraderie and love of the music. And in McMurray’s case, there’s another attraction as well.
“With this band I get to play music that people dance to,” he says. “Jeffery always got that with G. Love, Freilich gets people dancing with the Klezmer Allstars, and everybody dances to the Iguanas. But I spent years trying to get people to dance and then I gave it up. When I was first living in New Orleans, going to Tulane I was thinking, ‘How can I get people dancing like the Neville Brothers do? But I didn’t know the first think about it, and then we started Royal Fingerbowl and that wasn’t dance music either. So, I never had that dance experience before 007, and when I started seeing that happening I thought, ‘This is the shit’.” ✯
GAL HOLIDAY &THE HONKY TONK REVUE
Friday, April 25 at 11:15 a.m. Festival Stage
Three chords, but still the truth
Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue
BY BRETT MILANO
Vanessa Niemann, alias Gal Holiday, didn’t grow up on country music, and didn’t fully embrace it until she’d left her Maryland home and came to New Orleans. But she found it deep in her soul nonetheless, and the connection’s gotten deeper in the 21 years since Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue first appeared. “I was a raver; I grew up on alternative and hip-hop. I never saw the band going on this long or becoming this popular.”
But some matches are made in heaven, and
that of Niemann’s warm, flexible voice with the country repertoire was one of them. The band initially formed through the back pages of OBeat, when she advertised for players to join a rockabilly band. The band since branched out to include everything from hardcore honky-tonk to scrappier outlaw country. Personnel has changed over numerous times; most of the current lineup—singer, guitarist Justin LeCuyer, bassist Corey McGillivary, harmonica player Button Sher, lead guitarist Abram Racin and drummer Gabe Marshall—is around five years standing.
GAL HOLIDAY &THE HONKY TONK REVUE
As for Gal Holiday herself, Niemann considers that somewhere between a stage name and a fullfledged alter ego. “She’s definitely a rope ’em and ride ’em kind of gal, and that’s not necessarily my history or my background. But I’ve always performed under a stage name for one reason or another. It’s funny, someone asked me online if the band had a different lead singer than in 2010; they thought it was a completely different person, but it’s always been me. My hair has changed about five thousand times, but that’s a lady’s prerogative.”
Her musical background is actually all over the map. She began classical piano training as a kid and moved to other instruments; she did some theater and later wound up fronting a big band in the DC area, playing senators’ balls and other big-time gatherings. “I was a performative kind of kid. I always wanted to be good at what I was doing—not just good, I wanted to be really good. And if I couldn’t be really good, I didn’t want to do it. I think you outgrow that as you get older and do things for more creative reasons.” Her first New Orleans band was the Sophisticats & Sophistikittens —whose love for Vegas grind and surf music was a long way from country. And even now she’s got a second band, Prey For Neighbors, whose sound is rooted in the psych-influenced, guitarslinging side of ’90s alternative. But even there, her voice is hard to miss and it’s not entirely twang-free.
from. We could certainly do a whole night of Patsy Cline or Hank Williams songs—and we have, but that wouldn’t be authentic as to who Gal Holiday is.”
One big change over the years is that Gal Holiday now writes much of its own material, saving the covers for live gigs. The most recent album Last to Leave was all original and a few new songs are on tap to be recorded. Their original tunes range from the live favorite “Broke Down and Broke”—a what-the hell story of true life on the road—to a gritty new one, “The Knife’s Edge,” which stood out when they played Chickie Wah Wah recently. Tellingly it was written during the pandemic.
“I was a performative kind of kid. I always wanted to be good at what I was doing—not just good, I wanted to be really good. And if I couldn’t be really good, I didn’t want to do it. I think you outgrow that as you get older and do things for more creative reasons.”
“The original ones do a little more, deep diving—We have fun ones too, and I’m sure we could do a whole set of funny drinking songs, but that gets to be like one note after a while.
‘The Knife’s Edge’ is a discussion of mental health—there’s not a lot of that in country, but I guess Sturgill Simpson talks a bit about it and he’s one of my favorites. I wrote that when the person I was spending a lot of time with was having issues, as were many people at the time. Our originals get a little outside the traditional country box, shall we say—more than three chords, but still the truth.”
Niemann felt that becoming Gal Holiday required her to get immersed in country history; she’s since lectured at NSU about Louisiana’s country heritage. “It’s interesting because people came by the river like they do now; Jimmie Rodgers influenced the Cajuns who brought their music into New Orleans. I did a lot of research because I don’t ever like to sing a song without knowing who wrote it or where it came
Niemann has a long history with Jazz Fest, for a few years she did an extra set at the Kids’ Tent where she’d lead singalongs on the likes of “You Are My Sunshine” and “Jambalaya.” But her fondest Fest memory is the year she nearly crossed meeting one hero off her bucket list. “We got to play [on the Gentilly stage] before Willie Nelson, but he was sick that day, so they carried him off as soon as he got offstage. But I remember somebody asking, ‘What is that smell?’ And it was his guitar strap, he hadn’t washed it in about three days, and you could smell it ten feet away. So that was as close as I got to meeting Willie.”
Thursday, May 1 at 11:15 a.m. Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage
Memories in My Heart Jesse Lége & the Bayou Aces
BY DAN WILLGING
When Jesse Lége says it’s about time, you better believe it. It’s been 15 years since the powerhouse Cajun accordionist’s last Jazz Fest and third overall in a career spanning 57 years.
“I’ve wanted to get in there again,” Lége said. “I played it a couple of times, but both under another hire.” He estimates that the last time he played Jazz Fest was in 2010 with The Cajun Country Revival with Caleb Klauder and Joel Savoy.
But this year’s different. It’s the first time Lége is billed under his own name as Jesse Lége & the Bayou Aces, a Lafayette-based all-star band consisting of fiddlers Savoy and Luke Huval, slide guitarist Roddie Romero, bassist Joe Vidrine and
drummer Jimmy Breaux.
Lége still remembers his astonishment at his inaugural Jazz Fest appearance. “I’d never been to such a huge venue like that in my life,” Lége recalls. “I didn’t get out of those woods back there until I was 19. I quit school at 16 and went to work in the rice field. I didn’t leave that hole until I was grown up, so the world was a strange place for me. It was still a big adventure to go to New Orleans.”
That “hole” that Lége refers to is his upbringing in the micro-village of Wright on Highway 14, east of Gueydan. Gueydan was the closest sizable town, with a population hovering around 2,000 in 1951 when Lége was born. The French-speaking family lived in a one-room 16 x 28 house, without any modern conveniences (no electricity and indoor plumbing). Eventually, the John and Lou-Anna Mary Trahan Lége family grew to nine children: four boys and five girls. Lége was the middle child at number five, with four siblings behind him. Later, his father, a sharecropper on his grandfather’s rice farm, worked with his grandfather to convert an old feed room for some of the boys to sleep in. Lége remembers his grandfather bringing appliance boxes home from Western Auto in Gueydan to line the metal walls, along with pig sacks and moss as insulation. “Yeah, we couldn’t afford to buy
JESSE LÉGE & T
paneling,” Lége says about his family’s clever resourcefulness.
Like many Cajuns long ago, Lége didn’t start speaking English fluently until he went to school. Lége’s upbringing is the stuff you usually read about these days of the hardscrabble life Cajuns led to survive. Still, there was plenty of fun to be had. “I come from right out of the swamp, not a half a city block from there,” Lége says, referring to the proximity of his family’s house to the swamp. “We lived as much in the woods, hunting and fishing on the bayou.”
Lége says he was 15 when the family finally moved into a house with electricity, running water, and separate bedrooms. “Man, we were in high cotton then,” he quips.
By then, Lége was on his way to becoming a lifelong musician. Neither parent played an instrument, but his father was a particularly good singer.
However, Lége feels his interest in music stems from his mother, who constantly sang, hummed, or whistled around the house. Even in her final days, she constantly sang, hummed and whistled melodies, and listened to tapes her son provided. “I have to claim that’s where my love and the need to play this music came from,” Lége says. “I must have been marked in the womb.”
When Lége was around 12 or 13, a cousin loaned him a Truetone guitar and scratched out a few chords on a piece of scrap paper. Pretty soon, Lége was up and running on guitar, and he and that six-string were inseparable. He carried it around wherever he went. He saved up his nickels, bought a harmonica, and learned that, too. The same cousin who loaned him the guitar bought him a neck rack to mount and play the harmonica while he played guitar. He jammed with another cousin who played accordion, and after a while, he’d let Lége play it.
A few years later, when Lége was 15, the same cousin who loaned him the guitar bought him a Hohner Accordion Model 114 for 64 dollars from Modern Music in Crowley. “He handed me this shoe box-looking thing,” Lége recalls. “So, I opened the box, and there was that little Hohner. Then he said, ‘You got to take care of this thing because when you buy your own accordion, I want this back.’ It was his way of telling me I had to take care of the thing. And that was it for the guitar.”
After Lége began making progress in playing the accordion, he formed a trio with his younger
BAYOU ACES
brother Michael (guitar) and his cousin Robert Lége (fiddle). Lége says Robert was “a pretty darn good fiddle player” but also a great vocalist. “If he had stayed in the music, he would have made his way,” Lége says. “If you didn’t see him singing, you would have sworn it was Joe Falcon who was singing. He had that vibrato in his voice and everything.”
In 1987, with Lége and The Jeff Davis Ramblers, Lége recorded his signature composition, “Memoires dans mon coeur,” as a 45 rpm for tiny Circle D Records operated by C.E. Diehl. Diehl had bought the old analog equipment from radio station KJEF in Jennings and set up a studio in a newly-built addition to his home.
Lége is still surprised that despite how often he performed “Memoires dans mon coeur,” no one had recorded it before. There were always other musicians hanging around, hoping to be called up to play a few numbers to impress the club owner to get gigs. Occasionally, new songs were “permanently borrowed” to get an edge on the competition.
When Lége joined the Lake Charles Ramblers, he reprised “Memoires dans mon coeur” for its 1997 Swallow Records Memoires du Passé album. The following year, Memoires du Passé won the Cajun French Music Association’s Best First Recording of the Year. Lége also garnered the CFMA’s coveted Accordionist of the Year award.
Lége departed from The Lake Charles Ramblers and formed the Southern Ramblers in 2000. The group recorded the eponymously titled Jesse Lége & the Southern Ramblers for Acadiana Records in Eunice, featuring his composition “La Valse De Gueydan.” That same year, Arhoolie Records released a live recording from the Isleton Crawdad Festival, Sacramento County, California, featuring Lége and Creole fiddler Ed Poullard, supported by a stellar Sunshine State squadron.
Shortly thereafter, Lége moved to the northeast and hooked up with Lafayette native and fiddler Darren Wallace, formerly of Filé, and formed Jesse Lége & Bayou Brew.
In May, Lége & The Bayou Aces will open Swamp in the City in Brooklyn, a festival he has been with since its inception. Swamp has a few set bands plus a whole retinue of Hub City area musicians that play in different configurations over the weekend. Two or three years ago, Lége estimates, he, Joel Savoy, Jimmy Breaux, Joe Vidrine, and the late Chris Stafford closed the festival. “We had all played music together at one
JESSE LÉGE &
time or other, but never as a band before,” Lége said. “So, we got up there and just burned it. I mean, we just burned it down!”
That was so much fun, Lége told the guys the following year, “Hey, let’s do this Bayou Aces thing again,” and everybody was in. So, whenever possible, they’ll play shows but don’t consider themselves an official permanent band. “We’ll play together as long as we want,” Lége said. “But it’s not like we book a lot of gigs together.”
Bayou Aces’ Roddie Romero looks forward to the upcoming Jazz Fest gig with Lége. Romero admires Lége’s comfortable band conducting style and his vast repertoire of Cajun tunes. “It’s just so easy to be around him,” Romero said. “Especially, with his personality but also how he conducts a band and immediately gets everyone into a flow state. That’s pretty special and spectacular to be around.”
Romero says Joel Savoy has told him stories about his gigs with Lége where they never repeated a song during a three to four night run. “You know, usually you find a band that has maybe 30 or 40 songs—if they’re really good—in
ACES
their trick bag to get them through a night or two,” Romero said. “But he knows all of them, and he plays and sings them all very well, which is also pretty hard to keep in your memory bank, all these lyrics flowing through.”
Longtime musical buddy and accordion builder/mentor Ed Poullard offers his perspective by proclaiming that Lége has a good ear for detail—paramount in studying the recordings of old masters. “When he plays, he incorporates much of that older style,” Poullard said. “He plays hard and intense, and he puts his heart and soul into it. His delivery is based on the spirits of those that came before him.”
Lége describes his style as “a mixture of all the old pros” since that’s who he learned from via recordings, radio and TV. “It’s not patterned after anybody in particular,” Lége said. “I have begged, borrowed and stolen licks from all of them. But I’d like to think I’m stuck more on the old traditional styles. One thing that helped me is I didn’t have anyone to teach me accordion. I figured it out and learned to play by ear. I didn’t pattern myself after a teacher. It was all by figuring it out myself”
Thursday, April 24 at 2 p.m. Alison Minor Music Heritage Stage Thursday, April 24 at 4:05 p.m. Congo Square Stage
King of Jazz Fest Late Night
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
BY JAY MAZZA
When Karl Denson played at the Jazz Fest a year ago, he was on the main stage with the Rolling Stones. The saxophonist and flautist has been one of the rock band’s touring musicians since 2014 when he replaced the Stones longtime horn man, the great Bobby Keys.
But Denson’s no stranger on the other stages at the Jazz Fest. He has led his own band, the Tiny Universe, four times beginning with his debut performance in 2002. The group was back at the Fair Grounds in 2004 and 2005 before a long drought in official appearances that ended in 2019 with a ripping performance on the Congo Square Stage. That set included a nod to his “day job” employers—a great version of “Tumblin’ Dice.” The Stones were supposed to perform that year but had to cancel due to singer Mick Jagger
needing heart surgery.
Yet official Jazz Fest appearances are but a small part of Denson’s long involvement with the festival season in New Orleans. He has been called the “King of Jazz Fest Late Night” because of the length and breadth of countless inspirational shows at clubs and theaters around town.
A short list includes performances ending after the sunrise with the Tiny Universe at Tipitina’s that have featured numerous special guests including Ivan Neville. Anders Osborne and dozens of local musicians have joined him as well as long-time jam band heroes like Warren Haynes, the String Cheese Incident, Luther Dickinson and many more. The list literally goes on and on and includes rockers like Lenny Kravitz and Steve Winwood and jazz luminaries including Roy Hargrove and Joshua Redman.
Before Denson’s career took off in the late 1980s when he was a member of Kravitz’s touring band and appeared on his first two albums Let Love Rule and Mama Said, he was focused more on jazz. In a phone interview on a break from a recording session with pedal steel master Robert Randolph, Denson explained his early influences. “I was in college, and I was practicing a lot— avant-garde jazz was kind of my end goal. Leading a jazz quartet or quintet was my main ambition. I listened to a lot of Art Ensemble of Chicago, Cecil Taylor and Anthony Braxton.”
He elaborated: “But I grew up listening to Eddie Harris and David ‘Fathead’ Newman and Yusef Lateef, so I had kind of a soul jazz thing early on that was kind of my biggest influence. But I was [also] a huge late [period] John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders fan too. So I was just in school, learning how to write and playing jazz as much as I could.”
bed his first break in the pop music business, “In the early ’80s I got a gig with this artist named O’Bryan who is from my hometown Santa Ana [California]. He’s a few years younger than me and he got signed to Capitol Records and was managed by Don Cornelius from “Soul Train.” I did that for about four years. I did a few records with him and made an appearance or two on “Soul Train.”
That gig lasted until he met Kravitz in 1988, but it was his work as a founding member of the Greyboy Allstars that solidified his standing as a saxophonist equally well-versed in jazz and soul. That group’s debut album, West Coast Boogaloo, featured trombonist Fred Wesley (of James Brown fame), linking Denson with the R&B legends of an earlier era.
Around the turn of the century, Denson hardened his connections to New Orleans by appearing on Galactic drummer Stanton Moore’s second solo album Flying the Coop in 2002. The crossover associations are too numerous to mention, but it bears stating that Denson’s Greyboy partner, keyboardist Robert Walter, has also recorded with Moore.
Denson is a big fan of the Jazz Fest itself. He said, “As a musician playing Jazz Fest, it’s just a frickin’ roller coaster ride. There are so many great artists playing there. But me being a jazz guy, having the Jazz Tent — I saw Ornette Coleman one year. Oh God, that was one of the greatest concerts of my life.”
He continued raving about the festival, “Right after the pandemic, I saw [saxophonist] Joshua Redman and he just crushed my ass. I snuck backstage and I told him, ‘I’ve been playing guitar [which he learned during the pandemic] and I’ve been working on some other stuff, but I’m going right back to my house and I’m getting back to work on the saxophone.’”
What makes Karl Denson such an inspiring performer? First, it’s his collaborative approach to music. Whether you are hearing Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe as a stand-alone entity or witnessing a jam with any number of special guests inside the KDTU experience, Denson encourages all the musicians to shine. He willingly shares the spotlight in an effort to make space within the music for improvisation and one-of-akind moments.
He said, “What I think I do overall is really song-based so even when I have people sitting in, there’s still enough material that my audience kinda knows … it’s familiar … and then they enjoy having as much free space [musically] as I can give them.”
As far as the musicians he welcomes on stage, Denson said he only intervenes as a bandleader if something in the music gets “tricky.” He said, “Generally, the people who come play with me, I know them, I know what they play like, and I trust their intuition. The thing you want is to have someone that will take a little bit of the reins—that makes it good.”
He continued, “I definitely am trying to create a community on stage every night. I always liked the idea, from reading about Duke Ellington, how when different people would come into his band, he would just start to compose with that [musical] voice in mind … to let that person shine.”
Karl Denson is a truly captivating performer. His solos are tightly focused, but always in service of the song. He doesn’t grandstand or hog the sound but consistently delivers, whether he is blistering on tenor or exhaling moonlight on the flute.
Whether leading the band or performing as a special guest artist, Denson always connects with audiences because of his generous nature on stage. He brings improvised jazz into the jam band sound and a jam band sensibility into his forays into other genres. Simply put, he is a singular musician with his own style and extraordinary approach to music. ✯
To read more of Jay Mazza go to his newsletter at jaymazza.substack.com
BRANFORD MARSALIS
Melody First
Marsalis is back home in New
BY GERALDINE WYCKOFF
Saxophonist, composer, bandleader and Grammy-winner Branford Marsalis moved back to his hometown of New Orleans in January 2024. The oldest son of pianist and educator, the late Ellis Marsalis Jr., and brother of fellow musician’s trumpeter Wynton, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer and vibraphonist Jason, he headed to the east coast initially to attend the Berklee College of Music in 1979 and didn’t look back until now.
To say that Marsalis, who turns 65 in August, “lives” in the Crescent City might be exaggerating his circumstances as he spends much of his time touring. From January 2025 to the end of March he was only “at home” for 20 days.
“I love being in the city—I just like the vibe of it,” says Marsalis, who so far this year did a couple of local gigs with old friend drummer Herlin Riley. He also sat in at the Bayou Bar and played a riotous set with an unusual teaming of Deacon John playing slide guitar and David Torkanowsky on piano among others at the Bywater Bakery’s annual King Cake Party.
Orleans
around the globe. The saxophonist’s last album, The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, dropped back in 2019.
Belonging, Marsalis’ debut on the prestigious Blue Note Records label represents the saxophonist and company addressing or perhaps more precisely re-addressing piano and composer giant Keith Jarrett’s 1974 masterpiece of the same name and includes all of the same songs.
The release of the Branford Marsalis Quartet’s new album, Belonging, featuring his excellent, musically in-sync, long-standing ensemble with bassist Eric Revis (since 1996), pianist Joey Calderazzo (since 1999) and drummer Justin Faulkner (since 2009) has been much-awaited news for fans
Jarrett’s recording hit Marsalis hard when he first heard it back in the day. “That record [Jarrett’s] uses the classic Blue Note formula whether it was on purpose or completely coincidental,” Marsalis said. “There are always good melodies and there’s always one funky kind of bluesy tune. There’s always blues on Blue Note records. Belonging has all that stuff.”
Representing the funky, bluesy category is “Windup,” perhaps the most familiar tune to listeners, is absolutely invigorating and capable of catching the ears of a wider audience. It even includes a New Orleans reference when the rhythm section sets up the groove of the classic “The Second Line” with Marsalis quoting the melody and the guys responding, “Hey!” Fun.
“It’s a great tune,” says Marsalis, who also recorded it on his previous release. “I think in all styles of music, the thing that really works is
BRANFORD MARSALIS
melody first, rhythm second and harmony third. If the song has a really strong melody, people are attracted to it.”
On the title cut, Marsalis moves from the tenor saxophone to the soprano, an instrument for which he has received tremendous accolades. “When the song that I’m playing tells me to switch—the sound of the song is the recommendation,” says Marsalis, who originally began playing alto though put it aside because it didn’t fit when he was in his brother Wynton’s quintet.
While some might find the album’s two ballads, “Belonging” and “Blossom” to be romantic, Marsalis suggests that they are more concerning the “beauty of loneliness.” He also adds that his breathy blowing on “Blossom” comes from the influence of the great Ben Webster. “When you spend so many years listening to Ben Webster it shows up when you need it.”
with and treat each other here. “As a Black person in the city, it’s far less segregated than it was,” he’s observed adding that he sees less “self-segregation” that previously existed due to custom and tradition.
Soon after his “arrival,” in New Orleans Marsalis was appointed artistic director of the Ellis Marsalis Jr. Center for Music, which he and pianist and vocalist Harry Connick Jr. established as a focus of the 9th Ward’s Habitat for Humanity’s Musicians Village.
“It wasn’t my idea to call myself artistic director, but I can understand the merits of that from a marketing standpoint,” says Marsalis who adds that the Center will continue to operate as it has since it started.
The Branford Marsalis
Quartet’s heavy touring schedule is not in support of the new release. “We would be overseas whether we had a new album out or not. We play concerts for a living,” he adamantly states explaining that it’s a very rare group of artists who make money from their recordings.
When Marsalis’ management told him that the group had a shot of signing with Blue Note,” he immediately answered, “That’s great.” “Blue Note is actually a jazz label,” he points out. “It’s nice to be with a company that gives a shit about what we do. I’m doing more interviews about that recording now than I have done in 10 or maybe 15 years. I think I can attribute that to Blue Note and that jazz records really matter to them.”
The Branford Marsalis Quartet’s heavy touring schedule is not in support of the new release. “We would be overseas whether we had a new album out or not. We play concerts for a living,” he adamantly states explaining that it’s a very rare group of artists who make money from their recordings.
“Whether it’s me or Jon Cleary or the Hot 8 Brass Band or the Soul Rebels, we’re all in the same boat. We play concerts to make a living. Recordings are a record of your progress or lack of progress.”
Having been gone from New Orleans for 40-plus years, Marsalis naturally has found considerable positive changes in how people deal
“The focus of the Center is the kids,” he strongly adds while pointing out that the mission is to serve the community and provide life guidance and support for children rather than to produce musicians.
“Musicians have always found their way. Those that are meant to be musicians become musicians.”
It’s difficult to believe that as a New Orleans native son Marsalis’ outstanding quartet (members Revis and Faulkner have spent significant time in the city) hasn’t played the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival since 2014. That makes his appearance in the Jazz Tent particularly exciting for local fans who don’t have the opportunity to hear their “home boy,” as well as jazz lovers from around the world.
“We’re eager to play—it just doesn’t matter where we’re doing it,” says Marsalis, adding that it’s unfortunate that the band gets into town the day before its Jazz Fest set, plays the next day and then heads to Minnesota the following day.
“We record here and the guys love being here,” Marsalis offers. It’s amazing that we’re still out there working—and the band’s longevity. We’re in demand right now—it comes and goes. We’re going to just ride with it and enjoy it.”
Displaying his true, deep New Orleans roots, Branford Marsalis sends a shout-out to the Saints and the Pelicans. “Next year we’ll be better!” ✯
ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
Thursday, May 1 at 1:15 p.m. Alison Miner Music Heritage Stage Thursday, May 1 at 4:30 p.m. Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage
Echo Dancing
Alejandro Escovedo’s unique path
BY CREE MCCREE
Over the past six decades, Alejandro Escovedo has forged a unique genrebusting path through the American musical landscape. From his early punk rock days in The Nuns, the Austin band that opened for the Sex Pistols’ last show, to his “Sensitive Boys” solo career as a beloved roots-rock artist. He’s followed the impulses of an always-open heart and ever-inquisitive mind wherever they lead him. Fortunately for us, we get to go along for the ride.
His most recent album, Echo Dancing, gives Escovedo newbies a crash-course in his career by revisiting an entire lifetime of songs. “I always felt like songs aren’t static, that they’re never really completely done,” he told me via Zoom from his home outside Austin in Driftwood, Texas. “There’s always room for interpretation. And that’s what really inspired that record.”
During the course of a lively conversation, we discussed everything from the genesis of Echo
Dancing to his deep fanboy love of the New York Dolls to his favorite clubs to play in New Orleans. He also offered a preview of what to expect when he hits the main stage with his band at the Fair Grounds on Thursday, May 1. You’re not just a great musician you’re a fabulous lyricist. One of my favorite lines on the new album is from “John Conquest”: “I wanna know why you suck so hard, like a vampire brat on a drunken rant.” Oh my God, “vampire brat.” That was originally a Buick MacKane song, a band that I had here in Austin in the 90s. We were very loud and very obnoxious, more of a party than a band [laughs] and there was a local rock critic named John Conquest who hated Buick Buick MacKane and would write really horrible reviews about us. And we printed up his bad reviews on the back of T-shirts we sold at our gigs.
When did you decide you wanted to revisit some of your old songs? Just as I boarded the plane to go to Italy to record an album. It all happened by fluke. I began to listen to older songs just to kind of get inspired and also listened to Por Vida. That was a tribute record made by 31 artists when I was ill with Hepatitis C. Calexico was one of those bands, and they kind of messed with my songs in a good way, and they had a beautiful version of “Wave.” I thought it’d be really cool to go back and deconstruct these old songs and then build them back
ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
together again.
You also recorded The Crossing in Italy too, right? Yes, around 2016, right as Trump was about to become elected. And it was interesting because The Crossing is a story about two young boys. One is from Mexico, one is from Italy, and they meet up in Galveston, Texas, where they’re both working in a kitchen in an Italian restaurant, and they talk about all the things that they love about America. They find a common bond in punk rock music, and Allen Ginsburg, Patti Smith, the MC5, and the Stooges, and all these great blues artists. And so, they go looking for that America, and what they find is something very different.
Which is even more relevant today than it was then. The New York Dolls are on the short list of musicians who influenced you, and David Johansen just passed. What did he mean to you? In August of 1973, I went to see the New York Dolls’ first show at the Whisky a Go Go, they played three nights and I went every night. I was in love with the New York Dolls, and especially David. Such a wonderful lyricist, such a great showman, great front man. He went on to make great records after the Dolls, of course, but I loved the Dolls very much. The only time I ever
booed a band was when Mott the Hoople came to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The Dolls were supposed to open, but instead Aerosmith opened up for them. Me and my friend booed them loudly. Because they weren’t The Dolls. Are you playing anywhere else in New Orleans during Jazz Fest? I’m playing with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. That’s an incredible honor and I feel very fortunate that I got asked to do that. I’ve been coming to New Orleans for quite a while, and I just love playing there, it’s always been a great time for me. I’ve played every place from Tipitina’s to the Howlin’ Wolf, but Chickie Wah Wah is where I love to play the most. It reminds me a lot of my hometown gig, which I love, here at the Continental Club. It’s the same kind of vibe.
What can people expect to see when they come to see you at the Fair Grounds? I’m gonna have a full band with me. James Mastro from New York on guitar and vocals, Scott Danbon from Denton, Texas on keyboards and vocals, who has played with the Drive-By Truckers and Mark Henne on drums and vocals, who used to play with Black Joe Lewis. So, it’ll be a four-piece band. ✯
CHARLIE AND T HE TROPICALES
Sunday, April 27 at 1:50 p.m. Lagniappe Stage
Charlie Halloran Thursday, April 24 at 12:30 p.m. Economy Hall Tent
Calypso Head Charlie and the Tropicales
BY JAY MAZZA
Trombonist Charlie Halloran is best known around town as a first-call traditional jazz musician. But that may change as more and more fans are flocking to performances by his pan-Caribbean band, Charlie and the Tropicales. They first played at the Fair Grounds in 2022 at the Cultural Exchange Pavilion during the first post-pandemic Jazz Fest. This year, they will appear on the Lagniappe Stage.
The band mixes up various styles from the islands south of us as well as music from 1950s era New Orleans, South America and other parts of the diaspora. But they do it all with an only-in-New Orleans twist.
Like so many local bands over the years, the genesis of Charlie and the Tropicales began on the streets of the French Quarter. Halloran explained in a phone interview, “Tomas Majcherski, a saxophone player and clarinet player, had a band [2016-2017] that would busk on Royal Street called the Rhythm Wizards. I wasn’t in that band, but I loved them,
and I had been listening to a lot of beguine music [from Guadeloupe and Martinique] that I learned by playing with the Panorama Jazz Band.”
“I also met this record collector named Ray Funk, who comes to town every year. He has a Fulbright [grant] to go to Trinidad to digitize music from the 1950s … and so he has been sending me all of these deep-cut, out-of-print 45s and dance band LPs produced there. I fell in love with that sound back in 2016.”
Halloran and some of the members of Tuba Skinny ended up making a straight-to-78 rpm acetate record that mirrored the sound of some of those old records. The recording led to a gig on the roof of the Catahoula Hotel in downtown New Orleans.
Halloran continued, “Then through that, we started meeting all of these Latin American and Cuban musicians that had been moving to town. I met Cesar Bacaro [a Cuban percussionist], Jafet Perez [a Dominican percussionist] and [eventually] David Navarro [a Cuban trumpeter].” They are all in the
CHARLIE AND T HE TROPICALES
band along with saxophonist and flautist Brent Rose. Doug Garrison holds down the drum throne with Nahum Zdybel on guitar and Pete Olynciw on bass. Though some personnel have changed over the years, Olynciw goes back to the very beginning since he was in The Rhythm Wizards. Zdybel and Olynciw are also in Layla McCalla’s band, so they play together all the time and are locked in tight.
When you hear the band live, it’s clear that Zdybel’s sound is one of the keys to the band’s music. Halloran explained, “I knew Nahum from the traditional jazz world; he’s really great, like an Eddie Lang-style rhythm guitar player from the 1920s1930s, but clearly, he loves Bill Frisell and those kind of more modern sounds, which works really well because the label that picked us up is a surf rock label. They put out a lot of kind of noisy, rock ’n’ roll, guitar-driven music.”
An added plus is that Halloran has long been
Mireya Ramos
BY JOHN RADANOVICH
The hyper-talented violinist and singer-songwriter Mireya Ramos will be a guest of Charlie and the Tropicales.
Ramos is best known for her soaring vocal duets as one of the caras lindas “beautiful faces” of ranchera music, the Grammy winning Mariachi Flor de Toloache, the first all-women mariachi group in New York City.
Ramos bathed in the warm Caribbean musical waters her entire life. In New York she discovered jazz violinist Regina Carter, and taught herself to play jazz stylings, to which she adds her own love of the unique and emotive Mexican Huasteca regional style, which is often in 6/8 time, closer to its African origin than European. It’s a style that fits well with the more syncopated rhythms Ramos loves to explore.
Frustrated by a dismissive
a big fan of Jamaican-style electric guitar along the lines of Ernest Raglin and Peter Tosh—what he called “shredding,” and “ripping rock ’n’ roll guitar.” So, Zdybel is a perfect fit for Halloran’s early vision of the perfect sound for his band. It’s a full-on, horn-driven, percussion-heavy dance party with funky bass lines and nimble lead guitar.
Besides seeing the band live, listening to their albums is also a rollicking adventure because of the fabulous production and lots of special guests. Grammy-nominated French vocalist Cyrille Aimée appears on Jump Up, singing the infectious song, “Ocaso Marino.”
Halloran explained, “She started coming [to hear us at Bacchanal] pretty soon after she moved to New Orleans [in 2018-19]. She would come all the time, which was really sweet and kind of put a little a fire under me … we’d just kinda always been kicking around the idea of her playing with us.”
male mariachi attitude, she convinced singer Shae Fiol (whose background was in soul and R&B, not Mexican ranchera) to form Flor de Toloache in 2008. As an artist with such naturally open musical boundaries, Ramos leads the band while relying on her traditional ranchera and Huasteca musical background, but also jazz, blues, and soul. Mariachi traditionalists were slow to accept (some never did) the group, but New York fans quickly fell in love with them. After a Latin Grammy in 2014 (and nominations since), they appeared on Harry Connick’s television show and worked with Cuban percussion great Pedrito Martinez (“No one ever did a huapango with batanga in a rap,” she laughs, referring to the title song of “Las Caras Lindas”). Their visit to NPR’s Tiny Desk in 2016 is one of the highlights of the entire series, especially the arresting vocal duet on the completely original “Let Down.”
The Tropicales and Ramos
will appear together all over town, continuing to perform her “Dicen” and “Quiero Volver,” the Tropicales exciting and atmospheric version of Los Satelites “Ocaso Marino” cumbia from Jump Up , and the standard “Perfidia.”
Expect the collaboration to have the entire Caribbean covered, from New Orleans to the coast of Colombia. And look for Ramos to play for the Midnight Preserves annual benefit at Preservation Hall.
CHARLIE AND T HE TROPICALES
How she ended up appearing on the record is a fascinating story of serendipity and good fortune. “We finally had a tune [for her to sing], and I sent it to her to see if she was interested. She had a two-day window in November a couple years ago, so we piled into Domino Sound recording, and just tracked it live and shot a video. The record had already been sent off [to be pressed] and we literally told them to stop.”
Stop the presses indeed! The song became the lead single on the album and the audio from the video, which Halloran notes, “we just shot for fun,” became the audio on the record.
Another famous guest, Jimbo Mathus, the mastermind of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, sings two songs, “Fifty Cents” and “Mango Vert” on the band’s debut release, Shake the Rum. Halloran explained that Mathus got involved because he’s been playing trombone with the Zippers. “I signed up with them in 2008, I think, and have had a kind of an on-again, off-again relationship with them … I just don’t tour very much with them, but I usually play on their albums.”
Besides being friends, Mathus is also a “calypso head,” so his participation came naturally. Halloran
said, “Jimbo was thrilled to do those two songs.” Incidentally, New Orleans’ own John Boutté also sings a tune on Shake the Rum.
So, what can people expect to hear at the Fair Grounds? Halloran reports that Mireya Ramos, a singer and violinist who lives in New York City, will be joining the band for the whole set. He said, “She can sing the cumbia we recorded with Cyrille, she can sing the kind of the Puerto Rican song we recorded with Angela Flecha on Jump Up and then she has some original cumbias of her own, so we’ll definitely do a few of her tunes. She’s also great on violin so while we’re definitely pushing more of that ’50s and ’60s sound, having the violin in there does kind of throw a nod to the [1920s] string band roots of our sound.”
For a longtime fan of the band, I’m also excited to report that they will be throwing some more original music into the set. Halloran said “We’ve been working in the studio on original songs and we’ve got a handful … we’re also gonna do a couple of rocksteady songs that we’ve been working on, which should be fun and just so easy and danceable and it’ll feel great out there under the sun.” I don’t doubt it for a second. ✯
LA SANTA CECILIA
Thursday, May 1 at 12:25 p.m. Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage Thursday, May 1 at 3:30 p.m. Expedia Cultural Exchange Pavilion
Moonage Daydream La Santa Cecilia
BY STEVE HOCHMAN
Miguel “Oso” Ramirez and Alex Bendana, the percussionist and bassist of the Los Angeles band La Santa Cecilia, respectively, are discussing some of the pathways taken as the group has become one of the leading forces in Mexican-American music. Naturally, names of a few well-known trailblazers come up: Santana, Los Lobos, Lila Downs, Patricio Hidalgo, all of whom they have also collaborated with at times.
But when specifically talking about the quartet’s May 1 Jazz Fest appearance as part of this year’s Cultural Exchange spotlight on Mexico, another figure looms large for them.
“It’s going to be a true honor to be able to represent Mexico in New Orleans,” says Ramirez from his Los Angeles home. “Kind of like Benito Juárez did a really long time ago when he lived there.”
Looking intently into his screen, he adds, “Right?”
Turns out that his “right” is a bit of a test about Mexican-American history, Mexican-New Orleans history, really—and one that this writer failed.
Juárez was not a musician, in case you also need some help with this. He was a mid-19th Century Mexican leader who came to New Orleans in exile after a coup in 1852. It was there, meeting with various other Latin American and Caribbean revolutionaries, that he formed his plans to return to his country, which he did in 1858, becoming the first indigenous president of a nation beset by war and strife, serving until his death 14 years later.
Yeah, but did Juárez ever start an album with a short, back-porch version of David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream?” That’s the opening of 2023’s Cuatro Copas, Bohemia En La Finca Altozano, La Santa Cecilia’s most recent album, recorded in casual gatherings of friends and family at the La Finca Altozano winery and estate grounds in
Baja California. Other than the first track, the album is largely made up of interpretations of classic rancheras, cumbias, norteño tunes and other folk-based songs that are core influences on the group, with various guests including Patricio Hidalgo and the duo Dos Rosas. The convivial events around the recordings, with food and drink and dance, more or less celebrated a quinceañiera for the band—Ramirez, Bendana, guitarist and accordion played Pepe Carlos and the magnificent singer Marisol Hernandez, a.k.a. La Marisoul— highlighting its Mexican side.
So, Bowie?
“Yeah,” Bendana says with a laugh. “I mean, we just love music. We’re open to everything. The cool thing is that everybody loves different kinds of styles of music. So, when we get together we want to do it all. Remember that we did ‘Strawberry Fields,’ and you listen to that song and it goes through every genre of music almost. We just always want to be open, to not encase ourselves in just one style of song or folklore or cumbia or whatever. You want to just blend it and
create something new, you know?”
LA SANTA CECILIA
The very fact that they made the album in Mexico is a big deal. Early on the band had trouble gaining an audience there. “The first time we went to Mexico it was different,” Bendana says. “They looked at us like, ‘What are you guys doing?’ And we were just playing a cumbia, which is sort of universal. I don’t think they were ready to see what we were doing.”
But in recent years they’ve found a very welcoming audience.
“We just sold out an incredible theater, the Metropolitan in Mexico City,” Bendana says. “It was 3,000 people, and our minds were blown. It’s amazing to see the growth and the love that we’re getting now.”
Still, the California group sometimes has to address a sense of otherness in Mexico.
“A lot of times when we go to Mexico, they ask us that question, ‘What’s it like being on the other side?’” Ramirez says. “A lot of times we want to be like, ‘Well, there is no other side.’ We try to represent that as much as possible, so that the barriers on both sides come down. There’s not really a lot that separates us, culturally, because Los Angeles is the largest Mexican population outside of Mexico.
Of course, Mexico is not just one thing, and the Los Angeles Mexican-rooted community reflects that as well, if in a more compact space. And La Santa Cecilia, in turn, represents that in its music where it also brings down barriers in many ways.
“Our cultural identity is not a gimmick or something like that,” Ramirez says. “It’s who we are. It’s what we live. It’s where we come from. And for us it’s a badge of honor to be able to represent our culture and our people who sometimes don’t have a voice or are sometimes misinterpreted in the media, etc. And we’ve always tried to carry that with a certain amount of dignity and respect for all that.”
And that has worked on many levels. The group’s first major-label release, 2012’s Treinta Días, which featured a duet between La Marisoul and Elvis Costello on one song, earned a Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album, while 2016’s Buenaventura and 2017’s Y Vivir were nominated in the same category.
“But sometimes you just want to get crazy and goofy,” Ramirez says. “But I think our audience gets us, and our show is not just one thing. Like
the beginning of the show, it’s a mix of all the new things we’re working on. And then it gets a little more on the cultural folkloric side, and then we play some songs like [the deportation lament] “ICE El Hielo” or [the empowerment cumbia] “Nunca Más” – very heavy political songs. And then we go into the foyer and have drinks and ask the audience what songs they want to listen to. And then we, you know, get really heavy and fun, and people start yelling all the songs and then we dance, we all dance together. It’s not just like, one way or another way. It opens up to so many different things that we are.”
So, Bowie! And so “Strawberry Fields Forever!” And so “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” which they recorded in a loose, New Orleans-style arrangement with the California Feetwarmers in 2019—and maybe, just maybe, will make it to their Jazz Fest set in honor of the host city.
But it’s no small thing that Ramirez keyed on Benito Juárez when thinking about the band’s New Orleans appearance. Cultural and political identity and the difficulties being faced by many Latin Americans in this country have had a presence in the band’s mission from the beginning. A recent experience only served to re-emphasize that.
In January, La Santa Cecilia did a three-show residency in Santa Barbara County, north of Los Angeles, including a show in the small town of Guadalupe, where the population is mostly Hispanic and Latinx with agriculture as the community’s economic hub.
“Raids were happening the days of each of our shows,” Ramirez says of immigration forces going to the fields. “[When] we played in Guadalupe, 85 percent of the workforce didn’t show up to work that day. And the air was thick like that, the energy was very heavy. It makes it almost impossible to go on stage. You don’t feel inspired. You don’t feel happy and joyful. You feel heavy.”
He takes a breath.
“But then you hit the stage and the people’s energy just carries you. And then you realize why you’re doing what you’re doing. And in the moment, it becomes so much more significant. And for us, I think, that is the moment that we’re living. These concerts are becoming more and more significant in that moment that you hit the stage. You understand why music is so important, and cultural representation is so important to people.” ✯
Thursday, April 24 at 3:35 p.m. Shell Gentilly Stage
Big Tuba
The Hot 8 Brass Band sizzles
BY GERALDINE WYCKOFF
The Hot 8 Brass Band is just that. The Grammy-winning and -nominated eightmember ensemble is sizzling, having just released a new album Big Tuba. Plus, the band is touring heavily both nationally and internationally. Just a peek at its recent night-after-night schedule on the East coast and equally ambitious bookings in the U.K. boggles the mind. Fortunately, the guys will have a week back home in New Orleans before the band’s appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
“We have a different appreciation for being out on the road after all of the things we’ve been
through in the past couple of years,” explains the Hot 8’s leader and trumpeter Alvarez Huntley, specifically referring to the passing of Bennie “Big Bennie” Pete, the much-admired co-founder, leader and tuba player of the band who crossed over on September 6, 2021. It is he, of course, to whom the new album is dedicated.
“The response we get from the crowd in different cities each night is something we definitely feed off of—the energy from the people,” Huntley continues. “It’s what enables the group to maintain its seemingly impossible schedule. It not only inspires us but gives us a sense of urgency that we have to do our best on stage.”
HOT 8 BR A SS BAND
Big Tuba opens with the title cut in classic Hot 8 style: big horns and a big sound style that is the band’s trademark and has made it a favorite to back-up headliners including Jon Batiste, who featured the group on his killer, Grammywinning album, We Are.
The lead-off tune, written by Huntley—as are four other selections on the album—rocks with a second line beat combined with a hip-hop delivery on lyrics that repeatedly praise and thank Big Bennie.
“We understand that we have to kind of walk in his footsteps,” says Huntley of Pete who was more than a musical leader: he was a philosopher who offered a guiding light to life. His advice, says Alvarez, was to be courageous enough to have your own identity, to be family- oriented, to take time to practice and that things can be healed with conversation.
A part of the Hot 8’s identity is also to include some old school rhythm and blues tunes in its repertoire. Bennie Pete once explained that they did so to please older folks and also to smooth out the second line when the crowd got too hot.
On Big Tuba, the Hot 8 chose Bill Withers’ 1971 classic, “Ain’t No Sunshine.” “It’s a special one,” says Huntley, adding that some selections, which might be described as golden oldies, will remain in band’s repertoire. “The response we get is just magical. It will always be a part of who we are because we are inspired by those songs, those times, those feelings, those moods and we are able to put our New Orleans Hot 8 twist on them.”
“The response we get from the crowd in different cities each night is something we defi nitely feed off of—the energy from the people. It’s what enables the group to maintain its seemingly impossible schedule. It not only inspires us but gives us a sense of urgency that we have to do our best on stage.”
As always, the Hot 8 looks forward to and is excited to be performing at Jazz Fest. Its first appearance at the festival was in 1999 when it paraded around the Fair Grounds. It did the parades, which traditionally include social aid and pleasure clubs and Mardi Gras Indians, before being “promoted,” in a sense, to a stage band. It found a home on the Congo Square Stage, moved to the Acura Stage and was in the lineup at the local-heavy, dance party at the Jazz & Heritage Stage. This year it heads to the Gentilly Stage.
“You kind of feel like you’re an established musician once you get a Jazz Fest gig even if it’s just a parade,” Huntley offers. “It solidifies you as a real New Orleans artist. It is always special to us—all the culture bearers—to be a part of it.”
Sadly, there are no original members remaining in the Hot 8 Brass Band that was formed in 1995 when high school students from two groups, the Looney Tunes and Highsteppers brass bands joined forces. It was hard hit by tragically violent deaths, a disbursement caused by Hurricane Katrina, normal shifts in membership and finally the passing of Bennie “Big Bennie” Pete, whose preexisting health issues made him particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.
Alvaraz Huntley, 46, joined the band in 2001 and stands as its longest-term member while the Hot 8’s newest recruit, snare drummer Greshiren Britton, who signed up two years ago, is just 25 years old.
Depending, of course, on the venue, the Hot 8’s out-of-town gigs in the U.S. often draw a racially-varied crowd that ranges in age from teens and young adults to seniors. “It’s mixed all the way around the board, and they know all the songs,” Huntley says excitedly. “The number of musicians who come to our shows is humbling.”
The final cut on Big Tuba, the great Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” perhaps sums up the Hot 8’s persistence in keeping the group vital as the lyrics say, “whether times are good or bad, happy or sad.” That was what the wonderful Big Bennie longed and worked for and the Hot 8 continues to achieve. ✯
LITTLE FR E D DIE KING
Thursday, April 24 at 3 p.m. Blues Tent
Monarch of New Orleans Blues
Little Freddie King
BY CREE MCCREE
Little Freddie King is the undisputed monarch of New Orleans blues, whose down-home, gut-bucket style emerged from the fertile crescent of the Mississippi River.
Born Fread E. Martin in Bo Diddley’s hometown of McComb, he crafted his first guitar from a cigar box tossed out by two “big shots” driving by in a Cadillac, using strands from a horse’s tail for his strings and a fence picket for the neck.
“I just play what come to me from my heart,” King says about his style. “And it come out clear, there’s no false sound to it. I’ve been dead so many times, it’s crazy.”
Again and again, King snatched life from the jaws of death, surviving a bloody litany of shootings, stabbings, electrocutions, near-fatal accidents and killer hurricanes, all while gigging almost constantly and recording a prodigious catalog of work that dates back to 1971, a year after he played the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Blues Medicine, King’s most recent album, was released by Made Wright Records, a label he jointly owns with his drummer and manager, “Wacko Wade” Wright. Back in 1993, Wade abandoned his career as an R&B drummer to play with King. In 2021, King was also enshrined on 180-gram vinyl by Newvelle Records, shortly before the prestigious jazz label recorded Jon Batiste, who King calls “that Black kid from Kenner.” King also received the OBeat Best of The Beat Award for his Lifetime Achievement in Music.
Sporting a black cowboy shirt embossed with gold guitars, the ever-dapper bluesman welcomed me into his home, which is bursting with memorabilia: a world-class guitar collection that includes a custom Dr. Bones model, and outrageous stage wear, including the fabulous gold fringed jacket he wore during his recent reign as the 2025 King of Krewe du Vieux. A private audience with the King is always a lot of fun, and we both really enjoyed our conversation.
LITTLE FRE DDIE
I love the title of your most recent album, Blues Medicine , because all music, and the blues in particular, really does have the power to heal. That’s the inside we put in. It’s better than the doctor’s prescription, a dose of medicine that will make you well. All the songs on that album are brand new, except for two. “Dust On The Bible” was originally done by Hank Williams, and “Caress Me Baby” — that’s a Jimmy Reed song. But they should be considered new because of the way I play them.
You just reigned as King of Krewe du Vieux during Mardi Gras. What was that like for you? When they first called and asked me to be in the parade, I just forgot all about it. I found out from my fans at d.b.a. who were really excited. And when the time came, they said you have to throw people little beads and cups and stuff. I was waving at all my fans, and this side was packed, and that side was packed, and I couldn’t do both. So, I started flapping like a bird, until I wore myself out. Then I stopped for a while, and went back to flying like a bird again. Wacko helped me do some throwing and I sure appreciate that.
I’m pretty sure that you have played every single
JazzFest since 1970. Every one of ’em except one. I missed one in 1980.
Why was that? Because I was a foreman at a sawmill in Mississippi, and I couldn’t get nobody to put in my place, to take care of the job I was doing. And that’s the only time that I missed it. Because I had to work.
Now you play in the Blues Tent. Do you ever play any other stages? Well, way back I used to play six days, and they would send me to different stages to play. Every little umbrella stage and one big stage. And when I get paid, like, the second weekend, I made about 300 bucks.
Well, that’s not very much for all those days. And all those stages. That’s the truth I’m telling you. And then when the thing got bigger, more fans and more musicians and everything, they paid me three times more than what they paid me in the beginning. But I can understand it because it was small back then.
Now you play in the blues tent. Been at the blues ever since I was a kid. People tell me how good my music is and how much they love me. And I really appreciate that. I love them too. ✯
Saturday, May 3 at 12:50 p.m. Lagniappe Stage
Winning Over A Crowd
Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars
BY JAY MAZZA
If NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest handed out medals like at the Olympics, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars would have taken home the silver as runner-up in 2024. Since then, the former underground seven-piece band led by singer and songwriter Sal Geloso has taken off like a gold medal-winning sprinter.
The band has gone from playing tiny dives in the 9th Ward to bookings this year at the French Quarter Festival, Jazz Fest and the prestigious High Sierra Music Festival in California over the Fourth of July weekend. Geloso told NPR’s Scott Simon that the band’s submission to the national contest, a plaintive wail of a tune called “I’ve Got No More Tears Left to Cry,” almost didn’t happen.
The band set up in front of the songwriter’s home on a quaint block of shotgun houses to film the video. “I didn’t realize that we were, like, potentially disqualifying ourselves for the competition ’cause I forgot to read in the fine print there
that you can’t have any bystanders in the video.”
It’s a truism at the creative heart of New Orleans—if a band starts playing on the street, people are going to gather. Geloso concluded to Simon, “So, literally, everybody came out of their house. And all of a sudden, before I knew it … we had a block party going on.”
Geloso’s songs are at the center of the music of Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars. He said in a phone interview, “The majority of it is original music stuff that I’ve written and songs from other people that I’ve played with that I’ve kind of adapted and put into my repertoire.”
But seeing the band live is not your rudimentary singer-with-a-guitar experience. All of the musicians in the band have extensive resumes; some with classical training and serious chops including Geloso who studied opera and choral works like Mozart’s “Requiem.”
Zach Valentine, bassist and band leader of
SALLY BABY’ S S I LVER DOLLARS
the ensemble, explained the process in a phone interview. After shamelessly offering himself up to be Geloso’s bass player after a chance meeting at local coffee shop, “I went to his house; he played me his songs. I recorded them. He told me, the stories behind them and we worked up like a little duo set and we played maybe four shows in 2020.”
It became obvious to the two musicians that the music needed a full band to flesh out their basic arrangements. Valentine uses the bow on his bass a lot during performances as well as when developing each tune. He said, “When we get together as a band, usually I’ve already learned [the songs]. I’m playing the melodies, but I’m doing more than just playing a bass line. That’s where the bowing and the classical stuff comes in—to make it more orchestral.”
The horn section, featuring Nathan Wolman on trumpet, James Beaumont on saxophone and Ollie Tuttle on trombone, along with Steve DeTroy on piano and Jesse Armerding on drums, work together to allow the arrangements to emerge. Armerding, who has a background performing on Broadway in the show “Stomp,” brings a lot to the arranging in a subtle way. Valentine said, “He’s a super musical cat and like one of the most dramatic drummers I’ve ever played with. He is really good at subtly influencing the drama and dynamics of the tune.”
“When I fi rst came here, I felt like I was almost in one of those spasm bands, you know those early bands, those kids with their handmade instruments, I felt like I was very much in that vein.
more than just the songs to the live experience. With a background in theater and working the past couple of years guiding historic tours through the French Quarter, the singer’s mission is to bring every listener to the music. He compared it to leading a tour and explained the connection, “I just pull them into my little world and try to just kind of win ’em over in some way or make them engaged or interested. So, I feel like that helped me a lot as far as trying to command a crowd. How do I make it appeal to every type of human that might be in that crowd.”
Of course, being an engaging front man is only part of the success this band has been experiencing. The singer is only as good as the songs. Like so many other postKatrina transplants to New Orleans, Geloso, who has been living in the city since 2008, has absorbed everything this most musical place has to offer.
He reminisced, “I feel like when I first got here, I started with all the more traditional, early jazz. I kind of had a limited knowledge coming into New Orleans… so I didn’t really realize how deep the waters went. I had a lot to really get into. So, I had to uncover a lot of the artists that people outside of New Orleans and aren’t jazz aficionados aren’t aware of. I was like ‘Oh my God, I love Sweet Emma Barrett’ and the Pres Hall Band and I fell in love with Kid Ory.”
Valentine explained the process, “They start coming up with riffs or backups or parts—just things to lush it out. Sometimes those are influenced by the bowing parts that I’ve written, sometimes my bowing parts are influenced by what the horns have written. We’re all kind of trying to meld together. But the main goal of the arrangement is to make Sal’s performance, his words, and the arc of the song maintained. The soloing, the lead stuff, that you normally see in a jazz band, none of that matters. It’s all what the song needs and everyone in the band is on the same page for that.”
When you listen to this band, truer words have never been spoken. But Geloso brings so much
He continued, “When I first came here, I felt like I was almost in one of those spasm bands, you know those early bands, those kids with their handmade instruments, I felt like I was very much in that vein. I’m going to absorb everything I’m hearing, hearing all the brass bands and hearing all these different groups around town, and I’m going to try and emulate what I’m hearing, but it’s going to come out in its own wacky sort of way and I’m going to figure it out as I go along.”
Figure it out he did. Be sure to check out Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars at the Fair Grounds during Jazz Fest and elsewhere around town. Like many of the other uniquely New Orleans bands that have preceded them into the national consciousness, they won’t remain ours alone for long. ✯
Thursday, April 24 at 5:45 p.m. Congo Square Stage
Love and Revolution
Seun Kuti: King of the hard-hitting jazz-funk
BY STEVE HOCHMAN
Seun Kuti is pacing around a London flat as he chats on a video call, taking his laptop with him as he looks for a lighter for something he rolled to smoke. He’s just arrived for a few days of recording, but he’s a bit animated and, perhaps, agitated after a frustrating experience with immigration upon his landing.
“I know a country that respects human rights by the amount of people that have working at immigration at the airport,” the Nigerian Afrobeat star says, laughing.
“I’m telling you, when you arrive in a country and they have four people to check 2,000 passengers, like America and the U.K., just know that these don’t care about human rights over here.”
political—reins of his father Fela Kuti, the king of the hard-hitting jazz-funk sound and trenchant, acerbic social criticism that defined Afrobeat. Seun, who had been playing alto saxophone in his father’s Egypt 80 band for a couple of years, was just 14 when his father died in 1997, and he stepped right into the leadership role.
Despite this, he is in good spirits. He just finished six dates in Europe opening for Lenny Kravitz, the sometimes-New Orleanian who served as executive producer for his most recent album, last year’s Heavier Yet (Lays the Crownless Head). And he’s gearing up for a tour that will bring him to America, including, of course, his April 24 appearance at Jazz Fest.
In fact, that Heathrow experience seems to have energized him, added fire to the mission he’s been on since he was given the musical—and
Not only has he given his own spirit and talents to the music, advancing it into the 21st century, but in 2020 he reactivated the socialistleaning political party Movement of the People, or M.O.P., that his father had founded in his fiery and perilous opposition to the then-military rule of Nigeria. (In 1970, Fela established a communal compound, the Kalakuta Republic, which he declared an independent state. In 1977, much of it was burned and his mother died as a result of a military raid.)
Seun Kuti is talking about revolution. “I feel super-inspired,” he says. “Like the war is more obvious. The class war is more obvious. I think the battle lines for the class war have been drawn, but we have a lot of working people that still believe that they will be belongers one day. So, they are lying to themselves to be cannon fodder. But I think that for the majority of us that know what’s going on—we see the lines clearly in
the sand and we are picking a side. I think that’s driving me,”
That is key to just about everything he’s done, at least on some level. He laughs.
“Certainly,” he says. But he’s also talking about love. Love and revolution.
As a matter of fact, one of the highlight songs of the recent album is titled “Love and Revolution.” It’s a tribute to his wife, Yetunde. They’ve been married since 2020, but together 17 years and have two young daughters.
She no come for my looks/ She come for my books/ She want love and revolution/ She no want no fashion accessories/ We only talk revolutionary strategy/ She want love and revolution/ You don’t wanna mess with her, I advise ya/ She is ierce, wise beyond her years.
“The women are the ones that are going to lead the transformation,” he says. “It has been revealed to me in my meditation that women are going to be the vanguard of the transformation of human consciousness. That’s why I wrote ‘Love and Revolution,’ to see if it can be some kind of inspiration to that female revolutionary somewhere, or that comrade somewhere, because all the songs we have for women in the world today are infantilizing. They’re only ‘baby baby baby baby.’”
appearance is featured from a woman who is one of the most dynamic young figures in African music today, the Zambian singer and rapper Sampa the Great.
“She’s someone with a vision as well,” he says. “That’s why I worked with her. When I watched her show, she’s incredible.”
To some extent, his attitude toward women separates him a bit from his father’s legacy, which looms large not just over him (and his big brother Femi, who also has had a prominent career as an Afrobeat heir), but over all of modern music from Nigeria and a good chunk of West Africa. Seun was handed leadership of his father’s band, Egypt 80, and with it, a set of expectations.
“In the artistic world today we offer women pacifi sm, infantilization, personalization. We don’t really want to address their strength, the roles that they have to play in modeling and caring for the world. Because in a way I feel the world is afraid of feminine energy.”
He laughs again, “In the artistic world today we offer women pacifism, infantilization, personalization. We don’t really want to address their strength, the roles that they have to play in modeling and caring for the world. Because in a way I feel the world is afraid of feminine energy.”
He’s not afraid, clearly. “I listen to these masculine men, these hard guys,” he says. “I don’t know. I’m not one of those. Listen, I tried. It didn’t work.”
This time the laughter rolls generously. No surprise, then, that on the album’s most intense, fiercest song, “Emi Aluta,” a guest
While Fela was a “brave guy… a courageous guy,” he “really embraced his feminine side,” Seun says. But he also had “some views about women I don’t agree with, in terms of men and women—who’s in control, who’s not.” Famously, Fela had 27 wives—“queens”— he married in one 1978 ceremony, but he was always the king.
“You know, my father’s father was a priest,” he says of his grandfather, a noted educator and community leader. “So, in my family we tend not to be one thing just because our father was that thing.”
As for the new generation of African artists that have emerged in recent years under the label Afrobeat — the name at least echoing his own Afrobeat lineage—he also has mixed feelings. He loves some of the leading figures, notably global star Burna Boy, also working on his own hybrid dance and pop project under the pseudonym Big Bird.
But he also is very critical of the materialism of a lot of current African pop, much of which at best has a superficial connection to traditional African sounds and issues. This, in turn, he sees as furthering an historic “commodification” of
Africans and African culture.
“What I don’t agree with is that mainstream culture is trying to project this sound as Africa’s only voice,” he says. “What I find is that the real reason is the only way mainstream culture, which is capitalism, can relate—the only way capitalism knows how to interact with Africa is by commodification. If it cannot be commodified, then it has no value when it comes to Africa. That’s why children in Africa are still dying from curable diseases and we can’t get a good education. The parts of our culture that cannot be commodified are abandoned. So, everybody is interested in our dance, in our sound, in our food, in our fashion. But our reality, our spirituality, those things about culture, our relationships, are things that we cannot commodify to just become whatever.”
He continues: “The only kind of music that is mainstream in the world, from the time of my dad, is that music which commodifies the African experience, which tells the world we also want to just drive Benzes and wear expensive clothes and have beautiful women all day. But we the people cannot accept that, we should not accept that. A lot of people do, but we shouldn’t!”
Another laugh.
Some of that might strike a chord with New Orleans culture-watchers. “Yeah,” he says. “Because New Orleans has a lot of indigenous culture.”
Does he have a message for New Orleans?
“Wow,” he says. “Raise your consciousness. That’s the message. My message is tied to my music. I can’t separate. If I’m told today that I can no longer make political music to further the message of the movement, then I’ll stop making music.”
And if people just want to dance?
“Yes!” he says. “Because I believe that Afrobeat music is cathartic release from oppressive pressure. That’s why it’s such heavy dance music.”
He knows some people will only dance, that they may not get the fullness of the message. But he has high aims.
“I love a good time too,” he says. “It’s fine. But I don’t want to be the one to sell that part. I want to give you, ‘Let’s go and do this liberation work.’ You know?”
And with that, another big laugh. ✯
Saturday, April 26 at 11:30 a.m. Lagniappe Stage
Organic
The River Benders’ quirky Americana vibe
BY BRETT MILANO
What better birthplace could there be for a Louisiana roots music band than the parking lot of a seafood restaurant?
That’s where the River Benders first took shape—specifically at Seither’s Seafood in Harahan, when the COVID pandemic kept singer and guitarists Jake Eckert and Aaron Wilkinson from gigging with their regular bands, the New Orleans Suspects and the Honey Island Swamp Band.
“It was a totally abnormal but organic thing,” Eckert recalls. “It started with me playing on the crawfish trailer, with all that social distancing stuff we all remember so well. Aaron and I have known each other for 20 years, so he said; ‘Why don’t we play together?’ And things started going forward. But it was interesting, I probably ate more crawfish that year than ever. People would see us and ask us to play at their backyard parties; we became the crawfish boil band at large.” Adds Wilkinson, “The touring life had been suspended for a lot of us, and there were a lot of musicians
with time on their hands, playing small-footprint kind of shows—outdoor performances and front porches. We were skirting the rules I guess.”
By the time things opened up, the River Benders had a bass player—Myles Weeks, who’s played with a handful of notables including U.K. soul man James Hunter—plus a stockpile of original and cover tunes, and a band name (the latter provided by another musical friend, Dave Malone of the Radiators, based on the location of Eckert’s studio and home.) They played out a couple of times as a trio, using foot-pedal drums or with percussion attached to their ankles. Says Wilkinson, “None of us was coordinated enough to pull that off so we thought okay, let’s get a real drummer in.” The obvious choice was Russ Broussard, a well-travelled drummer (with Susan Cowsill, John Gros and others) with a strong roots sensibility, and a friend to the other three.
But even as they moved into the clubs, maintaining the homegrown nature of the band was a priority. Says Weeks, “The first word that comes to mind when I think about this band is organic. The music we make together feels as organic as the friendships we’ve formed from playing together. Rehearsals and gigs always feel like mini reunions, and I think that comes across onstage.” Adds Broussard, “This band has the fattest pockets around, yet loose and comfy like a cozy pair of pajamas.”
Since they all get to play loud electric music
THE RIVE R BENDERS
in other bands, the River Benders are for the other side of things. Says Wilkinson, “Jake and I are used to playing in these loud, high-energy bands so we wanted to do something different. That upright bass and the dobro sound are a part of our signature. I’m not playing any electric guitar at all. The way the Honey Island Swamp Band has evolved over the years, I’m don’t get to play mandolin with them. So, I play that, a little banjo. We’ve all been traveling, and I can never go somewhere without bringing back a new instrument. I was just in Hawaii and came back with a great ukulele, so I look forward to using that.”
Adds Eckert, “We are electric, but it’s very scaled down. I don’t bring any fancy pedals, and I use the smallest amp I can find. I play a National steel guitar, which is acoustic, and an F-hole guitar that you can’t tune too loud because they feed back. It just allows us to wear a different hat. People have asked if we’re a bluegrass band and I say no, it’s roots music. It comes back to the quirky Americana vibe that people don’t expect to see coming out of us, but I did grow up playing
that style.”
Their other commitments keep the River Benders from playing too often, but they did get to record a self-titled album that they’re releasing for Jazz Fest. Included are a bunch of originals and a diverse batch of covers—among them Robert Johnson’s “Come On in My Kitchen” and “Travelin’ Mood,” the R&B standard covered by Dr. John and others. Most notably they’ve dug up a New Orleans R&B nugget that you don’t often hear covered, Oliver Morgan’s early ’60s hit “Who Shot the La La.” Says Wilkinson, “You listen to that song, and you don’t expect dobro, upright bass and harmonica. But it shines a light on how good that song is.”
Now that there’s a record, it’s possible that the River Benders will sync their schedules enough to expand on their few-times-a-year schedule. “That’s the tricky thing about New Orleans musicians, but this will give us a little bit of motivation,” says Eckert. “As you know, we’re no strangers to traveling.” Meanwhile, they can always get out on the water—as Wilkinson points out, most of the band members are active fishermen—so the roots of the band still run deep. ✯
Friday, April 25 at 12:30 p.m. Shell Gentilly Stage
Do You Wanna Rock and Roll?
LVVRS
going to the top
BY BRETT MILANO
As a great philosopher once said, it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll.
The Lafayette-based LVVRS have every intention of being the next area band to get there. Armed with a stack of anthemic songs and an arena-friendly sound, LVVRS have been a local favorite long enough to have the next level in sight.
“It feels very close and very exciting,” says singer and guitarist River Gibson. “I’m getting a little bit older now and the band is my dream, so it’s time to go all in. We’ve been feeling a hum and things are starting to add up. We want to be able to connect with people through our songs and to have a successful career: that is the goal. The thing for us right now is staying positive, keeping the vibes good. Just knowing that giving up or doing things the easy way isn’t really an option. I can’t tell you exactly what the next two years are going to look like, but right now they’re looking pretty bright.”
So far, the signs are good: They’ve signed
with a Nashville booking agency and are hitting the festivals, including a well-received South by Southwest show a month before Jazz Fest. They’ve also licensed their songs to a handful of soundtracks, most fortuitously “Love is Blind”— which became the number one Netflix show soon after their song “Alive” was featured. “We got a lot of streams and Shazams out of that. We get a lot of sync placements, but that can just mean your song is in there for ten seconds. But if it’s tracking a big scene, people will get excited about it.”
With the new resolve comes a slight change in musical direction. In the past LVVRS have been proudly into vintage dance-rock and disco, writing sexed-up, hook-heavy songs like “Bad Girls,” “Backseat Bliss” and “Fever Night (Midnight Fantasy)”—the latter the sort-of title track of their 2024 EP. Less obvious was the sensitive side that comes out in “The Love You Gave Me,” the just-released teaser from a forthcoming second EP. It’s still hooky and anthemic
but more serious, and Gibson acknowledges that it was a breakup song.
“I went through a lot of changes last year— breakup, moving out, starting over. Something like that puts a lot of things in perspective as life presents choices. I’m noticing that I’ve grown a lot and getting more open when I write lyrics. So, our new stuff is way more heartfelt, more personal songwriting, I’m personally feeling more comfortable with who I am and with the things I want to tell people. There’s a song coming out [on the next EP] called ‘The Bed’ which is a pop ballad, really the first one we’ve done. It’s a big personal song for us and we hope that people will relate to it. But I’m getting more out of that somber headspace now, so there’ll still be a balance of those two sides.”
Gibson and drummer Brenon Wilson have both been aboard since the band was founded eight years ago; bassist Zac Lyons is the most recent addition. From the start the band was an anomaly in its native Acadiana; Gibson is from Breaux Bridge where dance bands are more likely to have accordions. “The main calling card is that it’s the crawfish capital of the world. And if you look around south Louisiana there aren’t many
bands doing similar things in the pop realm, or the alternative realm. Booking agents and people in the business might not trust the music because there is so little of it around here. But we are feeling more of the love lately, and that means a lot—I mean, I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve always wanted to feel accepted. We’ve played a lot of bars and such, and I’m really glad that we’ve started to graduate out of that. We’re more a big production kind of group, and the medium for that isn’t really a dive bar.”
He was always into different music than most of his neighbors as well. “My favorite current artist is The Weeknd, and when he put out ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ that opened my eyes to a lot of mid-’70s disco, and I came to love artists like ABBA. So even though there are songs that are mostly rock, there will always be some of that disco influence.”
As for his knack for between-the-eyes pop hooks, he credits that to being a lifelong Green Day fan and his investigation of Billie Joe Armstrong’s own favorite band, the Beatles. “I’ve always liked listing to the Top 40 and keeping up with things that are really moving people. And a big part of that is that I want to really like my own music.” ✯
Saturday, May 3 at 1:45 p.m. Festival Stage
Slash and Burn Samantha Fish’s emotional ride
BY MARK GUARINO
To see Samantha Fish perform live is to not forget her — it takes just once for her electrified live set to set off fire in your brain. Her slash-and-burn approach to her instrument is thrilling, as is the rollercoaster-emotional ride her setlist takes from beginning to end.
“The onstage me is just me amplified. I’m an entertainer. I look at the audience and figure out that they need that moment,” she said. For that reason, playing live, to her, “is a sport.” “You’re trying to get these people on your side in a short amount of time,” she said.
Fish is an Olympian in that respect. Yet at the same time, she is remarkably prolific in the studio. In just 16 years, Fish has released nine albums — which includes Death Wish Blues with Texas roots rocker Jesse Dayton, earning her a first Grammy
nomination last year, and Paper Doll, a new record released in time for Jazz Fest. The deep catalog is unusual for a performer who is best known for her road work, a journey that took her from the clubs to last year opening for the Rolling Stones.
Fish explained that her studio work is carefully considered; “I’ve always looked at albums as an opportunity to somewhat reinvent yourself,” she said. Despite her age, her appreciation of albums as complete statements is a more formal idea; most artists her generation are choosing to dash out digital singles and move on. Fish, however, is not content to just lean on live shows or videos. Records, she said, are opportunities to make “a broader statement.”
“It’s a singles world. But it’s more refreshing for me to see records as an opportunity to grow,” she said. “They’re a way for me to redefine my sound.
As an artist, I live for that.”
SAMAN T H A FISH
Naturally, the majority of Paper Doll was recorded with her touring band on the road at studios between live dates. The energy spilled into the songs organically. “We’re still sweaty from gig the night before and going straight into the studio with that energy,” she said of last year’s recording pace. For her, doing so summoned the band (bassist Ron Johnson, drummer Jamie Douglass, and keyboardist Mickey Finn) at its peak powers — there’s something about that energy that feels untouched,” she said. “It breathes.”
Fish, who is always writing, “had a reasonable arsenal [of songs] to choose from,” before she entered the studios, so deciding which songs to record was mostly about feeling which ones represent what represented her most in the moment. She collaborated with a small circle of songwriters, including Jim McCormick (a multi-platinum hitmaker whose credits also include Luke Bryan and Tim McGraw), producer Bobby Harlow (who also helmed Fish’s 2017 breakthrough album Chills & Fever), and on one song, New Orleans’ Anders Osborne.
the Vizztone Label Group.) As is the case with most music obsessives, their parents had a diverse record collection and encouraged their interest:
Fish’s mother once drove her to the Chicago Blues Festival one year to see B.B. King while her father took her to the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas. The latter, she said, is where she first heard hill country blues, which emphasizes hypnotic guitar riffs and a heavy emphasis on rhythm. “It married the blues with this raw kind of style — it spoke to me,” she said.
“Nobody my age was into the weird shit I was into. I remember it was only two days before high school graduation when people learned I played guitar.”
The song that took the longest to incubate was “Fortune Teller.” She and Harlow spent weeks figuring out the song pattern—a slow burning fuzzy guitar groove that supports Fish’s subdued vocals; for a while the music is hypnotic until it crashes and Fish belts out what sounds like the residue of cursed love: “The truth, the truth, the ugly truth, let me live inside my pretty lie/ I lose, I lose, for loving you, in the darkness all I’d do to make you mine!”
With Osborne she produced “Sweet Southern Sounds,” a song whose sound is dictated by its very title. “Been drunk on dumb luck, stumbling towards the brightest light/ It’s gettin’ hard to tell who really is a friend of mine,” Fish sings under the lush waves of a Hammond organ. Then the song is elevated through Fish’s guitar that locks with the fury in the lyrics.
Fish, 36, moved to New Orleans in 2017 from her native Kansas City where a thriving local music scene supported her earliest years. She and her sister Amanda Fish were both budding blues musicians as teenagers. (Today, Amanda is a singersongwriter who lives in St. Louis and records for
Although she was developing her comfort level on local stages, as a teenager she kept her interest in the blues largely quiet among her peer group. She was shy. “Nobody my age was into the weird shit I was into. I remember it was only two days before high school graduation when people learned I played guitar,” she said. The peer group she was developing were the older musicians in Kansas City whom she was meeting outside class.
“There was openness to sharing the stage and bringing up somebody who was learning. It was a good environment. You learned a lot really quickly and were thrust into a music scene,” she said.
But even back then, it was rock ’n’ roll that led her to the blues and Fish says the marriage between both never left her music. “I’ve never claimed to be a solely traditional blues artist. Everything is rooted in rock ’n’ roll. That’s how I express myself on guitar. Everything comes from this place,” she said.
Paper Doll, in fact, sounds like a natural fit with like-minded contemporaries like the Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., and Jon Spencer, who produced Death Wish Blues. That album “informed my making this record,” she said, because of how much character Spencer infused into every little detail. As for working with Dayton again? She’s game. “I think there’s more to tell in that story,” she said.
At Jazz Fest this year, Fish said she’ll primarily showcase the new songs. “I want to hear this record on the big stage,” she said. Adding to her excitement is that it’s a hometown show on a large scale. She remembers visiting New Orleans with her parents when she was 13 and immediately feeling a connection. The city “has always been this romantic place” for her. “There’s beauty and depth here that you can’t get anywhere else.” ✯
WOOD E N HEAD
Sunday, May 4 at 2:15 p.m. Alison Miner Music Heritage Stage Sunday, May 4 at 5:30 p.m. Lagniappe Stage
Perseverance
Woodenhead, celebrating 50 years
BY BRETT MILANO
Back in 2003 Woodenhead released a CD called Perseverance—a title that celebrated their playing proudly non-commercial music, out of love and against the odds. And here’s the kicker: They chose that title less than halfway through what’s now a 50-year career.
Though there were personnel changes early on, the current lineup—guitarist/founder Jimmy Robinson, keyboardist Fran Comiskey, bassist Paul Clement and drummer Mark Whitaker—is now 45 years intact. And they can boast about something that few musicians ever get to experience: the synchrony you get when people who are friends play together for that long.
“It’s the greatest, man,” Robinson says. “They’re my best friends on earth. We don’t have to answer to anybody; we can play whatever we want. And I can throw anything in the world at these people, and they can do it.” Adds Comiskey in a
separate talk, “We don’t have to work very hard at connecting with each other. We’re all close and pretty much agree about everything; you can see that carries over to the way we play together. It’s not like anybody is trying to be the standout person—Jimmy may be that but he doesn’t work on that, he just is.”
In truth, Woodenhead’s music isn’t even that esoteric. Eclectic, yes: They’ve always been perched somewhere between prog and fusion, with elements of classical, country and Celtic coming in for spice. But they’ve never been a “math” band; their pieces (mostly by Robinson and sometimes Comiskey) have real hooks and melodies to set up the hot solos; they just haven’t got vocals.
When the band formed a half-century ago, prog/fusion instrumental bands were somewhat on the rise—just not in New Orleans. Says Robinson, “Being the one band like this in town, we could get all the gigs opening for our heroes who came to town—Jeff Beck, Mahavishnu, Spyro Gyra. We got a gig opening for the Dixie Dregs and I’d never heard of them, but they were great—just balls to the wall instrumental music. That’s why I was never a big Yes fan, for example, a lot of prog stuff feels like you’re in science class. The stuff I like is rooted more in the groove and the blues-rock orientation. That was our direction and pretty much the one we’ve always been going in.” Since Robinson’s son works behind the scenes at Bonnaroo, he’s become aware of a
WOOD E N HEAD
bunch of modern bands—from lesser-knowns on up to Phish—who draw from the same musical well. “Our kind of music is alive and well, it’s just there below the surface.”
Robinson took a vocal or two in the early days, and they had frontwoman Angelle Trosclair for about a year, but otherwise they’ve been strictly instrumental. “We’re not against vocals, it’s just the way it landed. But I don’t miss having to stand there and play chords while someone else sings,” says Robinson. Comiskey concurs: “You have to give the singer a lot of space, and that means a lot of sitting around waiting to play.” (She also tours and records—and in fact, occasionally sings—in another largely instrumental situation, harpist Patrice Fisher’s group Arpa).
Given the chops involved, you’d expect that the members of Woodenhead could always move into high-paying session gigs. “Tell ’em to call me,” Robinson says. “That’s not what I go looking for, though. On the music to money scale, I’m usually happiest with the ones that make the least money. We all know that our music is never going to top the charts, it’s a labor of love.” In fact, they
traditionally tell audiences at their shows to grab CDs for free and donate, if they feel like it. “We just say, ‘Look comrades, the bottom has fallen out of the music industry’. I’d rather know it’s in peoples’ hands.” Adds Comiskey, “The music we play is still inspiring to us. Every now and then someone who’s never heard us before gets excited about it, but it’s mostly older, diehard fans and we’re fine with that.”
The group has a bunch of plans for its anniversary year, They get a closing slot at Jazz Fest this year, and will be playing a rare expanded set at Carrolton Station that night, with John Gros and the Bonerama horn section sitting in. Robinson has been combing the archive for unreleased material and has also remastered their back catalogue of six studio albums, there may be a compilation too, and new pieces (plus the occasional crowd-pleasing cover, like Led Zep’s “Kashmir”) are still in the mix. Meanwhile it’s only 10 years until the 60th anniversary and hell, why not? “I made 71 this year and I plan to work as much as possible; I think I’m playing better than I ever have,” Robinson says. “Far as the 60th goes, I’m planning to be there.” ✯
Were You in the Audience When …
BY JOSEPH BONDI
There’s just something special about a musical walk down memory lane especially at this time of the year. Taking time to look back and recall certain fond memories do a heart and mind good. For me, it heightens the anticipation of catching both old and soon to be my new favorite performers, sometimes even coming together on stage spontaneously to share their brilliance. Here’s a short collection in chronological order of “Were You in the Audience When” moments in New Orleans music history, one as rich as any the world over. We invite you to share your “music moments,” old and new, should you be so kind to take the time.
The Meters with Stevie Wonder, 1973: The Meters had a special Jazz Fest surprise guest sit in on drums for a New Orleans-flavored version of “Superstition,” the mega-hit released just under six months earlier. Stevie Wonder just happened to stop by prior to his concert at the Municipal
Auditorium that night in April. This was the same year that Tommy Ridgley invited Irma Thomas for the latter’s first unscheduled Jazz Fest appearance and the rest, you might say, is history, given Ms. Irma’s impressive track record of consecutive Jazz Fest performances. Speaking of history, Marcia Ball. I was just 13 years of age when in 1962, she attended a selfprofessed memorable concert at the New Orleans’ Municipal Auditorium. Irma Thomas has inspired and dazzled her ever since!
Bonnie Raitt with Allen Toussaint, 1977:
Bonnie Raitt first performed at Jazz Fest in 1977 and soon became a Jazz Fest favorite, given style and technique, and for having some of the best in the biz join her onstage. This year and again in 2000, it was the brilliant Allen Toussaint. In 2019, Boz Scaggs joined Bonnie and Jon Cleary for a classic rendition of Toussaint’s “What Do You Want the Girl to Do.” Ms. Raitt does keep good company.
JAZZ FEST MOMENTS
Stevie Ray Vaughan with Earl King, 1986: One, or should I say two, of my fondest Jazz Fest moments came in my final year of undergraduate studies at the University of New Orleans. I recall introducing my then-girlfriend to the one and only Earl King when an interesting looking, small man appeared out of nowhere in a full Native American-inspired headdress. He smiled and nodded when he caught my glance and then ambled to the side of the stage wearing a wide southern grin while enjoying Mr. King. Later that afternoon, we made it back just in time to catch Stevie Ray Vaughan. The crowd had swelled significantly but as luck would have it, some college friends shouted and waved us over to join them just 15 or so rows back. Stevie Ray, promoting his Soul to Soul release, arrived in full headdress and proceeded to deliver as usual and lo and behold, had Earl King join him on stage for the King knockout composition, “Come On, (Let the Good Times Roll).” Priceless in my book of music history.
Bo Diddley with Trombone Shorty , 1990: I was not there when Bo Diddley introduced a four-year-old
Trombone Shorty to the world but well remember seeing the youngster in the French Quarter back in the day. At times, it seems like just yesterday. Troy Andrews has gone on to give us many special performances over the years. I saw Shorty and the great Allen Toussaint on the same bill in Florida in 2012 and it was a night second to none. Any chance that you were in the audience in 2019 for the festival’s 50th Anniversary when Carlos Santana invited Trombone Shorty on stage for a jam encore like no other?
Daniel Breaux and Claudia Dumestre , 1994: During a performance by Houma’s Tab Benoit, people started dancing on the side of the stage (back then they had the metal bleachers off to the side of the stage). I observed a performance like no other in the form of Daniel Breaux and Claudia Dumestre, dancers extraordinaire, who gave the Fair Grounds turf a true and gifted foot-stomping in keeping with the music. Folks cleared a circle for them and cheered them on while the music played. The two of them were amazing dancers— you just had to be there! ✯
TROMBON E SHORTY
Sunday, May 4 at 5:45 p.m. Festival Stage
Pay It Forward and Back A conversation with Trombone Shorty
BY MICHAEL ALLEN ZELL
Troy “Trombone Shorty”
Andrews is a rock star of rhythm and as solid a person you could meet. No less than the legendary Juvenile praised, “I have a lot of love and respect for him. When I did [NPR’s] Tiny Desk, the whole band thing came from him. He helped me with it. He’s a great human being. His whole demeanor and how he carries himself is a model of how a person should be. It’s unmatchable how meticulous he is about his music.” Shorty’s been interviewed a lot over the years, but there are still stones left to be uncovered. We spoke by phone while he was on tour.
Do you recall playing with Bo Diddley at Jazz Fest as a four-year-old? I was so young. That day, after I played a second line with my brother James’ band, I was pouting. I didn’t care about any money. I wanted a frozen cup or a sno-ball. My mom reminded me that they crowd-surfed me up to the stage. They gave me back to her too.
The Trombone Shorty Foundation made the fourth Getting Funky In Havana trip in January. How did this all come about? When I was a kid, James took me on a cultural exchange trip along with the late Tuba Fats. I remember Havana felt so much like home. I automatically felt connected to the spirit of the city. We couldn’t speak the language, but music connected us. I’ve been able to get kids there and their kids here through my foundation. We’ve developed a family now.
People may not know how involved you are in giving back and checking in with elder culture bearers like
Baby Doll, Ms. Merline Kimball. Would you speak on that? When someone is important to you, it’s not about what you need to do. It’s what you do for your soul. There’s no expectation. You just do what family do. That’s the tradition. I have to have that foundation. I grew up under her. My house on Dumaine Street was directly across from hers. Everybody would come by her place to play.
Davell Crawford, Marva Wright, Bo Dollis. Ms. Merline is like an auntie to me, not by blood but by love. Her ex-husband “Junkyard Dog,” Wilbert [Arnold] taught me to play the drums. He would set up his drum set on the sidewalk, and we would jam across the street while cars were passing. What else do you remember from the Treme? When you’re living in the Treme, you’re living in a world of music. I walked out of my house and the Dirty Dozen [Brass Band] was around the corner. Rebirth [Brass Band], Little Rascals [Brass Band], Tuba Fats, Kermit [Ruffins]. I thought everywhere was like that. Turns out it wasn’t. In the Treme it was music all day, every day.
What did NOCCA give you for your next step? NOCCA helped me read music and gave me the technical ability. I owe a tremendous amount to Clyde Kerr and Kidd Jordan for everything that I am. Jon Batiste and I grew up together. He helped me start my band even before NOCCA at the Satchmo Jazz Camp.
Speaking of Jon, the resurgence of Juvenile, in part through his NPR Tiny Desk set, has been amazing to see. How did it come about for you and Jon to be involved? Juvie is a real brother to me. It’s beyond music. I said to Jon, “Let’s be a part of it and give Juvie his flowers.” That was a wonderful thing, an honor for me and Jon. We grew up listening to him and Mannie [Fresh], seeing them on MTV and BET and always wondering, “How can we work and play with them?” At NOCCA, we were dressing and trying to be like the Hot Boys.
musical playlist touches on every genre of music. I think it’s healthy to have a good listening diet. If you listen to the music I make, you can hear avenues of music. Some of it comes from listening, but most of it comes from sharing the stage with people who leave a lasting impact on me. Not too many people are able to experience that.
Would you touch on the impact of Cyril Neville for you? He’s one of the most important people in my life. I basically used to live at his house. He created a band for me and his son Omari called the Jazz Babies. We opened up for the Funky Meters at Tipitina’s. Cyril took me on the road with The Neville Brothers when I was 13-years-old. That was my first time on a tour bus. The Nevilles are real family to me.
“When you’re living in the Treme, you’re living in a world of music. I walked out of my house and the Dirty Dozen [Brass Band] was around the corner. Rebirth [Brass Band], Little Rascals [Brass Band], Tuba Fats, Kermit [Ruffi ns]. I thought everywhere was like that. Turns out it wasn’t. In the Treme it was music all day, every day.”
Last year at Jazz Fest you sat in with the New Breed Brass Band, whose album you’d produced. Do you expect to keep working in production with other performers? Half of New Breed [Brass Band] is my li’l cousins and nephews. Teaching and learning from them is a blessing. I’m always writing, and some things are better for others.
What are some musical inspirations you have that might surprise fans? I listen to everything. My
What do you see happening in the future? Tony Hall and I have been talking about cooking up some things with Guitar Slim [Jr.]. He’s been knowing me before I was born. I just have to find him. We want to work with the legends and keep the culture of New Orleans alive. I’ve played with guitar players my whole life, like Lenny Kravitz, who taught me so much and opened my mind. From Prince to Santana to Josh Connelly in my band. They’re always challenging me.
What about a new Trombone
Shorty release once you get back in the lab? We tour so much that we don’t realize how much time has passed. I’m thinking the next project will be contemporary funk where we play with the brass and influences of New Orleans. We’re checking out lots of older Neville Brothers, The Meters, Bruno Mars, and different ways people are doing funk. What I like to do is have Juvenile arrange some tracks. As a rapper he hears breaks that I might not hear, which is very exciting to me. I probably have enough material for two or three albums. Jon [Batiste] and I need to get in the studio for two different types of projects. It’s all coming. I just need to make it happen.
✯
Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m. Alison Miner Music Heritage Stage Sunday, Aprill 27 at 4:15p WWOZ Jazz Tent
Guitar Hero
Bill Frisell’s first Jazz Fest
BY STEVE HOCHMAN
To some, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell is known for tastefulness and restraint.
Orleans is … not. “Yeah,” he acknowledges with, well, tasteful restraint, carried by a slight, genial chuckle.
That, though, might be unfair to both Frisell and New Orleans. Well, at least to him. “Yeah,” he says again, the chuckle fading a bit.
“Oh,” he says, measuring his words and tone on a video chat from his Brooklyn home. “The thing with labels, it seems like there’s always something else going on that may be under the surface, or you can’t just judge someone by one moment, or
there are all kinds of different layers going on all the time.”
Well, that’s a pretty good description of Frisell’s career—all kinds of different layers going on all the time. There’s his groundbreaking, oftenjagged work with New York avant-garde sax dynamo John Zorn starting in the 1980s. There are his ongoing, often-atmospheric explorations of Americana, folk and country themes from Stephen Foster to Woody Guthrie to John Hiatt. He’s had long-running partnerships with such jazz giants as sax player Charles Lloyd (to this day) and the late drummer Paul Motian and has been a
BILL FR ISELL
mentor to and collaborator with young guitarists Julian Lage and Mary Halvorson. He composed and performed his own scores for Buster Keaton silent films and made an album of gorgeous instrumental interpretations of John Lennon songs. He’s graced recordings by Paul Simon, Norah Jones and Lucinda Williams. He’s as likely to keep musical company with a violinist or pedal steel player as more standard jazz fare — among many other things.
Take just the last few years, during which he contributed a track to an album celebrating the centennial of folk guitarist Doc Watson; made a sort-of spacenoise album, Breaking the Shell, with keyboards and electronics player Kit Downes and drummer Andrew Cyrille; made an album, Four, of originals with a sweetly frisky quartet filled out by pianist Gerald Clayton, clarinet and sax player Gregory Tardy (a New Orleans native) and drummer Jonathan Blake. And perhaps most breathtakingly, he released Orchestras, an expansive 2024 album that sees him and his small combo in front of, as the title suggests, two different full orchestras. Even on that latter, his playing is at times gentle, at times edgy, at times melodic, at times dissonant.
playing I guess it was in the mid-’90s,” he says. “I was already aware of him. I was a fan before I met him and played with him. In my life he’s one of those angel-brother…”
He pauses, not able to find the next word, simply stating, “I can’t tell you how much I love that guy. We don’t play as often as I’d like, but this opportunity came up and I love the fact that his connection with the town — for me to play there for the first time at the festival with him, makes it extra-special.”
“It’s weird even to put my name on it. I guess it doesn’t feel like it’s my band. It’s more like, ‘Wow, I get to play with these guys!’ These guys are more like my teachers, you know? And I’m just a kid that gets to go in there and, ‘Well, how about let’s play this?’ And then they show me how to do it.”
“I don’t want to be pinned down, you know?” he says, adding a little shrug and grin. “I guess.”
He’s definitely bringing some local spirit on stage with him in the form of drummer Brian Blade, a native Louisianian from Shreveport with his own vast list of credits and ties to New Orleans, including multiple Jazz Fest appearances — among them with Emmylou Harris and as part of Wayne Shorter’s last quartet.
“It’s not my usual trio,” Frisell says. It’s [bassist] Thomas Morgan, who I’ve been playing with forever and we play all the time. But Brian Blade will be playing with us. So, I mean, there’s a New Orleans thing right there.”
Not that Blade and Frisell are unacquainted.
“Brian — I can’t even tell you — we started
Certainly, they’ve made some plans about their set-list and approach for the gig.
“No,” Frisell says. “No, not at all! And we never really do. We don’t need to, with him. We’re not going to have any rehearsal. I mean, there’s just so much history that’s there’s nothing really to talk about.”
Another laugh.
“Especially when I play in that context with Thomas. I play with him so much, any song I can think of that just comes into my mind, I can just start playing it—and he knows before I do. It’s like that with Brian, too.”
His delight comes right through the screen.
“It’s weird even to put my name on it,” he says. “I guess it doesn’t feel like it’s my band. It’s more like, ‘Wow, I get to play with these guys!’ These guys are more like my teachers, you know? And I’m just a kid that gets to go in there and, ‘Well, how about let’s play this?’
And then they show me how to do it.”
Well then, definitely with the orchestras things pretty well set before the sessions, which featured arrangements by Michael Gibbs, the veteran composer and orchestrator who has been bringing his distinct touches to beloved jazz recordings since the 1960s. They must have had musical scores to follow.
“Well, we did,” he says. “But that was hilarious, because when we showed up for the first rehearsal and there was the whole orchestra there. And they start playing, and we start playing, and it was like, ‘Yeah, this is great!’ I forget how far we got
BILL
into the rehearsal and then someone, the music librarian or whoever, came and, ‘Wait a minute! We didn’t give you your music yet.’ I mean, we didn’t really need it. We knew the tunes and we just started playing.”
It’s just who he is as a person and a musician.
“I don’t know, the thing with style or genre and all that stuff, I get to play with all these different people,” he says. “I don’t really change what I do so much. I try to learn as much as I can about the context I’m going to be in, and then it’s just a matter of listening. And if everybody’s doing that, then there’s no reason why all these things — what we call all these different things — they all can coexist together, you know?”
Frisell, as you can tell, is not your typical guitar hero. He plays like he speaks, not showy or flashy, just … right, the clear, crisp tones from his favored Fender Telecaster always making a distinct presence, but never obtrusive, playful at times, purposeful always. Yet he’s topped the Downbeat Magazine critics poll as guitarist of the year a full dozen times, including a stretch of 10 straight. And watching him in concert, his reserved demeanor makes his supreme, imaginative musicality almost startling. So, guitar hero he is. Baltimore-born, raised in the Denver area, he made a name for himself around the New York downtown scene and then moved to the Seattle area before heading back to New York eight years ago.
This is his first Jazz Fest gig, but he’s been to New Orleans a few times before. He’s played at
Snug Harbor among a couple of other places. One time he and his wife made the drive down Highway 61 from Nashville, and another, in the early 2010s, he was commissioned by filmmaker Bill Morrison to do the score for “The Great Flood” about the 1927 Mississippi flood.
“We went down there, went to New Orleans and went all up and down the river as I was writing the music,” he says. “So that was another kind of connecting with that place. And it happened to be flooding at that time.”
And yes, there is a New Orleans sensibility behind his approach.
“Maybe, you know, growing up in this country, maybe I didn’t even know where it came from when I was younger,” he says. “But then as you get deeper into it and you start following the history back, we’re talking about that trip I took down the Mississippi River. And things that I heard when I was in high school, even the Beatles, the stuff that I grew up with. I didn’t realize that it was coming from down there.”
If anything, his hunger for musical inspiration is greater now than it was back then. He names several younger players who continue to excite and inspire him: saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, drummer Timothy Angulo come to mind quickly.
“There’s so much I keep hearing that gives me faith,” he says. “For all the chaos and darkness and craziness going on in the world, there’s always somebody doing something beautiful somewhere, you know?” ✯
ARMSTRON G TRIBUTE
LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS HOT FIVE AND HOT SEVEN CENTENNIAL TRIBUTE FEATURING NICHOLAS PAYTON AND DR. MICHAEL WHITE
Sunday, April 27 at 1 p.m. Alison Miner Music Heritage Stage Sunday, April 27 at 3:05 p.m. Economy Hall Tent
Armstrong Tribute
A conversation with Armstrong House Museum’s Ricky Riccardi
BY JOHN WIRT
In 1925, Louis Armstrong made his recording debut as a bandleader and vocalist with his first Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five release. Previously an uncredited sideman on recordings, the Hot Five records introduced listeners to the musical brilliance and charismatic personality that made Armstrong an international star.
Beginning in 1923, Armstrong appeared on recordings by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra, Clarence Williams’ Blue Five and many more jazz and blues acts. “King Oliver, Fletcher Henderson, the blues singers in New York, I think those recordings always frustrated Armstrong,” said Ricky Riccardi, the author of the new biography Stomp Of, Let’s Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong, and
frequent speaker at Satchmo SummerFest in New Orleans.
Armstrong’s wife, pianist and composer Lil Hardin Armstrong certainly was frustrated by her husband’s lack of billing on Okeh Records releases, Riccardi said. “Okeh in New York knew that every record Armstrong appeared on—‘Cake Walking Babies from Home’ with Clarence Williams, ‘St. Louis Blues’ with Bessie Smith—sold more copies,” he added. “People loved the sound of his cornet, one record after another, but nobody knew the identity of the mystery cornet player.”
In 1925, Lil Armstrong saw Louis’ return to Chicago from New York as an opportunity for him at Okeh Records’ studio in Chicago. The label agreed to record Armstrong if he modeled his band after Clarence Williams’ Blue Five. The Hot
ARMSTRON G TRIBUTE
Five that Armstrong assembled featured himself on vocals and cornet, Lil Armstrong on piano, and three musicians he knew from New Orleans.
“Armstrong could have selected younger musicians or friends,” Riccardi said. “But he chose three of his New Orleans elders—Kid Ory, who had been his boss in 1918-19; Johnny Dodds, who played with him in the Ory band; and Johnny St. Cyr, who played with Ory and King Oliver. Armstrong wanted to recapture the spirit and sound of those bands that meant so much to him in his formative years. Nobody could have predicted that he would break free from the pack, turn jazz into a solo art and, eventually, eclipse his elders. That was never Armstrong’s intention at the beginning. He just wanted to make music with his friends.”
Armstrong’s voice is heard on a record for the first time in his Hot Five debut on the Okeh label, “Gut Bucket Blues.” Even though he speaks rather than sings, it’s still a breakthrough.
“When Armstrong was with King Oliver’s band, a cornet player who sang was something that wasn’t done,” Riccardi said. “And Henderson in New York — he was embarrassed by Armstrong’s Southern disposition and showmanship. That’s why, on ‘Gut Bucket Blues,’ you immediately hear Louis’ voice and personality. And he introduces everyone in the band, so now we know who they are, and we can immediately tell that Armstrong is a force to be reckoned with.”
and to display fully his powerful lead work.”
“He never stopped singing and talking and shouting and scatting after that,” Riccardi said, “He established himself as a major recording artist, and it was the beginning of the world knowing who he was and what he was capable of.”
Armstrong also overcame the “race records” marketing of the era that sold recordings by Black artists only to Black audiences. His rising international popularity helped Okeh Records see his potential with White pop listeners in the U.S.
Armstrong could have selected younger musicians or friends,” Riccardi said. “But he chose three of his New Orleans elders—Kid Ory, who had been his boss in 1918-19; Johnny Dodds, who played with him in the Ory band; and Johnny St. Cyr, who played with Ory and King Oliver. Armstrong wanted to recapture the spirit and sound of those bands that meant so much to him in his formative years. Nobody could have predicted that he would break free from the pack, turn jazz into a solo art and, eventually, eclipse his elders.
Armstrong didn’t miss the shot being a bandleader for recordings brought him. “The Hot Five music,” the late jazz scholar Dan Morgenstern wrote, “gave him his first opportunity to play extended solo passages regularly on records,
“Over about a four-year process, from 1925 to 1929, he did [crossover to pop],” Riccardi said. “But when he made the Hot Five records, I don’t think anybody dreamed that was possible. The label people didn’t know what they had, but it’s all there in those recordings.”
Following “Gut Bucket Blues,” the Hot Five’s 1926 recording of “Georgia Grind” featured Armstrong’s first singing on a recording. The same session produced “Heebie Jeebies,” which is often cited as the first scat singing on a record. “He always said that singing was more in his blood than the trumpet playing,” Riccardi said.
Riccardi believes the Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings of the 1920s are the most influential in Armstrong’s 48-year recording career. “If you are an instrumentalist, you can learn how to phrase, swing, tell a story with your instrument, improvise and solo from those records,” he said. “If you’re a vocalist, you can learn how to phrase, scat, sing pop tunes with feeling, make it personal and infuse it with passion. The Hot Fives and Hot Sevens are the foundation of everything that followed.” ✯
Friday, May 2 at 11:15 a.m. Blues Tent
Snappy
The Tin Men could only be from New Orleans
BY DAVID KUNIAN
The epigram “this band could only be from New Orleans,” though applicable to bands as varied as the Meters to Egg Yolk Jubilee to the Shake ’Em Up Jazz Band, still has value when assessing a band’s music and performance. And that idea certainly fits the Tin Men. As we sat in a back courtyard at Fritzel’s across from the entrance to the secret Absinthe Speakeasy, this trio, consisting of sousaphonist Matt Perrine, percussionist Washboard Chaz Leary, and guitarist Alex McMurray, discussed their two-decade-plus history and aspirations.
McMurray recalled that the band came together around the time of 2001. “We were all in a band called Royal Fingerbowl that played the Matador on Mondays, and when that band broke up, I had a weekly gig at the Circle Bar, and Matt would sit in, and then Chaz would sit in, and one night both of them sat in.” Chaz jumped in, “And then we swore a blood oath!” Perrine added, “And the clock on the ceiling spun backwards twice.” He continued, “We realized this band couldn’t lose. Time couldn’t touch us. Different styles couldn’t touch us. We could do whatever we want for the rest of our lives, and people would dig it.” There was a pause, and McMurray quipped, “When will people dig this?”
expand when they see what we can do with our presentation and our instrumentation.”
And that is a secret to this band. There is an attitude behind it. Perrine says that “it comes from Royal Fingerbowl where that spirit still exists in this band on some level.” McMurray simply states “We don’t take ourselves too seriously. You got to be able to laugh at yourself.” And whether that is in their takes on songs as varied as Danny Barker’s “Palm Court Strut” or Led Zeppelin’s “Misty Mountain Hop” or their sarcastic but not mean banter between themselves and the audience, this band is a lot of fun. Leary explains, “It’s not brain surgery. You got to have fun with it. I love to see the people surprised that we do Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit” or a Beatles song. I like seeing their minds
The Tin Men have a varied set of songs they draw upon, both cover tunes and original alike. McMurray affirms that, in contrast with the songs for other bands he plays in, “It’s got to be snappy for the Tin Men.” Perrine further explains, “We’re always looking for something ridiculous in a song that is satisfied by the Tin Men. We’ve got to keep it light. We try to keep one foot on the banana peel at all times.” So far, they have rarely slipped in the almost 24 years they have played together. When asked how they have done it, McMurray affirms, “Never go to bed angry.” Perrine also thinks that “We rehearse, and we are always working on new material. There is space to drop new tunes in.”
Leary postulates, “We all play in a million bands, and this is so different from all the bands we play in. When you see it, there’s nothing else like it.”
The breeze in the courtyard pushed the tree branches over the bricks, and the bar cat came up as the conversation paused. A moment of reflection, perhaps? A musing about what is to come from the band in the coming days, months, years? When asked what the future holds for The Tin Men, McMurray replied with no hesitation, “The second set.” ✯
CLIFTON CHENIE R CENTENNIAL
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS C.J. CHENIER, SONNY LANDRETH, MARCIA BALL AND MORE
Friday, May 2 at 5:50 p.m. Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage
The King of Zydeco Clifton Chenier Centennial
BY HERMAN FUSELIER
December 1987 still brings grief to zydeco musicians and fans. On December 12, Clifton Chenier, the beloved King of Zydeco, died at the age of 62.
Paul “Lil Buck” Sinegal, longtime guitarist in Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band, was playing with Rockin’ Dopsie in Houston. Sinegal told “Kingdom of Zydeco” author Michael Tisserand “… the music went bad. Nothing was sounding right… A lot of people started crying in that place.”
A few days later, C.J. Chenier struggled to sing his father’s original, “I’m Coming Home,” at the funeral.
“That’s still a rough song for me,” said C.J. “I jive you not, sometimes I just can’t sing it.”
C.J. Chenier, along with music friends Sonny Landreth and Marcia Ball, have turned sadness into celebration in a series of Clifton Chenier Centennial shows across the country. June 25, 2025, marks 100 years since the Grammy Hall of Fame accordionist was born near the St. Landry Parish city of Opelousas.
I have heard in some time, with a marvelously moving style of playing the accordion…”
A Grammy winner in 1983 for his I’m Here album, Chenier continued to reap honors after his death. Bogalusa Boogie, a one-take album recorded on Arhoolie Records, entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011. The album, which received a five-star rating from Rolling Stone Record Guide after its initial release in 1975, was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2016.
Chenier took “La La,” the rural, house party music played by black Creole sharecroppers, and electrified the sound with horns, drums, organ and other instruments. He served it to world as zydeco.
Fans couldn’t sit still to Chenier’s mix of Creole and English blues, soul and jazz on the accordion.
After the 1966 Berkeley Blues Festival, San Francisco Chronicle jazz critic Ralph Gleason called Chenier “… one of the most surprising musicians
The king’s crown jewel came in 2014 with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Slide guitar icon Sonny Landreth said his early years in Chenier’s band molded his career. “A gift like his is such a rare thing,” said Landreth. “It comes from somewhere else.
“I always compare it to what it would have been like if I was raised in Chicago and Muddy Waters had taken me under his wing. That’s what it did for me.”
Honors continue to flow as Chenier’s centennial approaches. In 2021, the Louisiana House of Representatives adopted a resolution observing June 25 as Clifton Chenier Day through 2025.
Tribute albums are in the works. A Clifton Chenier Centennial Committee, based in Chenier’s hometown of Opelousas, is planning projects and activities.
All hope their honors are fit for the zydeco king–Clifton Chenier. ✯
Saturday, May 3 at 3:30 p.m. Rhythmpourium Tent
Shiny As Gold
Chloé Marie
BY MICHAEL ALLEN ZELL
Chloé Marie is a singer and songwriter to behold, with her beautifully somber tone and soaring phrasing. She also has quite a range of performance styles. As we chatted at The Bean Gallery, with the occasional streetcar easing on past, it became clear that her layers were more plentiful than expected.
In true Jazz Fest fashion, Marie will be bringing a great twist to a Jazz Fest vocal and piano performance with Harry Mayronne. She praised, “I’m particularly excited about this set because it’s with my friend. We’ll be doing a lot of my favorite jazz songs and some jazz iterations of my original songs.”
She’s also planning on recording a jazz album this year with Mayronne. Otherwise, as far as releases, she said, “I am not one of those people attached to a timeline, because things will happen
in the time that they’re supposed to. I have plans to record a five-song EP in the next three months. Looking at a winter release.”
Marie came up in Baton Rouge. Her family was not a musical one, but very supportive. With her interest and talent, she played the violin in the third grade. “I was lucky enough to go to an elementary school that introduced a music program,” she recalled. “I moved to cello when I was in middle school.”
Marie was an only child in a house full of women. She learned to read early, musing, “My grandmother likes to tell the story of being surprised that I read a whole book to her and had a crazy vocabulary. I either spent a lot of time with my nose in a book or watching Jeopardy.”
Singing began when she was messing around
continued on page 77
Sunday, May 4 at 1:40 p.m. Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage
Bonsoir, Catin
Christine Balfa treasures her roots
BY HERMAN FUSELIER
Joe and Cleoma Falcon, a husband-andwife duo, recorded “Allons à Lafayette,” Cajun music’s first commercial hit, in 1928. Ever since, women have had an ironic relationship with the genre.
Females on the bandstand were considered troublemakers. The music is filled with waltzes and two steps of broken-hearted and hopeless men singing of wicked women who ran off with someone else.
Christine Balfa saw few Cajun female performers as she played next to her father, beloved fiddler and National Heritage Fellowship winner Dewey Balfa. Now as a mother with two adult daughters, Christine can tell a different story.
“My daughters don’t know what that means— that women don’t play Cajun music,” said Balfa, 56. “I remember Sophie, my youngest who’s 21 now, when she was seven or eight years old.
We were having a conversation, and I said there weren’t a lot of women playing Cajun music.
“She looked at me with a most puzzled look, like ‘What are you talking about, Mom?’ That made me so excited. Her whole life, she saw badass women playing Cajun music.
“That is not a hurdle that my girls have to go through. It’s been such a huge part of their lives. That’s so meaningful to me. That’s something I had to work through as a young Cajun musician. They’ve seen it successfully done as young girls in their 20s. That’s a beautiful thing that Bonsoir, Catin is a part of that.”
Balfa leads Bonsoir, Catin, a mostly female Cajun group celebrating 21 years on the bandstand. Following in the footsteps of Cleoma Falcon, Sheryl Cormier and other female trailblazers, the band plays a mix of originals and standards, with dashes of swamp pop, country and zydeco.
No eyebrows were raised when the band’s Light the Stars album earned a Best Regional Roots Album Grammy nomination in 2015, in the category’s fourth year.
Bonsoir, Catin continues a journey sparked around a campfire at the Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week, an annual music camp named after Christine’s father. The late-night jam inspired the founding members Balfa, Kristi Guillory and Yvette Landry to
BONS O I R , CATIN
start a band. They picked a name taken from a Cajun French term of endearment that means “Good night, baby doll.”
The band has enjoyed a loyal following across the country, although the group only plays a couple of gigs a month. They choose home, family and day jobs, in and around Lafayette, Louisiana, over living out of a suitcase on the road.
Balfa works as an elementary school music teacher. Bandmembers Anya Burgess recently celebrated 10 years as owner of Sola Violins, a violin-building and repair shop. Guillory serves as a coordinator at a Catholic cathedral. Ashley Hayes works as a project manager. Maegan Berard Rankin and Danny Devillier, the band’s only male member, teach public and private music lessons.
highlighting people and cultures that have broadened her horizons for decades.
“Our first series is called ‘Coming Back Home.’ It’s about people that I kept running into. They’re originally from here and moved away for a while. They made a choice to come back home and make shit happen. They brought all the knowledge and inspiration from wherever they moved from.
“I believe in regional roots and cultural diversity. For me, the more I learned about my culture, which I’ve learned about my whole life, the more respect I have for other people’s culture.
Balfa is set to kick off a self-titled podcast
with orchestra friends during her junior year in high school, was immediately recruited for the choir, and found her love for it. She said, “Once I started singing, it overtook everything else and felt like a good fit. My senior year of high school I auditioned and joined a musical theater competition team. We competed in Biloxi, and I won best solo vocalist in the debut division.”
Her influences include Ella Fitzgerald as well as her choir and orchestra directors. She also credited that, “Part of what was able to propel me as far as being a singer in so little time was that I already had the foundation of training.”
Marie joined the funk band Moon Sugar, learned the ropes, and co-founded the neo-soul R&B group Alabaster Stag, who still play a couple of times a year.
Marie’s songwriting process typically begins with her acoustic guitar to let it guide her, and a stack of voice memo notes to comb through, seeking lyrical ideas to develop.
But they also came back with a greater appreciation for home.
“I believe in regional roots and cultural diversity. For me, the more I learned about my culture, which I’ve learned about my whole life, the more respect I have for other people’s culture.
When you don’t have that and don’t understand that you’re so easily fearful of people that are different.”
“It’s awesome to have people with unique cultures and different from ours.” ✯
background.
Marie was one of the performers at the inaugural Black Americana Fest in 2024. She spoke on how the fest’s producers did the right thing for the right reasons in the right way, saying, “First and foremost, I was so excited when Jenn [Jeffers] initially reached out to me about doing it. Folk music has always been what I go back to as far as listening and writing. It’s not easy to feel seen as a person of color in the scene, especially as a Black queer woman. When I got to The Broadside, it was bustling. People were happy. I was honored to be with songwriters who I love like Amethyst [Starr]. It felt like a room with which I could be honest and a room of people who were there to listen. I cannot wait to see how it grows.”
She joined the Victory Belles as part of The National WWII Museum, something she never expected to do but has found it “a great performance job” suiting her music and theatre
As far as Chloé Marie’s New Orleans, she gravitates to that which is simply sublime. “I like to grab some friends, have a cocktail, and chat,” she said. “I like to retreat inside of my mind a lot. Sit outside, be perfectly content, and enjoy the general energy of New Orleans. It’s awesome living in a place where queerness is part of the culture and it’s not an anomaly. I like being able to exist comfortably.” ✯ CHLOE
RICKIE L E E JONES
Thursday, May 1 at 12:15 p.m. Alison Minor Music Heritage Stage Saturday, May 3 at 1:40 p.m. Shell Gentilly Stage
Going Back to Coolsville Rickie Lee Jones
BY CREE MCCREE
Rickie Lee Jones was no stranger to New Orleans when she flew in from California to play Jazz Fest in 1992. She’d lived on the seamy edge of the Quarter in the early ’80s with a tribe of swashbuckling outlaws while working on Pirates, the critically acclaimed follow-up to the meteoric success of her Grammy-winning self-titled debut. But she didn’t become a full-fledged local resident until 2013, when she bought a little house in Marigny where she completed her much-lauded memoir, “Last Chance Texaco.”
“I was walking around yesterday, and folks were saying ‘Hello, Rickie Lee Jones,’ and I felt like Fats Domino. No… I felt like Rickie Lee Jones. It seems like we live in a fog most of the hours of life and then the sun shines diamond light and rainbow prisms to remind us that we are part of the sky. We are a dream of a faraway star.”
Apart from guesting with Bruce Springsteen in 2014, Jones didn’t play Jazz Fest again until the first post-pandemic festival in 2022. “Since then,
they had me play once and then not the next year,” she recalls. “And then I didn’t wanna play the next year, and now I’m playing again. So, I think this is only the second time.”
When we spoke, Jones had just returned from attending a gala 85th birthday tribute for Judy Collins at Town Hall as well as a memorial service for Roberta Flack at the Abyssinian Church in Harlem, which were still very fresh in her mind. We also spoke about her latest creative outlet, Substack, where she posts cooking tips along with tributes to fellow artists and poetic musings: “The creative current runs alongside the prophetic.”
What was it like being at the Judy Collins Town Hall concert? She’s a gentle free spirit. Suffragettes started Town Hall and made it a space they could speak freely because their speaker was gonna get arrested if she talked about birth control. They built that space so they would have a place to talk about women’s rights. There’s something very cozy and friendly about it.
IN MY LOUISIANA,
THE PLAYLIST NEVER ENDS.
Thursday, May 1 at 6 p.m. Blues Tent
Defying Labels
Mr. Sipp is not one-dimensional
BY JOHN WIRT
Castro Coleman’s contributions to the Count Basie Orchestra’s 2024 album, Basie Swings the Blues, earned the charismatic Mississippian his first Grammy award. That same year, Coleman received a second Grammy nomination for his solo album The Soul Side of Sipp.
The crowd-pleasing Coleman, who performs as Mr. Sipp, returns to Jazz Fest this year on Thursday, May 1. A singer, guitarist and songwriter, he delighted full houses last year in the festival’s Blues Tent and the Fair Grounds grandstand during his artist interview at the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage.
The Soul Side of Sipp, a beautifully crafted album in a classic soul vein, is an example of Coleman’s genre-hopping and -blending versatility. His previous recordings include releases by his gospel group, True Believers, and the blues recordings he’s been making as Mr. Sipp since 2014.
“I want to show the people that I’m not one dimensional,” Coleman said. “I came from traditional gospel to contemporary gospel and urban gospel and did well in all those areas of gospel. I did traditional blues, contemporary blues and funk blues — and then I showed people the soul side of Sipp. I’m grateful for the gift I have to move around in so many different genres.”
Following up The Soul Side of Sipp, Coleman previewed his projected new album via singles. Again, he’s defying labels. “It’s a mixture between blues and soul, similar to the Sippnotized album, which really can’t be categorized. It wasn’t blues or soul it was just good music. At this point in my career, I want to do anything that can be healing to the soul.”
A thoughtful lyricist, Coleman addressed a universal theme with the single he released this year on Valentine’s Day, “In Love with You.”
“Most guys, they have a hard time expressing their feelings to their significant others,” he said.
“Either because of pride, they’re working too much, or they think that’s being mushy. So, I wrote a song that a guy can play for his significant other, to let her know how he feels. That song was a success for me because of that. And I call the album ‘stories of the soul.’ I’m just talking about real-life relationship stuff, some comical, some in your face. Reality stuff that goes on in everyday life in relationships.”
Coleman’s other ideas include making another traditional blues and a blues-hybrid project. Of
course, his Grammy-winning album with the Count Basie Orchestra combines blues with big band swing. He wrote and sang two songs for Basie Swings the Blues and played guitar for six of the album’s songs. The all-star Basie Swings the Blues also features Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush, Charlie Musselwhite, Keb’ Mo’, Ledisi, Shemekia Copeland and George Benson.
“It’s a well-thought-out album,” Coleman said of the Grammy winning project produced by Count Basie Orchestra director Scotty Barnhart and previous Grammy winners John Burk and Steve Jordan. “When Scotty said he wanted to do a blues record with the Count Basie Orchestra, I said, ‘Man, whenever you get this together, count me in.’ I’m grateful that I’m among the first artists he contacted.”
Coleman attended the Grammy Awards ceremony last year, bringing his band members along and paying their way. “I took all the guys,” he said. “I figured the experience would be super mind-blowing for them, to see how the Grammys work and be part of it. It was expensive, but it was worth it.”
Receiving two Grammy nominations in
RICKIE LEE JONES CONTINUED
FROM PAGE 78
Judy Collins said, “Never do the same show twice.” That’s one of your hallmarks too, isn’t it? I mean, I don’t do that on purpose. I just can’t do things the same way twice, you know? [laughs] So I just have to keep moving it around with my nose and see what happens. But I’m glad to hear her say that. I didn’t really know that.
She’s gonna be on the road doing a 100 shows this year. I mean, it’s incredible. And she can still hit the high notes with elegance. So that first generation of pop folk or whatever you wanna call it, they’re showing us you can do this job right up ’till the day you die if you’re able to do it. She’s helping me not think of myself as too old.
You also went to the memorial for Roberta Flack at the Abyssinian Church in Harlem, who you wrote about so beautifully in Substack. They had asked me to sing there, but I felt that I had already done my job singing for Roberta with what I wrote. And if I sang at that, it would be like a performance. But there was this great moment I have to tell you about. She had women there all the time just sitting with her [before she passed], she was so loved by so many people. And her manager caught me on my way in
a single year was a mind-blowing event for Coleman. “As far as accolades, every musician, songwriter and singer — that’s the end goal,” he said. “And being from McComb, Mississippi, that [earning a Grammy nomination] was farfetched, but it happened.”
A performer who instinctively clicks with audiences, Coleman spread much positive energy at the 2024 Jazz Fest. “I had a blast,” he recalled. “The energy that we put in connected right off and spread all through that tent. That’s a great feeling.”
Coleman credits his on-stage naturalness to being raised in the church and performing from early childhood with his parents’ gospel group, the Star Lights, and his aunt’s touring ensemble, Grace Cain and the Mellonettes.
“If you know Black church, you know there’s a lot of action going on,” he said. “We were brought up in this. So, the first chance we got to do our thing, we were mimicking the things that we saw all our lives. And I’m the least talented one in my family. You have to bring it if you’re around great musicians and singers. I’m grateful for that. I call it a blessing.” ✯
at the Grammys and asked me to come visit her and play. So, I went and played “As Tears Go By” and felt so honored to be one of those people.
What are your plans for this summer or this coming year? I don’t even know what the plans are right now. My plan is to write and finish my songs. Laid out about two months to do that. And then after that’s done, I don’t know.
When people come to see you at Jazz Fest, what can they expect? We could do a little bit of funky stuff, some of the work that I’ve done with horns. That, and some of the Pirates stuff. But I was also thinking of reinterpreting some things that have horns in them. Say I wanted to do “Mr. Tambourine Man,” you could have the horns just play a G and play stuff around it while I sang the song. I mean, there’s potential for something wild.
But frankly, I don’t know until the time comes what I’m gonna do, I’m sure I’ll send a list to Mike Dillon, who’ll be behind me playing vibes. I’m a real improv artist, and Mike can go anywhere I want to go. But now, I don’t know. We’ll just have to see what happens. ✯
RIVER EC K E RT BAND
Saturday, May 3 at 11:15 a.m. Blues Tent
A Piano Prodigy River Eckert is putting good energy into the world
BY JOHN WIRT
River Eckert made his Jazz Fest debut in 2024 at 14-years-old. A singer, pianist, composer and arranger, he’s a New Orleans native steeped in his hometown’s indigenous rhythm-and-blues and funk. Eckert returns to the festival this year, moving from the small Children’s Tent and RhythmPOURium stages he performed on last year to the much larger Blues Tent.
“I’ve gone to the Jazz Fest just about every year of my life,” he said. “So, getting to play at Jazz Fest is a dream come true.”
The audience Eckert plays for on May 3 will likely be his biggest yet. He’s expanding his normal five-piece band for the show, adding a second horn player and a percussionist. There may also be some special guests. Later that day Eckert will appear at the Joy Theater for the Crescent City Classics concert featuring his music heroes George Porter Jr., Cyril Neville, Ivan Neville, Eric Krasno and more. “Those are the people I look up to,” he said.
Eckert’s performing career began when he was 11-years-old, as a special guest for his father Jake’s solo gigs at Seithers Seafood in Harahan. The elder Eckert is best known as lead guitarist for the Dirty Dozen and, since 2009, singer-guitarist with the New Orleans Suspects. Initially sitting in with his father for a few songs, River Eckert gradually began singing and doing his own solo sets, which led to offers to play other venues as well as festivals.
Eckert’s first voyage on the Jam Cruise is another of his 2025 highlights. He played solo and with an all-star band featuring Ivan Neville, Stanton Moore, Rob Mercurio and his dad, Jake.
“It’s like Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras combined in the middle of sea,” he said. “Besides playing, I watched my heroes do their thing on stage. Guys like George Porter Jr., Carl Denson and Big Chief Donald Harrison. I learn so much from watching, not just playing.”
A freshman at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts this year, Eckert was pecking out melodies at the piano before his third birthday.
“We’ve always had a piano in the front of our house,” he said. “I tried to figure out notes to songs, stuff I was hearing, what my dad was playing and anything I heard on the street.”
The Eckert family’s home uptown is the same residence where Eckert has lived his entire life.
“It’s right around the corner from the Maple Leaf Bar and Jacques Imo’s Café,” he said. “I probably walked by the Maple Leaf every day of my life. Every time I walk by there, I hear the music or a new story about James Booker or Dr. John. That’s how I got introduced to those names and heroes
of mine.”
Growing up in a musical home in New Orleans, Eckert inevitably heard local music daily. He didn’t match his heroes’ names and music to their faces until his father brought him to Tipitina’s for a New Orleans Suspects soundcheck. In case you don’t know the history, fans of Professor Longhair opened Tipitina’s in 1978 so their hero could have a steady gig.
Eckert began piano lessons at eight years old with a strict classical music teacher. He later studied with gospel pianist Connie Breaux and another classical teacher, Natalie True, who suggested he also study jazz and blues. Subsequent lessons with Michael Pellera at the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music prepared Eckert for the jazz instrumental department of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA).
In recent years, Eckert’s talent came to the attention of two national stars from New Orleans, Harry Connick Jr. and Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. Connick discovered Eckert through social media.
“Harry came over to the house for, like, three
hours,” Eckert recalled. “We talked about James Booker and New Orleans and his career and how he got started, He even showed me some stuff on the piano. Harry is another huge inspiration for me and my music.”
Andrews offered Eckert some downhome advice. “He said NOCCA will teach you a lot of fancy things, but don’t forget the New Orleans piano stuff and where you and I come from.”
Eckert loves the many musical flavors and the joy he hears in his hometown’s music. “Within the New Orleans music scene, it goes from Jelly Roll Morton to Louis Armstrong to the Meters to James Booker,” he said. “It’s all these contrasting artists and bands within one style. My ear caught all of that and I thought wow, there’s a lot to learn here, a lot to listen to. It sounds good, it’s so positive, and it’s putting good energy into the world.”
Although Eckert hasn’t decided if he’ll study music in college, he is sure he’ll be a professional musician. “I want to stick to the path that I’m on, performing and writing and creating original music.” ✯
Thursday, May 1 at 12:20 p.m. WWOZ Jazz Tent
High Vibrations and Deep Meditations Gladney’s fascination and addiction
BY MICHAEL ALLEN ZELL
Gladney’s been playing Jazz Fest since the seventh grade, but this year’s fest is his first gig as a bandleader. He’s a trailblazer and purveyor of spiritual qualities in music and life. Release of his Inner Peace album is imminent. He now commands an audience as a triple threat on saxophone, tambourine and vocals. None of this is any surprise, but guess what? Pro wrestling is also key in his DNA. Gladney even has his own signature hairstyle. Clearly there’s plenty to discover.
Gladney gave a teaser of what to expect for his inaugural set: “We’ll be performing primarily originals, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t play some music of my teachers. It’ll be uniquely New Orleans rhythms but also some explorative spiritual-leaning stuff.” As far as originals, expect something you may not have yet witnessed; Gladney on vocals for “Selenite.”
“I grew up primarily with women,” as he came up in the Ninth Ward ‘cross the canal between the nexus of his mother’s house on Jourdan between Dauphine and Burgundy, and his grandmother’s house on Lamanche and Roman.
“I’m the dream deferred of a few of the folks in my family,” before going deeper to say, “My grandmother Iris, who was a teacher at McDonogh 19, was a self-taught pianist. She was a schoolteacher who never pursued music professionally. My mother Greta Gladney is a flautist who was in state honor bands. Her childhood was tumultuous. My grandmother would only play the piano at home when she was drinking, so it wasn’t the best situation for a young girl learning music. My grandmother was dealing with the different
traumas of her life.”
Formative inspirations tend to be those most powerful as adults. If you’re surprised to find out that Gladney’s secret weapon is pro wrestling, then you’ve got another thing coming. He said, “Wrestling was my first love, and it stays with me to this day. Before music, I was a nerdy wrestling fan to the extent where me and my friends had a wrestling league in elementary school. I was the general manager, and I created title belts out of paper, cut them out, and laminated them with clear tape. I loved the opening music, everything
GLA D NEY
about the production, and the different character types. The themes taught me a lot about writing for characters. The art of the wrestling match tells the story of good and evil. It’s selling the battle.”
He recalled that he first heard the saxophone at Amozion Baptist Church by virtue of his grandmother’s godson Edward Reed. Gladney was open and admitted, “I battled a lot of depression earlier on. I was trying to understand myself. Peace and happiness with who I am. I discovered John Coltrane’s music in the sixth grade when my mom bought a bunch of albums. Later in high school I discovered A Love Supreme, Ascension, and Meditations. That’s when all bets were off. The floodgates opened, and I could identify with someone’s playing greater than I’ve ever identified with.”
Going back to grade school, the family moved to New York for a few years in the late ’90s, and the logic of a child is what led Gladney to his main instrument. He laughed, “I was having a hard time in math class, and one day Alonzo Bowens came around recruiting members for the band. I joined thinking I could get out of math. As we know, though, that’s not how it works. I chose the saxophone, because all the boys wanted to play trumpet or drums. Even to this day I’m not looking to do what everybody else is doing. I took to it so quickly.”
grade. Kerr Jr. had Christian Scott (now Chief Adjuah) lead a NOCCA master class, which led to Gladney playing with Scott for a tribute at the theater.
He praised, “Years later I had the privilege to play on his Grammy-nominated album The Emancipation Procrastination. He has long been a great influence and took me under his wing, really cared about and looked out for me. As a queer person there aren’t many opportunities to form those kinds of relationships with cisgender heterosexual men, but Christian was always sweet to me and made me feel welcome.”
“I know what it feels like to feel alone in a crowd. I’m a spiritual person. Ultimately, it’s seeing that we are all one and the same. I want people to know that they are cared for, that their life has meaning, and there’s a reason why they’re here.”
Bowens suggested that he audition for the NOCCA Academy in middle school. Gladney praised, “The horn unearthed my fascination and addiction. I was trying to learn everything I could on the radio, because I was captivated. I think the first song that I transcribed was “Casanova.”
At NOCCA and the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp, Gladney had the opportunity to work with people like Clyde Kerr Jr., Edward “Kidd” Jordan, Kent Jordan, Alvin Fielder, Alvin Batiste, and all of those who provided him a strong foundation and appreciation for music. He highlighted that, “Kidd” is the reason why I’m aware of all the different things you can do with a saxophone.”
Gladney’s first gig was a unique one at the Mahalia Jackson Theater when he was in seventh
Family is of key importance. His mother Greta Gladney is the founder of the Renaissance Project whose charge is to improve the quality of Ninth Ward life. “She’s such a remarkable person. My closest co-conspirator and collaborator. She’s written lyrics with me for all of my music. We’re working on a larger scale project we’re calling Journey to Healing which incorporates my “Inner Peace Suite” and other compositions. Part of my work is illuminating our story, and I’m proud to create a platform to highlight her work.”
Gladney mused, “I know what it feels like to feel alone in a crowd. I’m a spiritual person. Ultimately, it’s seeing that we are all one and the same. I want people to know that they are cared for, that their life has meaning, and there’s a reason why they’re here. I believe strongly that my mission in this lifetime is to bring light to this world through my musical practice, the writings with my mother and other people, and trying to be a beacon of love and light at the highest frequency.
“To be a queer person in the South, you have to have resilience. You have to say, ‘I’m gonna do what I gotta do regardless, I’m gonna be who I’m gonna be regardless.’ Everything around you is going to be pushing back to not do that, to be smaller than that.”
Clearly the sky’s the limit for Gladney. As far as what’s next, he said, “I’m working on two albums at once, mine and a project that I can’t speak on yet.”
Thursday, April 24 at 1 p.m. Alison Minor Music Heritage Stage Thursday, April 24 at 4:05 p.m. Lagniappe Stage
Promised Land
The swamp pop senior performs with Gregg Martinez & the Delta Kings
BY HERMAN FUSELIER
In the 1960s and ’70s, fans jitterbugged and two stepped while Johnnie Allan sang, danced and pranced in dancehalls, like the Southern Club in Opelousas and the Jungle Lounge in Ville Platte. In 2025, Allan traded prancing for a stool at center stage.
Many fans don’t dance. They stare, take pictures and shoot cell phone videos.
“I wasn’t 87 years old back then,” laughs Allan about his early years. “I don’t have to spell it out why they’re taking pictures now.”
The swamp pop senior, who still sings like he’s at the Green Lantern in Lawtell, returns to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with Gregg Martinez and the Delta Kings. Martinez and his horn-driven, blue-eyed soul entourage are among the Louisiana bands that feature Allan as a guest vocalist. He’s approaching 75 years on stage.
Leaving it Up to You” by Dale and Grace, Phil Phillips’ “Sea of Love” and Tommy McClain’s version of “Sweet Dreams” broke out of the bayou and became Billboard Hot 100 hits.
Born in 1938 to French-speaking sharecroppers near the town of Rayne, Louisiana, John Allan Guillot became a teenaged guitarist with future Cajun accordion legends Walter Mouton and Lawrence Walker. In the 1950s, Allan and friends took side jobs embracing a new sound heard on the jukeboxes—rock ’n’ roll.
Allan remains a cherished link to Cajun music’s past and the dawn of swamp pop, south Louisiana’s musical gumbo of Cajun, Creole, country and Fats Domino-styled R&B. Songs like Rod Bernard’s “This Should Go On Forever,” I’m
Their Krazy Kats band had trouble keeping up with gigs after Allan wrote and recorded “Lonely Days and Lonely Nights,” now considered a swamp pop standard. Originals and covers, like “Your Picture,” “Somewhere on Skid Row,” “Family Rule” and “South to Louisiana,” lifted Allan to Gulf Coast music stardom.
Allan, a retired educator, almost left his teaching job in 1978 when his Cajun-flavored cover of Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” became a Top 10 hit in England. The song, re-released on numerous compilation albums, brought Allan
more than two dozen tours of Europe.
JOHNNY ALLAN
In 1995, producer Floyd Soileau of Ville Platte presented Allan with a gold record. By 2002, “Promised Land” had been released 43 times on various singles and albums.
“It has been recorded by more than 50 other artists,” said Allan. “I’m proud to say my version is the biggest seller. It even outsold Chuck Berry’s version. Who would have ever thought?
“It happened and I’m glad it did. I got to meet many music personalities in this business. I’ve remained friends with several of them. They’ll send me copies of articles from Europe where my name is mentioned several times.”
For a lot of them, it’s probably the first song that presented the Cajun accordion.”
Allan is not ready to depart to his eternal Promised Land just yet. Cajun bands continue to record his French originals, like “La Baque Qui Brille” (The Ring that Shines) and “T’es La Mienne Pour Toujours” (You’re Mine Forever). Last year, he turned family letters that were written for his 68th birthday into “The Box of Love,” a local radio hit.
In 1995, producer Floyd Soileau of Ville Platte presented Allan with a gold record. By 2002, “Promised Land” had been released 43 times on various singles and albums.
“The reason why ‘Promised Land’ became so big is because of Belton Richard’s [accordion] ride on that song,” added Allan. “It ain’t my singing. They loved Belton’s accordion.
A seven-song album of original compositions, published on his JADFEL label, will be released by this summer.
He’ll continue to perform live, two or three times a month, with Martinez, the Louisiana Express Band, accordionist Travis Matte and other musical friends.
“It’s not a comeback,” said Allan. “I never went anywhere.” ✯
Saturday, April 26 at 12:20 p.m. WWOZ Jazz Tent
Refreshing and Intellectual Kyle Roussel’s Church of New Orleans
BY MICHAEL ALLEN ZELL
Pianist Kyle Roussel kicked off 2025 with a bang in the form of a landmark new album, “Church of New Orleans,” featuring around three dozen top New Orleans musicians. To bring it full circle, Roussel has played piano or keys for a good number of their groups over the years. Charlie Gabriel, featured on “African Gumbo,” said, “He approaches it from the church as well as from the street. He’s a fine musician. I’m pleased with what he’s been doing with his music.”
At a recent sold-out Snug Harbor showcase, it was immediately clear that the sideman is also now a resplendent front man, dressed as stylishly and as sophisticated as his playing. Roussel wowed with his deft assured skills whether tastefully backing saxophone soloist Zahria Sims, jamming out with drummer Alfred Jordan, or painting a picture with vocalist Erica Falls.
noting, “Kyle is reminiscent of the many great pianists before him. His playing is powerful, soulful, lyrical, and always sensitive to the band and vocalists. He’s got it.”
Falls praised, “I love performing with Kyle, because we have a great music chemistry that’s truly refreshing. When he plays the piano, I hear things that I can play off of vocally.
The new album initially began in 2019 and was all Roussel until little by little he began to call in favors. “The song was good,” said Roussel, speaking of “I Can Do Anything,” and adding, “but it would be better with Ivan Neville on it.” The album track list was mostly written by Roussel with nods to the past by including rendition of songs by Allen Toussaint, James Booker and Louis Cottrell.
John Boutté, who sings on the album’s “Changes,” is no stranger to this musical ethos,
Roussel’s origin story begins in St. Charles Parish where he said, “no family members were musicians,” but his sister’s toy keyboard was an entry point.
He made his way to NOCCA due to a lady from his church, where he learned from teachers like Chris Severin and Adonis Rose, before choosing to stay in town at UNO. Severin recalled his surprise when Shannon Powell informed him that the fill-in pianist on a gig was his former student. “I knew him as this quiet kid in my class. I couldn’t imagine how it would work out, but when he started playing, I realized.”
Donald Harrison Jr., featured on the album’s “Sankofa” and a bandmate of Roussel’s in The Headhunters, mused that, “Some years back I told him that there should be no one better than you
at playing New Orleans music. I feel he took that to heart.”
Roussel spoke about the early inspiration of Los Hombres Calientes and that he was a student of Ellis Marsalis, Jr. He’s made a name playing with a range of New Orleans’ leading lights. Roger Lewis, featured throughout on Church of New Orleans, applauded with, “Kyle Roussel’s a great pianist. I love working with him. He’s been a big asset to the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and he’s also a great guy.”
“Kyle is reminiscent of the many great pianists before him. His playing is powerful, soulful, lyrical, and always sensitive to the band and vocalists. He’s got it.”
It may or may not surprise that Roussel has an architecture background. “I worked on my own home,” he said. Quiana Lynell, who holds the distinction of being his sole songwriting partner on Church of New Orleans for “Close To Me,” said, “Kyle is very precise, very structured. When I think of an architect, the design element, and the ability to go from scale to the big picture, you have to pay
attention to detail. You have to listen and be able to play with all of the genres and all of the musicians. Kyle’s ears are immaculate. It’s not about him always being at the forefront of whatever he’s doing. It’s about creating a structure that is the identity of the piece. We’ve worked together for almost 10 years. He’s a relaxing person to work with because he supports and celebrates your strengths.”
Roussel claimed it would surprise people to know he can be, “silly and goofy,” and no less than percussionist Alexey Marti, who plays throughout the album agreed to the extent that, “It’s always fun to work with him. He’s refreshing and intellectual.”
Church of New Orleans is New Orleans in a nutshell in the best possible way. It speaks of Roussel’s prevailing mindset and promises a continuing bright future. ✯
Friday, April 25 at 2:40 p.m. Congo Square Stage
A Sparrow in Flight
Youssou N’Dour:
The Voice of Senegal
BY STEVE HOCHMAN
About 20 years ago singer Youssou N’Dour, who stands at the top of modern Senegalese music, visited the island of Gorée near his home in Dakar. It was the start of a mission to trace the paths of the many Africans transported from there to the Americas and Europe as slaves, and to trace the paths of the music that emerged from the depths of those horrors’ specifically jazz and gospel. The directive was for him, accompanied by Swiss pianist Moncef Genoud, to bring that music back for performance on Gorée, now used as a monument to those who suffered beyond comprehension in that dark history. The result was a documentary, “Retour a Gorée (Return to Gorée).”
As you’d expect, one key stop on that trip was New Orleans.
“I was there to record and to travel around,” says N’Dour, one of the creators of the essential African music style known as mbalax.
On arrival at Louis Armstrong Airport, he was greeted by Idris Muhammad, the jazz-funk drummer who was born and raised there—that’s him, as a teen, on the Hawketts’ “Mardi Gras Mambo” and Fats Domino’s “Blueberry Hill”—and would serve as one of his and the film team’s guides to the music and culture of the city. But it was almost as if he didn’t need a guide.
“When I go to New Orleans, I feel at home,” N’Dour says now, on a video call from his Dakar home, with some help translating to and from French by his associate Patrick Tucker. “Because it was as if I was somewhere in Dakar. The life there, the culture there. They have these little, intimate concert venues, not too big, but very intimate. And the music being performed there was like anything you hear in downtown Dakar. So, I really felt at home when I was there. And I loved it, enjoyed it.”
He smiles broadly, even the sunglasses he is wearing unable to hide the sparkle of these memories.
Now he returns to New Orleans. He’s booked to headline the Congo Square stage on April 25. And if logistics work out, he’ll be joined by another drummer with New Orleans history: Weedie Braimah. Born in Ghana and raised in St. Louis, Braimah has spent much of his adult life in New Orleans, currently going back and forth between there and Cleveland, where he is a professor at Oberlin. A master of the Ghanian djembe, one of the essential instruments of West African music, he served as a co-producer and percussionist on N’Dour’s new album, Eclairer le Monde (Light the World).
“Weedie I’ve known for a long time, we’ve known each other for a long time,” he says. “He’s the ambassador for the djembe in the U.S.”
It would also bring things full circle. It just so happens that Muhammad, who died in 2014 at 74, was Braimah’s great-uncle and a mentor.
“He’s very busy now,” he says of Braimah’s prospects to join him at Jazz Fest. “He will do all he can do to be there. I’m hoping and praying he is available. It’s very important.”
There’s another at least indirect New Orleans presence on the album in the set’s producer, Michael League, bassist of the jazz-rock band Snarky Puppy, which has built a significant following in New Orleans through regular visits to the city, including a Jazz Fest set in 2016.
“I’ve been following Michael’s career over the time,” he says. “And I like his approach to music, the way in which he guides musicians and how they play in his group, and I’ve always wanted to do something similar.”
While League is not expected to make it for the Jazz Fest show due to Snarky Puppy commitments, his influence will be felt in great measure. It was League who brought Braimah into the N’Dour recordings, the two having worked together for some years on various projects. And it was at a studio League has in the small town of Calaf, in the Catalonian region of Spain, where the album was recorded, using musicians from all over the world, built around League’s bass, Braimah’s percussion and several Senegalese musicians who have worked with N’Dour for decades.
And he’s done a lot.
N’Dour’s voice, a sparrow in flight, is one of the most recognizable instruments in African music, in world music. In 1986, still in his twenties, he burst to global attention when Peter Gabriel featured him, singing in Wolof, on the song “In Your Eyes”—an enduring cultural touchstone thanks to it blaring from the John Cusack’s boombox in the crucial scene of Cameron Crowe’s movie Say Anything … N’Dour then joined Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Tracy Chapman as the core artists on the Amnesty International “Human Rights Now!” tour playing stadiums around the globe in 1988. He broke through on an even bigger level in 1994 with his album The Guide (Wommat), an international hit led by the powerful single “7 Seconds,” which featured singerrapper Neneh Cherry.
“When I go to New Orleans, I feel at home. Because it was as if I was somewhere in Dakar. The life there, the culture there. They have these little, intimate concert venues, not too big, but very intimate. And the music being performed there was like anything you hear in downtown Dakar. So, I really felt at home when I was there. And I loved it, enjoyed it.”
But he was already a major figure in West Africa well before these collaborations. At 16 in the mid-1970s he was brought in to front the popular Star Band and then led the break-away Étoile de Dakar. Here he was crucial in infusing traditional local rhythms and sounds and language of the Wolof culture in which he was raised, into the Afro-Cuban influences that dominated popular dance band music there, creating mbalax. Senegal had only achieved independence in 1960 after being under French colonial rule. Music played a crucial role in raising a sense of cultural identity.
“I didn’t want to do something just like I’ve always done in Dakar,” N’Dour says. “I wanted to do something different. I also didn’t want to do it in an ultra-modern city like Madrid or New York or Paris. And Weedie just happened to be available at the time we worked with Michael. That was how the whole thing happened, and it was perfect.”
The album mixes traditional instruments and rhythms with a lush modernity. In some ways it encapsulates everything from N’Dour’s vast career. In other ways it’s unlike anything he’s ever done.
When N’Dour started making music as a solo artist in the early 1980s, many western artists were finding inspiration in sounds from Africa and elsewhere—Talking Heads, Paul Simon (N’Dour was part of the African percussion ensemble on the Graceland track “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”) and Gabriel, of course, among them. With the boost given by Gabriel and the vast audiences hearing him on the Amnesty tour, N’Dour became one of the top figures of a growing, truly global movement that also included Senegalese stars Baaba
Maal, Ishmaël Lô and Touré Kunda.
“I had my mbalax music with me, which is very important to me,” he says. “I still maintain it. And then we fused it with other influences of other musicians from different parts of the world and then created what is today called world music.”
It earned him a Best Contemporary World Music Album Grammy Award for his 2004 album Egypt (drawing on sounds and Islamic themes from North Africa) and the Polar Prize for Music in 2013 (the first African artist given that honor). At home he became a prominent activist and business leader. He even started a run for president in the early 2010s, but it was deemed that he had not collected enough signatures to apply. He did, though, serve as Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2012 to 2013.
Now, after more than 40 solo albums, he still is seeking new sounds and directions.
“I didn’t want to do an mbalax album,” he says. “I wanted to do more like a warm music kind of album. Fresh, something fresh.”
This, though, isn’t a move toward the current wave of new African pop, which draws heavily on
hip-hop and other current global sounds, though he does love a lot of what he hears from such stars as Nigeria’s Burna Boy and others from neighboring countries.
A trend he very much doesn’t like, though, has been toward shorter songs.
“When I was growing up, we used music for like 10 minutes,” he says. In fact, performances would often feature songs stretched to much greater lengths with grooves keeping the crowds dancing through the night.
“Now it’s more like three-minute songs, and that’s it,” he says, lamenting there shrinking attention span of the TikTok generation. “Or 30 seconds.”
He’s trying to find a balance, he says. And the New Orleans setting, he says, may well inspire him to stretch the songs back out to the old kind of lengths.
“Yes,” he says. “I’m going to try. But because we have a lot of songs, I’m going to try to be real.”
Either way, he expects to have everyone dancing. “Definitely,” he says, beaming again behind his shades. “Yes, definitely!” ✯
TRIBUTE TO P E T E FOUNTAIN
Tribute to Pete Fountain featuring Tim Laughlin Saturday, April 26 at 3:05 p.m. Economy Hall Tent
Friday, May 2 at 5:50 p.m. Economy Hall Tent
Every Note Has a Smile
Tim Laughlin leads a tribute to Pete Fountain
BY JOHN WIRT
Along with Louis Armstrong and Al Hirt, Pete Fountain is among the most famous jazz musicians from New Orleans. A brilliant traditional jazz and Dixieland clarinetist, Fountain became a household name in the late 1950s when millions of TV viewers watched his weekly appearances on The Lawrence Welk Show.
Following two years in Los Angeles, Fountain—compelled by homesickness and Welk’s straightlaced demands of his musicians—moved himself and his family back to sweet home New Orleans. The nationally known clarinetist subsequently booked himself as the star attraction at his newly purchased nightclub, the French Quarter Inn. In 1968, he opened the larger Pete’s Place on Bourbon Street. He moved his performances to the New Orleans Hilton in 1977, staying there until he closed it in 2003.
During decades of performing, Fountain released dozens of albums while he stayed in the public eye via 59 appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” In 2005, he moved to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, following Hurricane Katrina and damage to his home in New Orleans.
In Bay St. Louis, Fountain performed at the Hollywood Casino for three years with a New Orleans band led by clarinetist Tim Laughlin. It was Laughlin, too, who led the band at Fountain’s final performance on May 5, 2013, at Jazz Fest. On April 26, Laughlin will lead a tribute to Fountain, who died in 2016 at 86-years-old, at the festival’s home of traditional jazz, Economy Hall.
“It was bittersweet,” Laughlin said of that farewell performance at Jazz Fest. “I wasn’t sure if
Pete had been playing, because he had health issues and hadn’t been able to play or practice much. I said to Pete, ‘If it’s okay, when you play, I’m going to play, too.’ He said ‘okay.’ And he got stronger and stronger [through the set]. It was emotional at the end, but, yeah, the last show was fine.”
Fountain first played clarinet at 12 years old and was playing on Bourbon Street in his mid-teens. He emulated local clarinetists, specifically Irving Fazola and Eddie Miller, as well as the big band
Pete Fountain and Tim Laughlin
TRIBUTE
era’s king of swing, Benny Goodman.
“Pete eventually had Eddie Miller in his band,” Laughlin said in advance of the Fountain tribute at Jazz Fest. “He said it was like taking a clarinet lesson every night. And if you listen to Eddie’s playing, there’s a lot of similarities in the phrasing to Pete’s playing. And Pete’s playing has Fazola’s tone and Goodman’s drive.”
Laughlin heard Fountain for the first time on local radio. “My ears caught it, and I ran in the room and said, ‘Dad, who’s that?’ He said ‘Pete Fountain.’ I didn’t know if he was from New Orleans, how old he was, if he was Black or White or famous, all I knew was wow. It was his Mardi Gras album. That became the first album I ever owned. I got it for Christmas and played along with it. It’s still one of my favorites.”
Laughlin loves the joy in Fountain’s playing, his beautiful tone and knack for swinging. “When Pete was in his prime, I complimented him by saying: ‘Pete, every note you play has a smile on it.’ He could be playing by himself, and you could dance to him. He swung and his tone was magnificent.”
The clarinet that Fountain played for his Mardi Gras album is the same instrument Laughlin plays today. Fountain bestowed the instrument upon Laughlin at the Hollywood Casino in Mississippi.
nobody caught it,” Laughlin recalled. “I played through it, and everything got back on track. Pete couldn’t talk on the mic because he had strokes after his bypass surgery, but his playing was fine.”
For this year’s Fountain Tribute at Jazz Fest, Laughlin recruited surviving members of Fountain’s Bay St. Louis band.
“I called all the guys and asked if they wanted to do it,” Laughlin said. “All of them said ‘yes.’ I’m not going to make it complicated. It’s all about the music. We’re paying tribute to Pete by playing the music he enjoyed playing. We’ll play those good tunes that we opened with every night.”
“I’d go to Pete’s club with a tape recorder that I hid, of course, and tape the show. I’d also go to the Paddock Lounge and the Famous Door, tape those guys and get home at two in the morning. My mom knew where I was, and this was before Bourbon Street is what it is now. The mob still ran Bourbon Street, so it was safe.”
“We played the show one night and I said, ‘Pete, that’s a great horn,’” Laughlin remembered. “Pete says ‘Yeah, that’s old Betsy. She’s yours now.’ I said, ‘Wow. Don’t you want to put this in a museum?’ He says, ‘No, she needs to be played.’ Old Betsy. It’s the horn he played after he left “The Lawrence Welk Show” and recorded his first 10 albums on.”
Fountain performed in Bay St. Louis and at Jazz Fest even after strokes impaired his speech. Laughlin doubled Fountain’s playing at the casino, just in case the clarinet legend had a memory skip, a musical mishap that can happen to musicians of any age. “On occasion it would happen, but
Likely selections at the tribute include “Clarinet Marmalade,” “Muskrat Ramble” and “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” Laughlin will also re-create some of Fountain’s solos. “Simple and musical,” he said. “That’s what Pete would want.”
Laughlin patronized Pete’s Place on Bourbon Street when he was a teenager. “I was a kid who was serious about learning from the older players,” he said. “I’d go to Pete’s club with a tape recorder that I hid, of course, and tape the show. I’d also go to the Paddock Lounge and the Famous Door, tape those guys and get home at two in the morning. My mom knew where I was, and this was before Bourbon Street is what it is now. The mob still ran Bourbon Street, so it was safe.”
“Those were my study tapes,” Laughlin said of the illicit cassette recordings. “And when I started performing, I always hired a veteran for my band. A veteran could teach me and elevate my playing. Having somebody like Connie Jones in my band, he was hard to stump.”
Decades into his career now, Laughlin enjoys playing clarinet more than ever. “I hit a groove and started telling a better story,” he said. “I’m happy with my playing, using more space. That’s what a good orator does—catch people’s attention and tell a good story. That’s what jazz is.” ✯
Saturday, May 3 at 11:20 a.m. Congo Square Stage
Odd Questions
A conversation with Odd the Artist
BY MICHAEL ALLEN ZELL
Whatever you do, don’t pigeonhole Odd
The Artist. The young rapper, singer, DJ, and producer is equal parts hip-hop and rock star. She’s been steadily making noise around New Orleans, which elevated with her first album “Let Go, Let Odd” in 2024. There’s no doubt she lives in the studio, so we met up in the lab to get the word. What can we expect for Jazz Fest? Kari Jay! We met at Vegan Fest. The first half, I’ll do my thing, then she’ll do hers. We might get together on a few songs.
How are you feeling being a new mother with baby Apollo? I didn’t see myself having kids. It hasn’t stopped my journey as an artist. I’m tired, but
it makes me want to do more. The pregnancy changed my whole mindset and my music too. Where are you from? I came up in Algiers on Elmira.
What kind of kid were you? I was a visual arts kind of girl. It was the teacher’s idea that they put me in talented art in first grade. In second grade, they had a hip hop class taught by Voice Monet. That was the class I was looking forward to every day. It was on lyricism, because it had something to do with English. I was writing a lot, but I didn’t know hip hop was what I was doing. I recorded my first song as a class song.
What were some early influences? My dad was always playing gospel music. My mom would play R&B, hip-hop, and everything. My grandma would play Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and stuff like that. My main influence was TV shows and movies. Disney rock music and Nickelodeon were my go-to. Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato.
Do you have musicians in your family?
A lot of my family members on my dad’s side do gospel in this area.
We’re you singing at this point. My parents sent me to Anthony Bean Community Theater Summer Camp when I was about eight-years-old. I got my acting and performance capabilities from there. Kayla Love was also at Anthony Bean too. My mom formed a girl group with me, my sister and her. One of the girl groups she showed us was TLC, and when I saw Left Eye, the spark came that I love hip-hop.
Where did that take you? It got me to dig deep into the roots of hip-hop. I was studying Monie Love, Queen
SARAH Q U INTANA
Sunday, April 27 at 12:40 p.m. Lagniappe Stage
Baby, Don’t
Sarah Quintana is all about innovating some serious fun
BY BRETT MILANO
Making feel-good music is harder than I thought thanks to pandemics, hurricanes, this being 2025 and life being life,” Sarah Quintana says. “But the sense you have of being in the moment, being part of a community, having a good rehearsal—all that is encouraging. And there is an element of Louisiana music that is always joyful. So even the breakup song on this album sounds happy. I think it took me 10 or 20 years of practice and trial and error to play effortlessly and comfortably in the studio and live. A lot of thought went into live performing in the studio so we can play and have fun, and that can be what you hear.”
With all the music she’s made to date, Quintana considers this the first one that’s completely her own. “It’s me being a singer-songwriter, it’s me playing electric guitar on a record for the first time. It’s me fronting a band for the first time as a bandleader. Being a producer and hiring a co-producer, instead of letting someone else produce. And ultimately, being a fundraiser as well. I think every little piece of this record has my touch, and I hope that the elements surrounding the music are as elegant and thoughtful as the
music itself.”
The album marks another turn in a career that’s taken her from traditional jazz as part of the New Orleans Moonshiners, to French-inspired vocal jazz that she performed for a time abroad, to a collaboration with Cajun innovator Michael Doucet of BeauSoleil, to a couple of progressively minded singer-songwriter albums. All of the above figure into the new disc, but it’s rooted mainly in upbeat ’60s and early ’70s music, both the Cajun sounds from the country, and the vintage R&B from the city. While most of the songs are her own, they could pass for a good collection of well-traveled 45’s.
“Those are the records I listened to the most. If you listen to Fats Domino you can hear how the birth of rock ’n’ roll is based on those double bass lines, with guitar and piano playing the same heavy bass. And to me that helps balance out the brightness of my voice and guitar. All those recordings from Matassa’s studio are my true north.” And the more technical aspects of singing are very much on her mind, particularly when it comes to the difference between singing jazz in French and singing French Cajun songs.
“I’m going to be a vocal nerd here and say that I
SARAH Q U INTANA
use more twang, more of a belt vocal, when I am singing in Cajun. I am emulating those forgotten cries from Balfa Brothers records. If it’s Cajun I don’t want to sound sweet, I want to sound drunk at a party dancing my face off. But if I am singing a French ballad, I’m looking for a softer, thin voice and looking for melodic resonance. A lot of those subtle speech sounds are the reason I’m so obsessed with jazz singers — the way the voice can sound like a clarinet or a trumpet. And when I sing Cajun, I want to sound more like a bird on the bayou.”
The instrumentation she chooses is a bit unconventional: it’s not often you hear a mix of reeds (Rex Gregory) sousaphone (Jason Jurzak), drums (Rose Cangelosi) and cello (Chris Beroes-Haigis) in either a Cajun or an R&B band. “I went with that because we could get a big band sound from such a small group of people; that harkens back to the birth of the jazz ensemble from the marching band. And the sousaphone harks back to some of my favorite work from Anders Osborne and from the Tin Men.”
It’s me being a singer-songwriter, it’s me playing electric guitar on a record for the fi rst time. It’s me fronting a band for the fi rst time as a bandleader.
classic famously done by Muddy Waters and by Cream. Her version dates from time working with BeauSoleil, who recorded the tune on their rootsrocking Alligator Purse album. But Quintana’s version has a much raunchier groove, with a wailing sax and her own guitar. “I loved how Michael could create new standards by translating them — it’s not a cover but an entirely new thing. And that’s what I’m trying to do, to build on traditional Louisiana music and add my own two cents. I worry on something like [her original Cajun song] ‘Tout Mon Coeur’ that I was falling on too many cliches, because I’m not trying to play traditional music correctly. I’m trying to juxtapose elements of traditional music creatively.”
It’s also not often that you hear a French version of “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,’” the Delta blues
ODD THE ARTIST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 113
Latifah, Eric B. & Rakim. I went into the ’60s and the ’70s to see where the roots were from.
What else was going on in your world then? I stopped singing when I was around 11, because The X Factor came down here. I decided to audition and that didn’t go well, so I decided I was only going to rap. I was always writing down lyrics in my notebook. I also would write down lyrics from TV shows and recite them to myself. In a sense I was studying lyricism that way. I didn’t want anybody to know it was what I was doing.
When did you start going by Odd The Artist? In high school. I wanted to have a name that fit who I am as a person.
Where did you go to school? Edna Karr High School. My vision started becoming clear there. I saw a video of J. Cole making beats. My dad brought home an old MacBook. I was trying to figure out how to record myself and make beats.
She also welcomes the chance to inhabit different characters when singing. “There’s a persona attached to the jazz singer that’s always a part of my vocal performance. On ‘Just Because’ I’m one of those ladies on a vacation poster from the ’50s, enticing you to come to Morocco or Spain. But I leave that behind and go back to Mid-City on ‘Bump in the Road.’ [the album’s acoustic closer]. At the end of the day. I’m just Sarah from New Orleans.” ✯
I started doing talent shows. I did visual arts at NOCCA.
Where was your first gig? Edward Buckles was a teacher at Edna Karr and the person who gave me my first gig. That was at the House of Blues for House of the Young.
What were other notable gigs do you recall? Playing the Ace Hotel and at the Music Box Village opening for Big Freedia.
Buku Fest in 2022. I loved that so much, because I’d never been around that type of atmosphere before. It was monumental for me, and I can say I opened it for Tyler the Creator and Tame Impala. I also met my deejay, DJ PJ, there.
What are your goals for the future? I want to establish myself in my career and as a business in general. I love creating under any genre. I’m wanting to do more songwriting and production for other artists too. ✯
Thursday, May 1 at 1:40 p.m. Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage
Soulful Harmonies
Loose Cattle is Southern roots rock, Americana and definitely alt-country
BY DAVID KUNIAN
In New Orleans, the Laissez Faire Laissez/Les Bon Temps Roule vibe and inherent funkiness of the lifestyle obscure the fact that this is a city of songwriters and storytellers. Think right now of how many great raconteurs and fantastical stories you know off the top of your head. From Danny Barker to Allen Toussaint to Dave Bartholomew to Paul Sanchez to Anders Osborne to Lilli Lewis to Joy Clark. New Orleans has always been a songwriters’ town.
The band Loose Cattle fits right in with that idea. Started in 2011 by musicians Kimberley Kaye and Michael Cerveris, the two have been writing songs together that fall into the place where storytelling, Louisiana, Americana, and good rock ’n’ roll meet. Both Kaye and Cerveris have their punk-rock bonafides with Kaye having
played trumpet with ska bands on the Warped Tour and Cerveris as Bob Mould’s second guitarist for a couple tours. Kaye and Cerveris were in a relationship when they got the idea to start this band. Kaye remembers, “I missed making music, so I said, ‘I’ll sing with my boyfriend, and we’ll play at parties, and we’ll be a yard band.” She pauses, and then continues, “We completely failed at that. We started the band and suddenly we’re playing at Lincoln Center. Whether we were ready to be on those stages or not didn’t really matter. We were on them.” Cerveris chimes in, “It escalated quickly, and at some point, we stopped and said, ‘maybe we should take this seriously and rehearse and eventually write our own stuff.’”
Although Kaye and Cerveris’ romantic relationship ended (Cerveris quipped humorously, “Apparently, we had never read any band biographies before and thought, ‘what’s the best thing you can do for your relationship? You can start a band together!’”) the band gelled into its current lineup with bassist Rene Coman, drummer Doug Garrison (you may have heard of their other band, The Iguanas) and violinist Rurik Nunan. Cerveris says, “Since it kind of congealed around the current lineup, it has become another thing entirely and really come into its own.” The band had three albums out before the current “Someone’s Monster.” “It’s a very good representation of Michael’s and my
LOOSE C ATTLE
ethos and worldview and the skill level and diverse talent of the musicians we are playing with. It’s Southern roots rock. It’s Americana. It’s definitely alt-country,” says Kaye. Michael adds, “It’s definitely from Louisiana, which we don’t think so much about, but anytime we play it for someone, they say, “You are definitely a Louisiana band.” There are many terms one can apply to the music, but it is rock ’n’ roll whether it’s menace of “The Shoals” or ominous harmonies of “Not Over Yet.” The contributions of Lucinda Williams, Drive By Truckers’ Jay Gonzales and Patterson Hood, and Kaye’s fellow singers in the Coven [The Coven, a New Orleans-based group of women musicians] give the sound a certain grounding.
The record also has a political slant that reflects the current times we are in. “Further On” and “Here’s The Attention You Ordered” are common even if sometimes unsaid sentiments. Cerveris says, “It took two years from the start of deep in the pandemic to getting the record out. We were thinking, ‘What do we have to say, and what do we need to say and hope that people want to hear?’ But we really thought that these songs may be or
will be irrelevant by the time they come out and be obsolete, and that’s not what happened.” Kaye clarifies that “I don’t like to speak for other people, but if there were a political affiliation or party that we would belong to, it would be Lilli Lewis’ Practice Radical Decency. That’s how we try to behave as people and what we try to encourage other people to do.” Cerveris continues by saying, “I don’t think of it as political. I think of it as, you know, fundamental and human decency. We get frustrated with people whose political views align with ours as we do with people who are diametrically opposed to ours.” Kaye brings it back to the album title and theme, “Purity tests on either side of the spectrum are antithetical. Loose Cattle’s album is called Someone’s Monster because the point we are trying to make was everyone is capable of being the monster in someone else’s story. We’ve all harmed someone, and that’s the thing that ought to bring us all together.” Cerveris finishes and says, “It should make us recognize our own flawed humanity and help us move forward together. Unfortunately, it’s not the way a lot of people chose to do it.” ✯
May 2 at 12:30 p.m.
Trouble Don’t Last
Guitar Slim Jr. doesn’t care about fortune and fame
BY MICHAEL ALLEN ZELL
The blues singer and guitarist Guitar Slim Jr., the son of Eddie “Guitar Slim” Jones, has been a New Orleans mainstay for years, though lesser known.
That’s about to change. We sat down at The Marsh Hotel to talk about where he came from and where he’s going.
Though there may be some special guests for his Jazz Fest set, what he guaranteed is, “I just get up there and do me. I had played 17 years straight, then laid off it for a few years. Now I’ve been back three years before now.”
Slim was born Rodney Glenn Armstrong and spent time coming up in both uptown and downtown New Orleans. He recalled living at, “7th & Danneel, then on Lasalle Street near the Dew Drop Inn. As a kid, I took a rubber band, put it on the drawer, and I would sit there and play it for hours. I first picked up guitar when Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” came out.
Not long after he went to school at Johnson C.
Lockett Elementary School in the Ninth Ward while living in the Desire Projects.
“I could always sing good,” he said, and his musical interest in Al Green, The Isley Brothers, and others eventually led to him performing his trademark bluesy versions of their familiar songs, which he still does to this day. Speaking of his first gig, which was near our location at Dryades and Delachaise, saying, “It was right up the street. No bigger than a bathroom, but they fit 40 or 50 people in there.”
No less than the legendary Earl King dubbed him “Guitar Slim Jr.” “Earl showed me the ‘Trick Bag,’ said Slim. “He wanted me to go on the road with him. I played bass, because I wasn’t good on the guitar yet.”
The guitar skill developed soon enough with a fresh style that had New Orleans heavyweights like Allen Toussaint paying attention. Slim noted, “Allen parked his Rolls Royce in the driveway at Mason’s Las Vegas Strip [located on S. Clairborne Avenue]. He was sitting on the
GUITAR S LIM JR.
wall watching us play outside. I wondered who it was watching me like that. Germaine Bazzle was playing the VIP Lounge. He gave me his card and said, ‘Give me a call, I like the way you’re doing that Larry Graham poppin’. There wasn’t anyone doing it like I was on guitar.”
Blues music in New Orleans was far more commonplace back then. Why so? Slim said, “It changed when rap music came around. I’m not knocking it, though.”
The Story of My Life was his breakthrough album, which garnered him a 1988 Grammy nomination. “I didn’t want to do the album,” he admitted. “You’re not making money from that. I wanted to play live.”
No less than the legendary Earl King dubbed him “Guitar Slim Jr.” “Earl showed me the ‘Trick Bag,’ He wanted me to go on the road with him. I played bass, because I wasn’t good on the guitar yet.”
As it turned out, the album was his calling
card to do both when he ended up touring with Stevie Ray Vaughan. Slim’s main recollection from those days was, “I was young and wild. Drinking like a pig.”
He’s got a different charge now, stressing, “I’m looking for the Lord. That’s what I’m thinking about. I had God in my heart ever since I can remember. I have a thing for gospel music. I’ve got that kind of voice. I don’t care about fortune and fame.”
What’s in store for the future? Word is out that Trombone Shorty is seeking to do an album with him and help give Slim his proper due. In true New Orleans fashion, Slim stressed, “I know the whole family, big-time. I used to hang out with Jessie, his grandpa. Trombone came and played the drums with me one night.” ✯
Thursday, May 1 at 1:45 p.m.
Pass It On A conversation with Wendell Brunious
BY CREE MCCREE
When you enter Preservation Hall, it’s like stepping back in time. The small no-frills room looks pretty much like it did when Allan and Sandra Jaffe first opened their now-legendary French Quarter venue on St. Peter Street in 1961. Bare unvarnished floors serve as the stage, surrounded by wooden chairs where the audience sits — until as often happens, they are moved to get up and march around with a band that celebrates the living past of New Orleans jazz.
At the center of all the action is master trumpeter Wendell Brunious, the band’s exuberant long-longtime leader and Preservation Hall’s first-ever musical director, who brings the joyful spirit of New Orleans music to far-flung countries around the world.
The scion of legendary trumpeter John “Picky” Brunious—who, like his son, was educated at Juilliard as well by the brass bands of New Orleans—he’s also the brother of the late John Brunious, Jr., who preceded him as Pres Hall’s band leader, and the loving husband of Caroline Brunious, his Swedish wife of 25 years, who plays a sizzling hot clarinet in The Preservation Hall All-Stars.
When we met virtually via Zoom, we discussed the vitality of traditional jazz and Pres Hall’s latest contribution to its preservation: the Pass It On foundation. Designed to teach young musicians how to navigate the business side of music, it will be housed right next door to Preservation Hall on St. Peter Street.
You were still pretty young when you joined Preservation Hall. Yep, 23. And it was strange how I came to play here. One night I was blowing my brains out for $88 on Bourbon Street, and when I came down St. Peter to get my car, I passed right by the gate. I’d never been inside, but it wasn’t but $1 to get in, and there was nobody playing the trumpet.
I said you need a trumpet player? [laughs] And, the drummer said, man, we don’t let people sit in. I said I’m not sitting in, I come to play, man, and I took my horn out and played a couple of songs. Allan Jaffe was there, and Kid Thomas [Valentine], who had this scowl on his face. But he wasn’t angry, that’s just the way he looked. Then Kid put his hands together and the whole audience started clapping. And I sat down next to him and played the rest of the night.
When we spoke a couple years ago, you told me you want to speak to someone’s heart, not to befuddle their brain. Precisely. If you’re not speaking to their heart, what are you speaking to? Passing our knowledge on to younger people is almost like a religion. It’s been around for a long, long time and we’re hoping to keep it going for a long, long time to come.
You also told me if you could pass your heart knowledge on to just three kids you would have done your job, and mentioned Nicholas Peyton, Trombone Shorty and Jon Batiste. Is there anyone else you’d add today?
My nephew, Mark Braud. Him and Nicholas grew up on my sofa bed. Kevin Lewis and all of these other great guys. I’m so proud of them and the legacy they’re creating now.
You just launched a new campaign: the Pass It On
WENDELL B RUNIOUS
Foundation. We started that to teach all the logistics of the [music] business, copywriting and stuff, so future generations can pass that on. So many musicians in the past have been taken advantage of.
We’re raising $25 million to renovate this building as the Preservation Hall Foundation’s educational space. About three years ago, I went up on the balcony of the Preservation Hall, and I blew some notes at the building next door. [laughs] I played “West End Blues” to get all the good ghosts there working to bless us to get this building going. And that’s starting to come true now.
I love that you blessed it with your notes. It’s like the blessing of the fleet, but instead of a bottle of champagne, you played notes at the building. If I’d had a bottle of champagne, I’d have done that too. [laughs] Young musicians can come into the foundation building when it opens to learn about the whole business spectrum of music. But the music’s gotta be first. The music of New Orleans is music that you feel rather than think about. If you’re not feeling it, it rats on you immediately. You can hear bands from different parts of the
country who are very proficient technically. But who’s gonna say, “I feel like funking it up, I feel like funking it up”? Everybody’s gonna play the bass drum in Preservation Hall’s educational program. Hit that bass drum, bro. [laughs] How many outreach bands are there? There are maybe three touring bands. There’s me with the All-Stars and Preservation Hall Brass. We just put out a record. It was me, my nephew Mark and Kevin Lewis playing trumpet, and a great drummer named Kerry Hunter. He was hit by a car and killed, and we dedicated that record to him. It’s called For Fatman. It’ll be for sale at Jazz Fest.
How many years have you been playing out at Jazz Fest? Since 1970, the very first year. I was about 15 and I played with my dad in what they call Armstrong Park now. My daddy played piano on that set.
What can people expect when they come to see the Preservation Hall All-Stars on the first Saturday? Great traditional music and a few new songs that we’ve written. We’re branching out a little bit, playing in the traditional style with a few new songs. ✯
Hot Accordion
Dwayne Dopsie remembers his 2024 performance with the Rolling Stones
BY HERMAN FUSELIER
With broad shoulders, big biceps and a boyish face, Dwayne Dopsie resembles a New Orleans Saints linebacker more than a zydeco accordionist. Dopsie, 46, says his physique reflects good health he’s maintained since the age of nine or 10.
He follows Creole home remedies learned from his late parents; “Crowned Prince of Zydeco” Rockin’ Dopsie and Elvina Rubin.
“I have a lot of native American people in my family,” said Dopsie, the youngest in a family of eight children. “My mama always believed in doing something from home. If you cough, go and pour you some manglier tea [refers to Baccharis halimifolia, a plant native to Louisiana], drink that. If something else goes wrong, put a little Vicks salve [VapoRub]. They had a little plant—aasafuhteegah [Asafoetida root]. They’d keep that in a little jar of water, and you’d drink the water. I hadn’t been sick.”
Dopsie is feeling even healthier after a major career highlight, a 2024 performance with the Rolling Stones before 500,000 at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Dopsie joined Mick Jagger and band on stage for “Let it Bleed,”
the title song from their 1969 album.
Dopsie said the highlight started with a surprise call from legendary Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis, who asked the accordionist to “do something special.” Dopsie’s excitement went off the charts when he discovered the spot was with the Stones and “Let it Bleed.”
“I learned that song in like five minutes,” said Dopsie. “We did a rehearsal the next day. That was my first time meeting them.
“They were a great, great group of guys. We talked and laughed. It felt like we had been knowing each other for a long time. We just hit it.”
The Stones show is another flame for Dopsie and his fiery accordion style, which earned him “The Jimi Hendrix of the Accordion” nickname from Rolling Stone magazine. Determined to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father, Dwayne quit school to become a touring musician.
At the age of 19, Dopsie was named “America’s Hottest Accordionist” in an American Accordion Association competition. His Zydeco
Friday, April 25 at 12:15 p.m. Alison Miner Music Heritage Stage Friday, April 25 at 2:55 p.m. Shell Gentilly Stage continued on page 124
PHOTOGRAPH
COURTESY OF DWAYNE DOPSIE
Sunday, May 4 at 3:05 p.m. Lagniappe Stage
Rhythm and Melody
Creole String Beans from Fats Domino to Cookie and the Cupcakes
BY DAVID KUNIAN
Despite the changes in the world and the local culture, the indigenous 20th century music of South Louisiana still possesses the charm and groove that it had when everyone from Fats Domino to Cookie and the Cupcakes were putting those songs on vinyl.
The Creole String Beans are huge fans of that music, and they play it with a sense of joy and fun. Guitarist Rick Olivier, also an internationally renowned photographer, put together the band with bassist Rob Savoy after a chance meeting on Grande Route St. John. “I was in there and saw Rob,” recalls Olivier, “and I said, ‘We should do a band and play all that great swamp pop music we grew up with.’ Rob agreed
and he has a friend, Brian Barry, who was a drummer, and the three of us got together and played some tunes. And our first gig was my 25th class reunion for high school.” The band added Brian Rini on keyboards who was a neighbor to Olivier, and Rini brought in Travis Blatsky on tenor. Then Derek Huston joined, on tenor too. Olivier says, “Then we got the two-sax sound, which is really the sound of Cosimo Matassa’s studio and the classic swamp pop.”
With so many songs to choose from, Olivier says that the way the Creole String Beans chose their repertoire is “totally random.” “Everybody kind of knows if a song is going to work or not. Anybody can bring a song to the table. Mostly
THE CREOLE S T RING BEANS
it is me and Derek, but anybody can bring something.” It’s a large selection, but Olivier has a definite favorite song to play: “I Don’t Know Why I Love You But I Do” by Clarence “Frogman” Henry. When Olivier names that song, he laughs, “Yeah. That’s the one. Such a great tune. I always love playing it.”
The band also does some original writing that appeared on both the Shrimp Boots and Vintage Suits and Golden Crown records. “I’ve had sometimes where I was pretty prolific where I was at the kitchen table with the guitar every day,” says Olivier, “but I hate a bad song. A good rhythm and blues or swamp pop song needs to have the rhythm right. New Orleans drummers play a little behind the beat, and people come from miles around to hear that.
“A good rhythm and blues or swamp pop song needs to have the rhythm right. New Orleans drummers play a little behind the beat, and people come from miles around to hear that.”
So, the rhythm has to be right, and then every song has to have a hook. The songs with hooks are the ones you go around whistling all day. It’s more than stringing chords together.”
Creole String Beans songs such as “Funky Spillway” and “St. Gabriel” have that combination of rhythm and melody and lyric that invite you in to cut up, throw down, and cry tears into your beverage. It’s fun music for people to boogie to and then do the belt-buckleshining slow dancing. There aren’t many bands playing this brand of New Orleans and South Louisiana music that continued to support this city and put it on the map. It’s still viable music in the 21st century, and the Creole String Beans prove it every time they hit the stage in their shrimp boots and vintage suits. ✯
DWAYNE
DOPSIE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 122
Hellraisers band has been nominated for two Grammys and performed on TV networks throughout North and South America.
Dopsie stars in “Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story,” winner of the 2023 Grammy for Best Music Film. His accordion is part of the instrumentation in Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter,” a winner of three Grammys, including Album of the Year, at the 2025 awards ceremony.
Last summer, Dopsie’s “Now is the Time” album marked his major label debut. Angle Grove Global Media, in association with Virgin Music Group Universal, handled distribution.
Despite his global success, Dopsie rarely plays in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, a region filled with zydeco’s pioneering families and contemporary local stars.
“It would be good if I played more here,” said Dopsie. “I don’t know who’s in charge, but they don’t call on us. I’m thankful that I’m busy enough, I don’t have to be on the sidelines waiting. I have bookings until February of next year.
“I’d like to give the people here [in Lafayette] something different to listen to. It’s always the
same bands over and over. But there’s enough work in the world.”
Despite his lack of home gigs, Dopsie believes he’s living a prophecy proclaimed by his father’s longtime friend, Grammy Hall of Famer and zydeco king Clifton Chenier, along with his rubboard-pioneering brother, Cleveland Chenier.
“I remember growing up and having people like Clifton Chenier coming over to the house to talk to my daddy. Every time somebody like that would come, somebody that was a musician, I would go get that little triple row accordion with the 12 bass [buttons]. I only knew two songs; ‘Lucille’ and ‘Old Time Zydeco.’
“The first time I met Cliff, I just stared at that man. My mama made a gumbo, he and Cleveland came. I played ‘Lucille’ the best that I could back then, I remember Cleveland saying, whispering, ‘That boy there gonna be an accordion player.’”
“It’s hard for me to stray away and do something else. I have too many good memories. My music makes me feel too good when I’m playing it. People just dance and have fun. That’s what it’s about. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.” ✯
JAZZ FEST A TO Z
BY OFFBEAT STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS
This guide should help in choosing from the panoply of cultures, rhythms and sounds available at Jazz Fest to ensure your experience hits all the right notes. It’s arranged alphabetically by band name so you can search when your favorite act is
STAGE CODES
(AM): Alison Minor Music Heritage Stage
(BLU): Blues Tent
(CEP): Expedia Cultural Exchange Pavilion
(CON): Congo Square Stage
(ECO): Economy Hall Tent
(FDD): Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage
(FLS): Folklife Stage in Louisiana Folk Village
(FS): Festival Stage
playing by stage and time, with handy reference bio information. It’s easy to use on any mobile device to look up info by band, day, time or stage. Just go to our responsive site OBeat.com. Happy Festing! Please note that performance information may change.
(GEN): Shell Gentilly Stage
(GOS): Gospel Tent present by Morris Bart
(J&H): Jazz & Heritage Stage
(JAZ): WWOZ Jazz Tent
(KID): Ochsner Children’s Tent
(LAG): Lagniappe Stage
(PAR): Parades
(RHY): Rhythmpourium Tent
#007 - 25th Anniversary Reunion , 5/2, LAG, 3:50p : 007 is the brainchild of G Love and Special Sauce drummer Jeffrey “Houseman” Clemens, who in 2000 enlisted Alex McMurray, guitarist Jonathan Freilich and bassist Joe Cabral to play favorites from the Jamaican rocksteady canon. With emphasis on the music of Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals, 007 danceable vibe and vocal harmonies are celebrating 25 years.
21st Century Brass Band, 5/2, PAR, 12:15p : This young, Treme-based group finds room in its repertoire for New Orleans jazz standards as well as modern R&B hits.
79rs Gang Mardi Gras Indians , 5/4, J&H, 12:25p : Big Chief Jermaine Bossier and Big Chief Romeo Bougere from the 7th and 9th Wards come together to form the 79rs Gang. Bossier’s baritone voice combines with Bougere’s alto voice as they sing about the Mardi Gras Indians’ unique culture.
7th Ward Creole Hunters and Golden Comanche Mardi Gras Indians , 4/25, PAR, 1p : Mardi Gras Indian Parade.
7th Ward Hunters and Uptown Warriors Mardi Gras Indians , 5/1, PAR, 1:15p : Big Chief Jermaine Bossier leads this 7th Ward-based Mardi Gras Indian gang. The Buffalo Hunters tribe is led by Big Chief Spoon.
9th Ward Black Hatchet and Wild Squatoulas Mardi Gras Indians , 5/3, PAR, 1:10p : Mardi Gras Indian parade led by Big Chief Alphonse “Dowee” Robair.
AAdonis Rose & The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra tribute to Frankie Beverly and Maze, 4/26, JAZ, 4:10p : Adonis Rose, the artistic director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, has performed and recorded with the biggest names in jazz, including Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr and Wynton Marsalis. Frankie Beverly of Maze passed away in 2024.
Adonis Rose / Phillip Manuel and the Unusual Suspects , 4/25, JAZ, 1:30p : Adonis Rose, drummer and leader of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, is joined with jazz vocalist Phillip Manuel.
Al “Lil Fats” Jackson , 4/26, BLU, 12:30p : Vocalist, Al “Lil Fats” Jackson, specializes in New Orleans R&B. When Jackson takes the stage, you could believe that Fats Domino himself is singing. Lil Fats is known for his tributes to Fats Domino.
Alejandro Escovedo, 5/1, AM, 1:15p; 5/1, FDD, 4:30p : Singer songwriter, Escovedo, as been recording and touring since the late ’70s. The son of
Mexican immigrants, Escovedo’s family include many musicians, including his niece Shelia E. Escovedo has played an important role in punk (with the Nuns), roots rock (the True Believers), and alt-country (Rank & File). He has worked with John Cale, Bruce Springsteen and many others. Interviewed by Michael Tisserand.
Alexey Marti , 5/2, JAZ, 1:30p : After relocating to New Orleans, Cuban-born conga player and percussionist Alexey Marti has become a key fixture on the local Latin scene, performing a mix of jazz, funk, salsa, son, rumba and more.
Alexis & the Sanity, 5/2, RHY, 4:45p : Alexis & the Sanity, are a pop duo from New Orleans. The band’s sound includes electronic samples, acoustic instruments, and vocals from Alexis Marceaux who is also the vocalist for the band Sweet Crude.
Alfredo Rodriguez Trio, 5/2, JAZ, 4:10p : Alfredo Rodríguez is a Cuban composer and jazz pianist. Rodríguez received his first Grammy nomination in the category “Best Instrumental Arrangement,” for the song Guantanamera. Members of his trio are bassist, Richard Bona and percussionist Michael Olivera.
Algiers Warriors and Golden Sioux Mardi Gras Indians , 5/4, PAR, 4:15p : Big Chief Alphonse “Dowee” Robair leads this West Bank-based Mardi Gras Indian tribe.
All for One Brass Band, 4/26, PAR, 12:15p : Bandleader and trombonist
Keanon Battiste formed this band in 2003 with friends from Warren Easton Senior High School. Members include saxophonist Corey Hosey; trumpeters Terrence Foster, Louis Brown and Jeremy Haynes; tubist player Brandon Ewell; snare drummer Phillip Armand; bass drummer Brandon Blouin; and percussionists Kenon Hudson and Mark Cunningham.
All That , 4/25, LAG, 5:30p ; Group founded by New Orleans keyboardist Davis Rogan. The music is a combination of hip hop, brass band and funk and was inspired by Medeski, Martin and Wood. The band has a revolving lineup and may include Matt Perrine, Derek Freeman and Kirk Joseph.
Amanda Shaw & The Cute Guys , 5/2, GEN, 11:25a : This Cajun fiddle prodigy has been in the spotlight since age 10. Her sets can jump from teen-friendly pop to straight-up Cajun, with a classic rock cover or two thrown in.
Amanda Shaw has dominated the best violinist category at OffBeat ’s Best of the Beat Awards.
Amber Rachelle & The Sweet Potatoes , 5/1, ECO, 5:45p : The Sweet Potatoes are a jazz band that performs music from the 1930s. Amber Rachelle is
the vocalist and bandleader. The Sweet Potatoes include trumpeter Caleb Nelson, trombonist Colin Myers, saxophonist Marty Peters, and others.
Amis du Teche, 4/27, FDD, 11:20a : Cajun band from Breaux Bridge, that sing only French lyrics to traditional Cajun songs. The band consists of Adeline Miller on fiddle, Amelia Powell, the granddaughter of the late Cajun fiddler Dewey Balfa, on guitar, and Robert Miller bass guitar and upright bass.
Anders Osborne, 5/1, FS, 3:55p : Swedish-born guitar hero and songwriting titan Anders Osborne has charted a difficult path since his arrival in New Orleans more than 30 years ago. Osborne writes songs about all the stages he has gone though. He first played Jazz Fest in 1992 and has done so every year since.
André Bohren , 5/1, RHY, 3:35p : Pianist, Andre Bohren has performed classical music at Jazz Fest. Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” was written in 1936 for orchestra and narrator and is one of the most frequently performed works in the classical repertoire.
Andrew Duhon , 4/25, FDD, 2:55p : With his achingly tender voice and penchant for lyrical depth, folk-pop singer songwriter Andrew Duhon taps into personal experience to tug at listeners’ heart strings while strumming his way through original music that echoes the blues.
Andrew Jobin and the Thick Smoke, 4/25, RHY, 4:45p : Singer-songwriter and guitarist Andrew Jobin was born in Houston and attended Loyola University in New Orleans. Jobin influences include Justin Townes Earle, John Prine, and Waylon Jennings. Now a New Orleans resident his latest album The River Above our House was partially recorded at the Saturn Bar. Jobin’s music channels the spirit of New Orleans.
Andrews Brass Band, 4/24, PAR, 12:15p ; Trumpeter, Glen Andrews leads this brass band. He is Glen David Andrews’ cousin. Andrews was born in the New Orleans neighborhood of Treme and was a member of the Rebirth Brass Band.
Andy J Forest & The Swampcrawlers , 4/24, BLU, 11:15a: At age 19 he went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and stayed. He has recorded 22 albums, which feature his original songs. Forest performed with B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, James Booker and many others. John Swenson said in OffBeat that Forest was “an exceptionally good harmonica player and even better songwriter.”
Anna Moss , 4/24, LAG, 5:20p : Moss is a multi-instrumentalist with roots in Arkansas. Now living in New Orleans, her music is a mix of jazz and R&B. Moss calls her music “bedroom pop from New Orleans.”
Ann Savoy & Another Heart , 4/24, RHY, 2:20p : Singer songwriter and guitarist. Her album Another Heart can be considered the spiritual follow-up to her 2006 collaboration with Linda Ronstadt, Adieu, False Heart. Tunes featured are by The Kinks, Donovan, Bruce Springsteen, Sandy Denny, and more.
Archdiocese of New Orleans Gospel Choir, 4/26, GOS, 1p : The Archdiocese represents the largest religious demographic in New Orleans. Its choir upholds a tradition of Crescent City Catholicism dating back to 1793.
Arri Kee, 5/2, GOS, 5p : Arri Kee (Arrianne Keelen) is New Orleans gospel singer and songwriter. She is known for her powerful voice and message of hope.
Arsène DeLay and Charlie Wooton , 4/27, RHY, 3:35p : Married in 2024, New Orleans vocalist Arsene DeLay and Lafayette bassist Charlie Wooton bring together a soulful duo. DeLay’s vocals add texture to the songs with Wooton’s bass playing driving the beat.
Arthur and Friends Community Choir, 5/4, GOS, 1:50p : This New Roads, Louisiana-based gospel choir, founded by Arthur Gremillion, focuses on fostering a spirit of togetherness through music.
Arthur Clayton IV and Anointed For Purpose, 5/2, GOS, 12:45p : Singer songwriter Arthur Clayton IV is from Marrero Louisiana. Along with his
gospel group Anointed for Purpose they will undoubtedly perform his 2018 hit “He Never Fails.” It’s a song for Sunday morning church choirs to sing that encourages those dealing with life issues.
Astral Project , 4/25, JAZ, 2:45p : All four members of this band—guitarist Steve Masakowski, saxophonist Tony Dagradi, bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich—are influential bandleaders in their own right. Together, they’ve been one of New Orleans’ premiere jazz groups for three decades.
Audrey Ferguson & The Voices of Distinction , 4/24, GOS, 11:15a : The “traditional foot-stomping, hands-clapping gospel” of this Baton Rougebased quartet has been a Jazz Fest regular.
Aurora Nealand & The Royal Roses , 5/2, ECO, 4:35p : Inspired by Sidney Bechet and Django Reinhardt, singer/saxophonist Nealand is a player whose non-Roses work spans performance art-inspired improvisation and the rockabilly of Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers.
BBaby Boyz Brass Band, 4/25, J&H, 12:20p : The next generation of players from the Treme neighborhood, Baby Boyz is led by trumpeter Glenn Hall III who is often joined by Glen David Andrews.
Babyface, 4/26, CON, 5:30p : Kenneth Brian Edmonds better known as Babyface is a singer songwriter and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number one R&B hits and has won 13 Grammy Awards. He has worked with many artists including Lil Wayne, Barbara Streisand, Eric Clapton and many others. He is prone to medleys covering his many hits and is best on his acoustic guitar playing Clapton’s “Change the World” and Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.”
Ballet Folklorico Vive Mi Tierra , 5/1, CEP, 4:35p; 5/2, KID, 12:30p; 5/2, KID, 2:10p; 5/2, CEP, 4:25p; 5/3, KID, 12:25p; 5/3, CEP, 12:50p; 5/4, CEP, 1:45p : From Kenner Louisiana, Ballet Folklorico, performs traditional Mexican folklore dance.
Bamboula 2000, 4/26, J&H, 5:40p : “Bamboula” was originally a ceremony held in the earliest days of Congo Square. Bamboula 2000 leader Luther Gray brings that ancestral spirit into the present with a troupe of drummers and dancers.
Banda MS, 5/4, CON, 2:15p : A Mexican banda group (mostly brass and percussion instruments) from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, founded in 2003 by brothers Sergio and Alberto Lizarraga. Their album Qué Bendición reached number one on the Billboard Latin albums chart. Other members include vocalists Alan Ramirez and Oswaldo Silva.
Banu Gibson featuring guest Bria Skonberg , 5/1, ECO, 3:05p : Singer/ dancer Banu Gibson, a longtime staple of the New Orleans music scene, specializes in swing, hot jazz and the Great American Songbook. Gibson is joined with Canadian trumpeter Bria Skonberg.
BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet , 5/2, FDD, 4:25p : Fiddler Michael Doucet’s venerable Cajun band was the first of its genre to win a Grammy in 1998. The band has explored eclectic influences from West African music to James Brown and beyond.
Apache Hunters, Black Hawk Hunters, and Wild Red Flame Mardi Gras Indians , 4/26, PAR, 2:15p : Mardi Gras Indian Parade.
Beautiful Creole Apaches and Young Generation Mardi Gras Indians , 4/27, PAR, 12:15p : Mardi Gras Indian Parade.
Better Than Ezra , 5/1, GEN, 4:05p : New Orleans’ long-lived alternative rockers hit in the ’90s with “Desperately Wanting” and remain a strong presence, whether doing philanthropic work or celebrating Mardi Gras with the Krewe of Rockus.
Betty Winn & One A-Chord, 4/27, GOS, 11:15a : Formed in 1995 by Betty Winn and her husband Thomas, this sprawling choir traces the history of gospel from slave spirituals to new compositions. They perform with as many as 40 singers.
Beverly Hills Polo Club, 5/2, KID, 4:15p : From New Orleans, originally the Ben Franklin High School student band, perform pop music. The members include Ezra Moyse Terk, Evan Roux, Jonathan Burge, Ben Blevins and Henry Collins.
Big 6 Brass Band, 4/25, J&H, 3:05p : Big 6 Brass Band was formed in 2017 is hugely popular in the city’s second line community. With a repertoire bridging traditional with hip-hop, R&B, gospel and more, the group will perform a set of New Orleans classics plus original material.
Big Chief Bird & The Young Hunters Mardi Gras Indians , 5/3, J&H, 11:15a : Coming out of the Carrollton neighborhood each year since 1995, The Young Hunters tribe of Mardi Gras Indians is led by Big Chief “Bird.”
Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. & The Wild Magnolias , 5/4, J&H, 5:40p : Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. carries on the legacy of his father, leading the Wild Magnolias’ impassioned, funk-inspired Mardi Gras Indian music. On his release, My Name Is Bo, Dollis combines a traditional Indian session with a cross section of other genres from funk and blues to zydeco and reggae from producer Cyril Neville.
Big Chief Brian Harrison & The Nouveau Bounce with special guests Cyril Neville, Bill Summers and Cheeky Blakk , 5/1, J&H, 4:20p : Donald Harrison’s nephew Big Chief Brian Harrison is also the film director of “Keeper of the Flame” an award-winning documentary. He is joined by Cyrill Neville, percussionist Bill Summers and bounce artist Cheeky Blakk.
Big Chief Donald Harrison , 4/25, CON, 1:20p : Saxophonist Donald Harrison is a renaissance man of New Orleans who has explored reggae, funk and Mardi Gras Indian music through the filter of jazz.
Big Chief Dow & the Timbuktu Warriors Black Masking Indians and Cheyenne Mardi Gras Indians , 4/24, PAR, 1:20p : The Mardi Gras Indian tribe of the Timbuktu Warriors are led by spy boy Dow Michael Edwards, a lawyer from New Orleans. Big Chief Dow’s slogan: “I kill’em dead with the needle and thread.”
Big Chief Juan & Jockimo’s Groove, 5/2, J&H, 1:45p : Skillful Golden Comanche Chief Juan Pardo, who grew up with the sounds of elder Mardi Gras Indians like Monk Boudreaux and Bo Dollis, updates classic and original Mardi Gras Indian songs with a mix of funk and R&B.
Big Chief Kevin Goodman & the Flaming Arrows Mardi Gras Indians , 5/2, J&H, 11:20a : Singer and Big Chief Kevin Goodman, who’s called Austin home since evacuating during Hurricane Katrina, leads this Mardi Gras Indian tribe and stage band, the Flaming Arrows.
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles , 4/27, J&H, 3p : Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, who performed for many years alongside Big Chief Bo Dollis in the Wild Magnolias, is one of the most prominent Mardi Gras Indian performers and a soulful vocalist. The Golden Eagles’ reggae-heavy performances often get into heady, near-psychedelic territory. Three Generations of Mardi Gras Indians.
Big Chief Trouble & Trouble Nation , 4/25, PAR, 2:10p : Big Chief Alphonse “Dowee” Robair leads this West Bank-based Mardi Gras Indian tribe. Big Freedia , 4/26, FS, 1:55p : All hail New Orleans’ queen diva who’s emerged from the “sissy bounce” subculture to become a nationally known personality, helping to bring other bounce divas (Katey Red, Sissy Nobby) into the spotlight. Big Freedia has guested on singles by Drake, Kesha and Beyonce.
Big Nine and Westbank Steppers SA&PCs , 4/26, PAR, 4:15p : Social aid and pleasure club parades.
Big Sam’s Funky Nation , 5/2, CON, 4:10p : The charisma of former Dirty Dozen trombonist Sam Williams makes him an able focal point for a musical party that blends brass, Meters-style funk, hip hop and rock.
Bill Frisell with Brian Blade & Thomas Morgan , 4/27, AM, 2p; 4/27, JAZ, 4:15p : Guitarist Bill Frisell has six Grammy nominations and as a band leader he could play folk, country and even rock ’n’ roll. He is joined with Shreve-
port, Louisiana drummer Brian Blade and bassist Thomas Morgan. Frisell’s guitar has many textures and tones from spacey, mellow and intense rock with a Hendrix influenced sound. Interviewed by David Fricke.
BIM “Benin International Musical” , 5/2, CON, 2:55p; 5/3, J&H, 2:35p; 5/3, CEP, 5:10p : BIM or “Benin International Musical” is a band from Benin, Africa. The band is made up of 7 musicians-vocalists. Their sound, which evolved from Benin’s Voodoo worship dances, defies categorization. They will play gospel, blues, jazz, rock and rap. They are influenced by bands like Arcade Fire and the Talking Heads.
Bishop Paul S. Morton and The Greater Sound Choir of Greater St. Stephen FGBC, 4/27, GOS, 3:55p : Bishop Paul S. Morton and his wife, Debra B. Morton, are the choir directors at Greater St Stephen Full Gospel Church in New Orleans. The Sunday service rocks the church from beginning to end.
Bishop Paul S. Morton and Debra B. Morton are PJ Morton’s parents.
Black Feathers, Wild Tchoupitoulas and Buffalo Hunters Mardi Gras Indians , 5/2, PAR, 1:30p : Mardi Gras Indian Parade.
Black Foot Hunters Mardi Gras Indians , 4/24, J&H, 11:20a : One of the newer Mardi Gras Indian tribes is led by Big Chief Donald Claude.
Black Magic Drumline, 4/27, KID, 12:35p; 4/27, KID, 2:20p; 5/3, J&H, 3:45p : Black Magic Drumline is a New Orleans group that formed at Xavier University of Louisiana in 2007.
Black Mohawk and Young Seminole Hunters Mardi Gras Indians , 4/24, PAR, 2p : Big Chief Byron Thomas leads this Mardi Gras Indian parade.
Black Seminoles Black Masking Indians , 4/27, PAR, 12:15p : This popular tribe was led by Cyril “Big Chief Iron Horse” Green until his unexpected passing in 2013.
Blodie’s Jazz Jam , 4/25, JAZ, 12:20p : Blodie is better known as Dirty Dozen trumpeter Gregory Davis, whose jamming partners include other members of Dirty Dozen, Trombone Shorty’s Orleans Avenue and other horn men who will join him on stage.
Bobby Rush , 5/3, AM, 2p : Performing with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Rush is interviewed by Scott Billington.
Bon Bon Vivant , 5/2, LAG, 5:15p : Formed in 2013, Bon Bon Vivant is a collection of musicians steeped in the traditional jazz of New Orleans. Their original songwriting includes blues and folk music that makes for a unique sound.
Bonerama , 4/24, GEN, 12:45p : Mark Mullins and Craig Klein’s trombonecentric jazz/funk/rock combo is as comfortable with James Brown as it is with Black Sabbath. Their release Plays Zeppelin showcases the music of Led Zeppelin. Vocalist Michael McDonald joined Bonerama to record Mark Mullins song “Empty World” a tribute to the late Allen Toussaint.
Bonsoir, Catin , 5/4, FDD, 1:40p : This Cajun music supergroup features rhythm guitarist Christine Balfa (a founder of the Louisiana Folk Roots organization), accordionist Kristi Guillory, fiddle expert Anya Burgess, Feufollet vocalist Ashley Hayes, electric guitarist Meagan Berard, and drummer Danny Devillier.
Boyfriend, 4/27, GEN, 2:40p : Part rapper and part performance artist, Boyfriend’s “rap cabaret” shows are entertaining and intellectually engaging experiences that make destroying gender norms fun for everyone. Boyfried won the Best Rap/Hip-Hop/Bounce at 2022 Best of the Beat Awards.
Brazos Huval’s Student Showcase, 4/27, KID, 11:30a : Music instructor and multi-instrumentalist Brazos Huval leads students from his school in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Huval teaches fiddle at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is a member with his siblings in the Huval Family Band. Huval is also a bassist for the Mamou Playboys.
Breeze Cayolle, 4/24, AM, 3p; 4/25, RHY, 3:25p : Saxophonist Brian “Breeze” Cayolle was born in New Orleans. He was a member of Allen Toussaint’s band and performed with Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, Michael
McDonald and many others. After his home was destroyed by the Federal Flood he relocated to Memphis. Interviewed by Bryan Wagner.
Brother Tyrone & the Mindbenders , 4/25, BLU, 11:15a : Tyrone Pollard, a.k.a. Brother Tyrone, is a deep-soul vocalist whose original songs could pass for long-lost vinyl tracks.
Bruce Daigrepoint Band, 4/26, FDD, 1:35p : A New Orleans-reared Cajun, this self-taught accordion player and songwriter hosts his popular fais do do dances at Tipitina’s.
Bruce Daigrepont’s Family Fais Do Do and Cajun Dance Workshop, 5/2, KID, 1:15p : A New Orleans Cajun accordion player and songwriter hosts a Cajun Dance Workshop.
Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. and The Ils Sont Partis Band, 4/25, FDD, 6p : Carrying on his father’s legacy Stanley Dural Jr. leads his father’s band Ils Sont Partis Band that will have you dancing in the isles. Dural won a Grammy and a Best of the Beat Award for his album, New Beginnings.
Burna Boy, 4/27, CON, 5:20p : Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer, Burna Boy gained recognition after releasing “Like to Party” in 2012. His album African Giant was nominated for a Grammy for Best World Music Album. He has been featured on songs by Fall Out Boy and Justin Bieber. His music is a mixture of Afrobeats, hip hop, reggae and R&B. Rolling Stone magazine listed Burna Boys among the 2000 greatest singers of all time.
CC.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, 4/27, BLU, 4:15p : Zydeco king Clifton Chenier’s son has long emerged as a bandleader in his own right. His 2011 album, Can’t Sit Down, has a killer version of Tom Waits’ “Clap Hands.”
C.J. Chenier, 4/27, RHY, 1:10p : Clifton Chenier’s son, C.J. without his band.
Caesar Brothers FunkBox , 4/24, J&H, 5:35p : Drummer Rickey and keyboardist Norman Caesar were born and raised in New Orleans’ uptown funk neighborhood. Related to the Nevilles by marriage—Cyril’s wife, Gaynielle Neville, is their aunt. Their musical roots—the funk and Mardi Gras Indian rhythms—run deep in their sound.
Cage The Elephant , 5/1, GEN, 5:35p : A modern-day alternative band whose roots are solidly in the ’90s, harking back to the Pixies’ guitar outbursts and the Manchester bands’ rhythms and harmonies. They have something in common with Dr. John (and the Pretenders), in that they’ve both been produced in recent years by Black Keys wunderkind Dan Auerbach.
Cain Cobain and K. Levy, 4/27, CON, 11:20a : New Orleans singer, songwriter, R&B artist, Cain Cobain’s most popular song is “Doubt” that was released in 2023. His new song “Personal” features HaSizzle.
Calpulli Tonalequeh Aztec Dancers , 5/3, CEP, 11:30a : From San Jose, California a group of Aztec dancers. Their vision is to preserve Indigenous cultural traditions to heal and build a sustainable and harmonious community.
Cameron Fontenot & The Rhythm Aces , 4/25, RHY, 1:10p : Cameron Fontenot & the Rhythm Aces are a Cajun band from Louisiana. Cameron Fontenot is a fiddler who is focused on preserving the essence of Cajun music, by playing tunes from the late 1920s.
Carol C, 4/26, RHY, 2:20p : Singer and DJ from New York now living in New Orleans. As a singer she is often described as “edgier than Sade.” As a DJ she spins soul, funk, disco, Latin, world beat, hip-hop and reggae. She was the DJ and singer with the band Pimps of Joytime.
Carolyn Wonderland, 4/25, BLU, 4:10p; 4/26, AM, 1:30p : From Houston, Texas, Wonderland (born Carolyn Bradford) is a blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. She usually performs with Cole El-Saleh on keyboards and Kevin Lance on drums. Wonderland has played with John Mayall, his first and only female lead guitarist. She is described as singing like Janis Joplin and playing guitar like Jimi Hendrix. Wonderland with Marcia Ball and Stanley King are interviewed by Missy Bowen.
Cary Hudson & Katrina Miller, 4/26, RHY, 3:30p : Cary Hudson is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was born in Mississippi and was named best alt.country guitarist of all time. He is joined with Mississippi fiddler Katrina Miller.
Cedric Burnside, 5/1, BLU, 1:40p : Blues guitarist, drummer and singer songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee, Burnside is the son of blues drummer Clavin Jackson and the grandson of guitarist R.L. Burnside. He earned a Grammy award for this album I Be Trying in 2022. His performances are described as authentic, captivating and full of personality. In his acoustic set he often covers his grandfather’s songs “Mellow Peaches” and “Shake Em On Down.” The electric set with a three-piece band usually includes “You Really Love Me” from his Grammy winning album.
Cedric Watson et Bijou Creole, 4/24, FDD, 2:55p : A popular young fiddler, accordionist and singer, this four-time Grammy nominee boasts equal parts star power and skill. Cedric Watson’s influences range from Creole and Cajun to West African music and beyond.
Cha Wa , 5/4, FS, 12:25p : New Orleans brass band-meets-Mardi Gras Indian outfit Cha Wa radiates the energy of the city’s street culture. My People, the band’s follow up to their Grammy-nominated album Spyboy, feels like pure joy, a distillation of generations of New Orleans expression.
Chapel Hart , 4/25, AM, 1:15p; 4/25, FS, 4p : Chapel Hart is a Country music vocal group from Poplarville, Mississippi. The group consists of sisters Danica Hart and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle. They competed in America’s Got Talent, where they performed “You Can Have Him Jolene” an answer song to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Their influences include George Strait, Kenny Rodgers and Gretchen Wilson. A spirited country music harmony group. Interviewed by Peggy Scott Laborde.
Charlie & the Tropicales ft. Mireya Ramos , 4/27, LAG, 1:50p : Trombonist, Charlie Halloran’s Tropicales is a pan-Caribbean band playing calypso, cumbia and bolero. Joining the band is Mireya Ramos a Latin Grammy winning vocalist who was born in California, raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico and started her musical career in New York City.
Charlie Gabriel and Friends , 4/27, ECO, 4:40p : Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s clarinetist and vocalist. The band includes Kyle Roussel on piano, Ben Jaffe on bass, Shannon Powell on drums, Kevin Lewis on trumpet and Craig Klein on trombone and others. Though the band will focus on traditional New Orleans music, Gabriel often credits the vitality of jazz with its unique ability to reflect the modern experiences of those who interpret it along with the history in which it’s rooted.
Charlie Halloran , 4/24, ECO, 12:30p : Trombonist from St. Louis now living in New Orleans. Halloran plays with Panorama Jazz Band, Meschiya Lake and Shotgun Jazz Band. He has toured with the Squirrel Nut Zippers and recorded with U2 and Rickie Lee Jones. He is without a doubt an in-demand trombonist.
Charmaine Neville Band, 5/3, BLU, 12:20p : An exuberant jazz singer whose influences run the gamut of New Orleans music styles, Charmaine Neville has long been a staple of the city’s live music scene, particularly at Snug Harbor.
Cheap Trick , 4/25, GEN, 5:45p : Rock band from Rockford, Illinois. Their work bridged elements of ’60s guitar pop, ’70s hard rock, and punk rock. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. The band includes original members, guitarist Robin Zander, lead guitarist Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson. Zander’s son Daxx replaces drummer Bun E. Carlos. Expect the hits “I Want you to Want Me,” “Surrender” and “Dream Police.”
Chloe Marie and Harry Mayronne, 5/3, RHY, 3:30p: Singer, songwriter from South Louisiana, Chloé Marie is joined with pianist Harry Mayronne.
Chris Severin , 5/1, LAG, 5:30p : From the Treme area of New Orleans, Chris Severin is a graduate of NOCCA. He plays a seven-string bass and has
performed with Diane Reeves, Dr. John, Terrence Blanchard, Allen Toussaint, Bonnie Raitt, Nicholas Payton, Ellis Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis and many others. His music includes R&B, jazz and hip hop. His set list could included Smokey Johnson’s “It Ain’t My Fault” and the Meters “Cissy Strut.”
Chris Stafford: The Life and Legacy, 5/1, AM, 4:15p : Family, friends and members of Feufollet are interviewed about the late Chris Stafford who passed away in 2024, by Barry Ancelet.
Chris Thomas King , 4/26, BLU, 1:30p : Second-generation Baton Rouge bluesman Chris Thomas King made a game-changer album with 21st Century Blues…From da Hood, a pioneering fusion of blues with rap and metal riffage recorded in 1995. He’s appeared in numerous films, including O Brother Where Art Thou and Ray, where he portrayed Lowell Fulson.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram , 5/4, BLU, 5:40p : Blues guitarist and singer from Clarksdale Mississippi is a virtuosic guitar player, stunning vocalist, and memorable songwriter. He is confident and masterful on stage. Influenced by Hendrix, Prince and many blues greats, Kingfish is a high-energy blues performer. Hopefully he will close with Hendrix’s “Hey Joe.”
Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, 5/1, FDD, 3:05p : One of the most energetic zydeco groups around, Chubby Carrier and band won the 2010 Cajun/Zydeco Grammy for the album Zydeco Junkie.
Clifton Chenier Centennial with special guests C.J. Chenier, Sonny Landreth, Marcia Ball and more, 5/2, FDD, 5:50p : The King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier was born on June 25, 1925, in Opelousas, Louisiana. To celebrate his 100th birthday his son, accordionist C.J. Chenier, along with slide guitarist Sonny Landreth and pianist Marcia Ball will perform. The name Clifton Chenier is virtually synonymous with zydeco, so expect additional zydeco artists to perform.
Clive Wilson’s New Orleans Serenaders , 5/4, ECO, 11:15a : Known for their lively interpretations of old New Orleans classics by Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, and others, the members of the Serenaders have played together in various musical contexts since the ’60s.
Comanche Hunters Mardi Gras Indians , 4/25, J&H, 11:20a : Mardi Gras Indians led by Big Chief Alphonse “Dowee” Robair.
Conjunto Tierra Linda , 5/1, J&H, 3p : Latin band from New Orleans is a collective of musicians, committed to highlighting the musical roots of the genre known as Salsa.
Connie and Dwight Fitch with St. Raymond & St. Leo The Great Choir, 5/4, GOS, 12:55p : Seventh Ward couple Connie and Dwight Fitch sing romantic R&B as well as gospel. She has sung in the past with Ray Charles and Dr. John.
Conor Donohue, 5/1, RHY, 4:45p : Indie rock musician from Charleston, South Carolina, now a resident of New Orleans. His sound is a blend of dance-punk, electro-pop, Americana with electronic elements.
Coolie Family Gospel Singers , 4/26, GOS, 2:50p : Gospel group from New Orleans. They have performed at Jazz Fest for many years.
Corey Arceneaux & Zydeco Hot Peppers , 5/3, FDD, 11:15a : Zydeco accordion player Corey Arceneaux grew up in Carencro Louisiana. He started playing the accordion at age 11. His great grandfather is Zydeco accordionist Ferdinand Arceneaux. Corey toured with his grandfather for a year before starting his own band in 1992. His band performs in various dance styles while sticking to his strong Creole roots.
Corey Henry & Treme Funktet , 5/1, FS, 12:10p : Galactic trombonist Henry’s highly energetic funk band has quickly become one of the must-see groups around town in the last few years.
Corey Ledet Zydeco & Black Magic, 4/27, FDD, 6:05p : Corey Ledet was already two years into his music career when he switched from drums to accordion at age 12. His latest self-titled release has been nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award.
Cory Stewart & Authentically Anointed, 5/3, GOS, 1p : Gospel group from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, directed by Corey Stewart. Authentically Anointed is a group of Levites (members of a Jewish tribe of religious officials who served in ancient Israel) and include vocalists Devin Barber, Mallorie Chapman, Ebony Dortch, Darlithia Doucet, Michelle Dunbar, Lakedra Fisher, Arthur Gremillion, Alisha Joe, Nathan Joseph, Carmen Moody, Nonica Morgan, Jamal Morris, Courtney Shelmire and LaNea Wilkinson.
Cowboy Mouth , 5/3, FS, 12:25p : They’ve been on the road for nearly 30 years, and still tend to pull out the stops for Jazz Fest shows. Go ahead and knock them for working so hard to be inspiring: If Fred LeBlanc, John Thomas Griffith and the newer guys get it right, by the end of the set you’ll be jumping in the air waving your fists to “Jenny Says” along with everybody else.
Craig Adams & Higher Dimensions of Praise, 5/4, GOS, 6:05p : Hammond player and Houston/New Orleans native Craig Adams leads this dynamic, 16-piece gospel group.
Creole Osceola Black Masking Indians , 5/3, PAR, 3:30p : Big Chief Clarence Dalcour, who counts Bo Dollis as an early Indian mentor, leads this downtown tribe.
Creole String Beans , 5/4, LAG, 3:05p : Creole String Beans is a sextet playing New Orleans rock ’n’ roll from the glory days of J&M Studios. Rob Savoy (bass/vocals) and Rick Olivier (guitar/vocals) front the band with Brian Rini (keyboards/vocals) and Mike Sipos (drums/vocals) rounding out the rhythm section. The powerhouse “Terrytown Horns” adds punch and brass with Travis Blotsky on tenor, and Derek Huston on baritone sax.
Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians , 4/26, J&H, 11:15a : Big Chief Walter Cook leads the Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians.
Cristina Kaminis , 5/4, CEP, 11:30a : Cristina Kaminis is a Mexican/American singer living in New Orleans. Her music ranges from Mexican ranchera llanto to blues, jazz, French chansons with Brazilian rhythms.
Crowe Boys , 4/25, FS, 12:20p : The Crowe Boys are three brothers (Ocie, Jacob and Wes) from New Orleans playing alternative/folk music. Their song “Good Days” is an anthem for people in times of hardship.
Culu Children’s Traditional African Dance Company, 5/4, KID, 4:15p : Founded in 1988, this New Orleans-based company has toured the US and performed for Winnie Mandela.
Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble, 5/2, FDD, 3p : After getting his start as a drummer with Cajun country music stars like Steve Riley and CJ Chenier, Curley Taylor switched to accordion and launched a successful career as a bandleader. His blues-infused sound is a staple on the Lafayette and Opelousas zydeco scenes.
Cyril Neville - The Uptown Ruler, 4/27, CON, 2p : In addition to playing with the Meters and the Neville Brothers, reggae-loving percussionist and singer Cyril Neville has helmed funk outfit the Uptown Allstars and conducted a successful solo career.
Cyril Neville and Omari Neville, 4/26, AM, 4:30p : Two generations of Nevilles interviewed by Jonathan McHugh.
DD.K. Harrell, 5/4, BLU, 2:55p : Harrel is a 25-year-old Louisiana blues guitarist from Ruston. He is dedicated to preserving the music and style of B.B. King.
Da Souljas Brass Band, 5/3, PAR, 4:20p : This next-generation brass band plays in the hot, modern style that makes a second line roll.
Da Truth Brass Band, 5/2, J&H, 12:25p : Da Truth’s high-energy, tight renditions of New Orleans second line classics and originals have made them one of the best new brass bands in the streets on Sundays.
Damian Ch , 5/2, CEP, 11:30a : From Veracruz, Mexico, Damian Ch is a rapper, composer, and producer. His music is described as Latin urban, and includes elements of hip hop, reggaeton, house, and dancehall.
Damon Batiste and NOSACONN All Stars , 5/1, CON, 1:35p : Damon Batiste is the son of keyboardist David Batiste who is leader of the Batiste Brothers Band. In 1998 Damon created the non-profit New Orleans South Africa Connection, Inc. or NOSACONN to help develop tourism. The All Stars are taken from the after school program and summer camps associated with NOSACONN.
Dancing Grounds Elite Feet Dance Krewe & Youth Company, 5/4, KID, 11:30a : Dancing Grounds is a nonprofit community arts organization that provides dance education in New Orleans.
Darrel Petties & Take 2 , 5/3, GOS, 5:10p : Urban, contemporary, gospel group from Memphis, Tennessee. Pastor Darrel Petties songs include “Yes Lord,” “Thank Ya Jesus” and “Glory Hallelujah.”
Dave Jordan & the NIA , 4/24, FS, 11:15a : Formerly of the funk band Juice, Dave Jordan earned his rep as a first-class roots/rock songwriter when Anders Osborne produced his solo debut and Art Neville recorded one of his songs.
Dave Matthews Band, 4/27, FS, 5p : As one of the leaders in the vanguard of the jam-band revolution of the ’90s, the Dave Matthews band laid the groundwork for many of the younger bands you’ll see at the Fest: a relentlessly upbeat vibe, delicate interplay and always mutating arrangements, in this case those of hits like “What Would You Say,” “Crash Into Me,” and “Ants Marching.” Come for the red cup-style groove; stay to watch some of rock’s greatest living improvisers.
Davell Crawford presents a tribute to Roberta Flack , 4/26, CON, 3:55p : Davell is an energetic singer/keyboardist drawing from R&B, jazz and gospel. This tribute is to his close friend and mentor Roberta Flack who passed away this past February.
David Bandrowski & the Rhumba Defense, 4/25, ECO, 11:15a : New Orleans based band that plays traditional jazz with a different twist. The band first album French Onion Superman received a positive review in OffBeat Magazine. The band consists of David Bandrowski on tenor banjo, Mark Braud on trumpet, Charlie Halloran on trombone, Tom Fischer on clarinet, Nobu Ozake on bass and Doug Belote on drums. Recommend to anyone who loves music regardless of genre.
David Shaw, 5/1, GEN, 2:45p : Frontman for the Revivalists, David Shaw released a self-titled solo effort in 2021 and Take a Look Inside in 2024. Revivalists fans should feel right at home. Shaw’s vocals are still honest and soul-infused, and the songs have plenty of well-crafted hooks.
Deacon John , 5/3, BLU, 2:45p : Singer-guitarist Deacon John’s long history in New Orleans music includes leading the band at debutante balls, performing at the Dew Drop Inn and playing on such classic records as Aaron Neville’s “Tell It Like It Is” and Ernie K-Doe’s “Mother-In-Law.”
Deano & Jo, 4/25, RHY, 12p : Deano is Dean Schlabowske from Chicago (Waco Brothers) and Jo is Jo Walston for Austin (The Meat Purveyors). They play honky tonk and bluegrass with a mix of originals and covers. They are a married couple now living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their latest album was produced and recorded at Staffland Studios by the late Chris Stafford.
Dee Dee Bridgewater with Bill Charlap, 4/24, JAZ, 4:15p : Three-time Grammy winning singer songwriter born in Memphis, now a New Orleans resident. Bridgewater is considered one of the leading ladies of jazz. She is joined with Grammy winning pianist Bill Charlap.
Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra , 4/24, JAZ, 5:55p : The trombonist, composer and producer, his album Uptown on Mardi Gras Day recevied a Best of the Beat Award. Delfeayo Marsalis’s energetic Uptown Jazz Orchestra sets balance humor and fun with tight ensemble interplay and memorable solos.
Delgado Community College Jazz Band, 5/1, JAZ, 11:15a : This modern jazz and big band-focused student ensemble hails from the emerging music program at the city’s largest community college.
Denisia , 4/24, CON, 11:15a : New Orleans singer songwriter Denisia’s music will bring you through an eclectic collaboration of R&B, dance, pop, and inspirational sounds that crossover all genres.
Detroit Brooks’ Tribute to Danny and Blue Lu Barker featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater, 4/25, ECO, 3:05p : Banjo player and guitarist Detroit Brooks has championed the New Orleans banjo player Danny Barker by creating the Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival. Brooks has played in many bands including Dr. Michael White and Gregg Stafford. Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will sing the songs that Danny Barker’s wife Blue Lu made famous. Expect to hear “Don’t You Feel My Leg” which Blue Lu wrote with her husband Danny and “Look What Baby’s Got for You.”
Ladies of Unity, and Devastation and Scene Boosters Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs , 5/2, PAR, 2:40p : Join a second line parade with this social aid and pleasure club.
Diana Krall, 4/26, JAZ, 5:45p : Canadian jazz pianist and singer. She has won two Grammy awards and earned nine gold, three platinum and seven multi-platinum albums. She often performs songs by her husband Elvis Costello including “The Girl in the Other Room” and “Almost Blue.” Krall is a true chanteuse and exceptional entertainer.
DJ Arie Spins , 5/3, CON, 3:55p; 5/3, CON, 5:30p : DJ Arie Spins is a New Orleans native. She is known as a vocalist and pianist. DJ Arie has shared the stage with R&B artists, Sevyn Streeter, Kelly Price and PJ Morton.
DJ Captain Charles , 5/4, CON, 3:35p; 5/4, CON, 5:20p : The self-proclaimed “most renowned DJ in New Orleans,” Captain Charles has been fortifying his music collection for more than 20 years.
Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music, 5/4, LAG, 11:30a : These student players aged 11 to 17 hails from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s principal education program and study under the artistic direction of Derek Douget.
Don Vappie and The Creole Jazz Serenaders , 5/2, ECO, 1:55p : This eclectic banjo player and singer has made a career of exploring his Creole heritage through music, whether it’s traditional jazz, island music, or joining bluesmen in the Black Banjo Project.
Donald Lewis , 4/25, KID, 1:45p : Local actor and educator Donald Lewis Jr. teaches drama and storytelling and performs regularly with the group Young Audiences of Louisiana.
Donnell Russell / The Shed Nola , 4/25, GOS, 5:05p : New Orleans gospel singer. He is known as an indie gospel solo artist incorporating R&B and including other soloists. Russell has released many singles including “Love” and the Christmas song “Oh Holy Night” performed as an upbeat gospel piece.
Donnie Bolden Jr. , 4/27, GOS, 6:05p : Gospel singer from Lafayette, Louisiana. Hopefully he will perform “There’s Something ’Bout (Holy Ghost)” which should get the crowd dancing.
Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans , 4/25, ECO, 4:25p : Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens and her band perform traditional New Orleans jazz all over the world, and have played for Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr. and Clinton.
Doyle Cooper, 5/1, ECO, 11:20a : Born in Natchez but moved to New Orleans when he was only one month old, Doyle Cooper plays the trumpet and tuba.
A gigging musician since his student days at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, he launched his first group, the Red Hot Brass Band, when he was 13. Copper plays traditional jazz music.
Dr. Ben Redwine, 5/2, ECO, 11:20a : New Orleans based clarinetist that led the Dukes of Dixieland. He plays a mix of samba, gypsy jazz and classic New Orleans jazz.
Dr. Brice Miller & Mahogany Brass Band, 5/4, J&H, 3p : Trumpeter and ethnomusicologist Brice Miller leads this long-running traditional New Orleans jazz ensemble, his go-to band when he’s not delving into other pursuits like avant-garde jazz and electronic music.
Dr. Michael White’s Original Liberty Jazz Band featuring Thais Clark , 5/4, ECO, 3p : A clarinetist and jazz scholar, Dr. Michael White frequently fuses traditional and modern styles in his Liberty Jazz Band. Vocalist Thais Clark is his regular Jazz Fest guest.
Dragon Smoke, 5/1, FS, 1:20p : Dragon Smoke is super group from New Orleans consisting of Ivan Neville, Robert Mercurio, Eric Lindell, and Stanton Moore. Basically, Galactic with Neville and Lindell. The music centers around Lindell’s blue eyed soul.
Drew Landry Band, 5/1, RHY, 1:10p : Country singer songwriter and guitarist from Louisiana. Landry moved to Browning, Montana, and immersed himself in Blackfeet language classes at Blackfeet Community College. Landry wrote the song “Hey Sister” as a fundraiser for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. His band usually includes fiddler Jonno Frishberg, guitarists Michael Juan Nunez and Roddie Romero and bassist Lee Allen Zeno.
Dumaine St. Gang, Family Ties and Revolution SA&PCs , 5/3, PAR, 2:20p :
The Treme-based Dumaine Street Gang Social Aid and Pleasure Club hits the Sixth Ward’s hottest spots during its annual parade.
Dumpstaphunk , 5/3, FS, 3:15p : Ivan Neville the well-traveled keyboardist makes some of the deepest funk of his career with this band, which features double bass guitars, giving it one of the fattest bottoms in town. Neville released a solo album Touch My Soul bursting with powerful original songs.
Duo Louisiane featuring Glenn Hartman and Washboard Chaz , 4/25, KID, 2:55p : Duo Louisiane is accordionist Glenn Hartman who is also a member of the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars and Washboard Chaz who plays with numerous bands including the Tin Men. The accordion washboard duo performs in may styles including the piece “Cajun Bounce.”
Dusky Waters , 4/25, LAG, 11:30a : Described as “Black hillbilly music,”
Dusky Waters is a project by singer-songwriter Jennifer Jeffers. From Little Rock, now a New Orleans resident, the band includes Analiese De Saw, Conner McCready, Dylan James and Kasey Ball. They perform non-traditional melodies with experimental harmonies, drawing inspiration from Elizabeth Cotten, Rhiannon Giddens, and the Avett Brothers.
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers , 4/25, AM, 12:15p; 4/25, GEN, 2:55p : Dwayne Dopsie is a second-generation accordion slinger who carries on the blues-infused style of his dad, Rockin Dopsie Sr., often with a whole lot of added speed and volume. He performed with the Rolling Stones at Jazz Fest last year. Interviewed by Herman Fuselier.
EE’Dana , 4/27, GOS, 1p : Gospel singer and stage actress E’Dana has been touring and recording since she was 15. She hits the Fair Grounds with her Louisiana-based group, Divinely Destin.
El Conjunto Nueva Ola , 5/4, CEP, 2:10p; 5/4, J&H, 4:20p : From Mexico City, Mexico, this group is known as Los Enmarscarados (the masked ones), with their faces covered at all times, with wrestler masks. They will remind you of the New Orleans cover band Bag of Donuts. They are a cumbia band that blends influences from rock, pop and punk. They are basically a Mexican cover band.
El Dusty & the Homies , 4/24, CEP, 2:10p; 4/24, RHY, 4:45p; 4/25, RHY, 2:25p; 4/25, CEP, 5:15p : From Corpus Christi, Texas, El Dusty is Dusty Oliveira the inventor of Cumbia Electronica. A DJ and producer he is a turntablist that links Latin classics with the new generation of bass-heavy sound system and hip-hop cultures.
Eleanor McMain “Singing Mustangs” , 4/25, GOS, 11:15a : The McMain Secondary School Gospel Choir, a.k.a. the McMain Singing Mustangs, return to Jazz Fest under the guidance of Clyde Lawrence.
Electric Yat Quartet , 5/3, LAG, 12p : The Electric Yat Quartet is a string quartet that plays classical, jazz, rock and pop. They have collobrated with many artists including Anders Osborne, Andre Bohren and Mikayla Braun. The quartet is Harry Hardin on violin, Natalia Cascante on violin, Amelia
Clingman on viola and Jack Craft on cello.
Eric Bibb, 5/2, BLU, 4:15p : Bibb is a singer and guitarist that was born in New York. His father, Leon, was a noted New York singer, and was friends with Pete Seeger, Paul Robeson, Bob Dylan and many others. About playing the guitar, Bob Dylan told him: “Keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff.”
His uncle pianist John Lewis led the Modern Jazz Quartet. He plays acoustic blues with a deep warm voice.
Eric Gales , 4/27, BLU, 5:45p : Left-handed blues guitarist, Gales, released his first record at age 16. Often compared to Jimi Hendrix, Gales’ style is a unique hybrid of blues and rock.
Eric Johanson , 4/27, BLU, 11:15a : Blues based guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Johanson grew up in Alexandria, Louisiana and started playing guitar at age five. His repertoire includes Americana, roots rock and New Orleans funk. He has performed with Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne and others. OffBeat called his latest album a crowning achievement.
Eric Lindell, 5/3, BLU, 4:05p : Once a California skate punk, Eric Lindell had more success as a blue-eyed soul singer and bluesman after moving to New Orleans. His tight backing band explores the slightly country-influenced edges of Louisiana roots rock.
Erica Falls & Vintage Soul, 4/26, CON, 2:35p : This soulful R&B vocalist who recently won a Best of the Beat Award for Best Female Vocalist has sung with Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas, but her chops and songwriting skills demand attention on their own merit.
Etran de L’Aïr of Niger, 4/27, BLU, 1:40p; 4/27, CEP, 3:40p : From Agadez, Niger, known as the city of Saharan rock, Etran de L’Air or “Stars of the Air region” has been performing for over 25 years. Their music blends traditional Tuareg rhythms with psychedelic rock elements. Featuring intricate guitar interplay, driving percussion, and captivating vocals, the music often creates a hypnotic, almost trance-like effect.
Evangelist Jackie Tolbert , 5/3, GOS, 1:50p : Preaching through song and witness, Baton Rouge-born Jackie Tolbert brings it a little jazzier than most of her contemporaries, yet there’s no denying the power of her faith—and voice.
Fermin Ceballos Band, 4/27, RHY, 2:20p : Accordionist, guitarist, bassist and vocalist Jose Fermin leads this Latin band. They perform Caribbean music with New Orleans rhythms.
FFi Yi Yi & the Mandingo Warriors , 4/27, J&H, 12:35p : The Fi Yi Yi tribe of Mardi Gras Indians uses African instead of the traditional American Indian themes. Big Chief Victor Harris recently retired and was replaced by his son, Victor Harris, Jr. known as Little Vic.
Flagboy Giz & The Wild Tchoupitoulas , 4/24, CON, 1:30p; 5/2, AM, 1:15p : Flagboy Giz, the hip-hop vlogger/activist turned Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indian, was OffBeat ’s cover subject. Giz has become a force in the Mardi Gras Indian music world and beyond, landing deals with Mannie Fresh and making a headdress for production designer Hannah Beachler of the Black Panther movies. Interviewed by Matt Sakakeeny.
Flow Tribe, 4/24, GEN, 11:20a : “Backbone cracking music” is the chosen genre of this party-friendly funk/rock band, which adds Red Hot Chili Peppers and hip hop to the Meters on its list of funk influences.
Forest Huval Band, 4/25, FDD, 11:15a : A native of Cecilia, Louisiana, Forest was influenced by legendary Cajun musicians. He plays both accordion and fiddle and continues to hone his melodic craft with a reverence for master works.
Forgotten Souls , 4/24, J&H, 1:35p : From New Orleans the Forgotten Souls Brass Band pay their respects to the unique musical traditions of New Orleans with a special blend of second line, traditional jazz, modern jazz, funk and hip hop.
Free Agents Brass Band, 5/2, J&H, 2:55p : Bass drummer Ellis Joseph formed this band in September 2005 with other musicians who’d returned
to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina before their regular bands did. Don’t miss their moving hit, “Made It Through the Water,” a modern riff on the spiritual “Wade In the Water.”
Free Spirit Brass Band, 4/25, PAR, 3p : A local festival favorite, the young and heavy-hitting Free Spirits are known for bringing a rock edge to the typical brass band sound that proves a dance-friendly fan favorite.
Furious Five, New Look and Big Steppers SA&PCs , 4/27, PAR, 4:15p : Social aid and pleasure club parade.
GGal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue, 4/25, FS, 11:15a : Big-voiced Maryland native Vanessa Niemann fronts one of New Orleans’ leading Western swing bands, which plays originals, honky-tonk favorites, and less obvious choices like Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” They are often winners at OffBeat ’s Best of the Beat Awards.
Galactic featuring Jelly Joseph , 5/4, FS, 1:50p : Approaching their music with open ears, Ben Ellman, Robert Mercurio, Stanton Moore, Jeff Raines and Rich Vogel draw inspiration from quintessential New Orleans musicians such as The Meters and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, as well as from each other. Brass band elements, old-school soul and hard rock figures as prominently as the funk for these long-running jam-band stalwarts who are known for their high-energy sets that often feature vocalist Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph.
Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie, 5/4, FDD, 2:50p : Originally the drummer in his late father John Delafose’s band, Geno took to accordion and became a popular bandleader specializing in country-styled zydeco, when not raising horses and cattle at his Double D Ranch outside Eunice, Louisiana.
George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners , 5/4, GEN, 2:35p : Best known as the bassist and singer of The Meters, George Porter Jr. brings a silky touch to jazz and blues standards. His album, Crying for Hope, reaches back into funk history while establishing a new standard for modern-day recording techniques.
George Wein Centennial featuring Randy Brecker, Nicholas Payton and Triune ft. Karriem Riggins , 5/1, JAZ, 4:20p : George Wein was a jazz promoter, pianist and producer who founded the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He was born on October 3, 1925, nearly 100 years ago. The jazz band features trumpeter, and flugelhornist Randy Brecker, New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton and drummer Karriem Riggins. Georgia Parker & Hunter Burgamy, 5/1, RHY, 2:20p : Georgia Parker is a
western swing and country singer from Texas. She plays upright bass and is joined with New Orleans guitarist and banjo player Hunter Burgamy.
Gerald French & The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, 4/24, ECO, 4:30p : The late drummer and colorful WWOZ personality Bob French led this band for 34 years, schooling young talents like Shamarr Allen and Kid Chocolate. When he retired from the band, French passed the torch to his nephew Gerald, also a drummer. The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band is the oldest established jazz band in the world, organized in 1910 by Oscar “Papa” Celestin.
Gerald French’s Tribute to George French featuring Phillip Manuel, 5/2, ECO, 3:15p : Gerald French pays tribute to this father, bassist and vocalist, George French who passed away in 2024. Jazz vocalist Phillip Manuel joins the tribute.
Girls Play Trumpets Too under the direction of Troy Sawyer, 5/2, KID, 2:55p : Trumpeter Troy Sawyer created this non-profit program that teaches trumpet and other musical skills to girls ages eight to 19.
Gitkin , 5/3, LAG, 2:30p : New Orleans-based Gitkin, also known as Brian J, is a Grammy-nominated artist and producer for his work with Cedric Burnside, Cyril Neville and others. He was born in Trenton, New Jersey. Gitkin plays guitar in a fusion of styles from African, Middle Eastern, South American and American blues and funk, which is sometimes referred to as cowboy funk.
Gladney, 5/1, JAZ, 12:20p : Gladney is a Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist and composer. He is from the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans and primarily plays the saxophone. He performs regularly with Joe Dyson, Noah Young Band, Mykia Jovan and many others.
Gladys Knight , 4/25, CON, 5:50p : It took a long time for Gladys Knight to be recognized on the same level as Aretha Franklin or Tina Turner, but her stunning voice proves that no one can make love hurt like she does on The Pips’ hits “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “If I Were Your Woman.” If you like your soul with a lot of drama, this is where you should be.
Glen David Andrews , 5/4, BLU, 1:40p : This singer/trombonist, cousin of Troy and James Andrews, is a brass traditionalist and a testifying R&B vocalist who honed his entertaining chops in Jackson Square.
Goose, 4/24, GEN, 5:10p : A jam band from Wilton, Connecticut. The band consists of Peter Anspach, Cotter Ellis, Rick Mitarotonda, Jeff Arevalo, and Trevor Weekz. They have been compared to Phish and Umphrey’s McGee. Goose is a new generation of jam bands that include different songs each night. Their set may include Jorge Ben’s “Mais que Nada” and “Shama Lama
Ding Dong” from the film Animal House.
Gray Hawk presents Native American Lore, 4/24, KID, 1:50p : This resident of Houma, Louisiana, shares stories from his Choctaw heritage.
Gregg Martinez & the Delta Kings with guest Johnnie Allan , 4/24, LAG, 4:05p : Gregg Martinez is a powerhouse swamp pop vocalist from Cajun country. He inspires audiences through his big, emotional performances of classic swamp pop and R&B. Joining Martinez is vocalist Johnnie Allan. Allan, from Rayne, Louisiana, a pioneer of swamp pop, recorded “Lonely Days, Lonely Nights,” his first single, in 1956. If it’s swamp pop you want to explore, don’t miss this set.
Gregg Stafford & His Young Tuxedo Brass Band, 5/3, JAZ, 1:45p : Trumpeter Gregg Stafford made his Bourbon Street performing debut in 1970; he has led the Young Tuxedo Brass Band for more than three decades.
Gregg Stafford’s Jazz Hounds , 4/26, ECO, 4:30p : Gregg Stafford’s other traditional New Orleans jazz ensemble, the Jazz Hounds, have been under his direction since the death of Danny Barker in 1994.
Grey Seal Puppets , 4/27, KID, 1:20p : Puppeteers that create custom built puppets and mascots.
Grupo Fantasma , 4/24, CON, 2:40p; 4/24, CEP, 4:55p : From Austin, Texas, Grupo Fantasma has one of the most unique musical voices. The band has backed and collaborated with Prince, Sheila-E, Maceo Parker, Los Lobos and many others. The ten-piece band consists of Jose Galeano (timbales, vocals), Kino Esparza (vocals, hand percussion), Beto Martinez (guitar), Greg Gonzalez (bass), John Speice (drums), Matthew “Sweet Lou” Holmes (congas), Gilbert Elorreaga (trumpet), Josh Levy (baritone saxophone), Dan Bechdolt (tenor saxophone) and Mark “Speedy” Gonzales (trombone).
Guardians of Culture with Queen Reesie & Chief Jeremy, 4/26, KID, 11:30a : Queen Reesie is Cherice Harrison-Nelson, daughter of Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. of the Guardians of the Flame. Her brother is Donald Harrison, Jr. Chief Jeremy is Big Chief Jeremy Stevenson. Guardians of Culture, shines a on their ancestral homeland.
Guitar Slim Jr. , 5/2, BLU, 12:30p : Blues guitarist and singer from New Orleans. He was born Rodney Glenn Armstrong. His father Guitar Slim is best known for the song “The Things I Used to Do.” His 1988 album Story of My Life was nominated for a Grammy. His repertoire relies on his father’s material.
HHAIM , 4/27, GEN, 5:30p : A rock band from Los Angeles, composed of three sisters, Este Haim on bass, Danielle on guitar and drums and Alana on guitar and keyboards. Expect to hear a string of hard-stomping heavy-hitters: “The Wire,” “Falling,” “Keep Me Crying,” and “Nothing’s Wrong.”
Hans Williams , 4/27, GEN, 11:20a : Singer, songwriter from Norwich, Vermont now living in New Orleans. One of his most popular song “Georgia Walks” highlights his powerful vocals and beautiful guitar melodies. His song “Willows” reflects his change of life after transitioning to New Orleans.
Hardhead Hunters Mardi Gras Indians , 5/3, J&H, 5:50p : Big Chief Otto “Fiyo” DeJean leads this parade of Mardi Gras Indians.
Harold Holloway Music, 5/1, BLU, 11:15a : Gospel band from Lexington, North Carolina that blends gospel with soul. Their popular songs include “Thank God for Mama” and “If Serving God is Wrong.” They captivate audiences with their soulful performances and spiritual message.
Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport , 4/26, LAG, 12:40p : Blues guitarist and harmonic player from Vicksburg, Mississippi. He is a commanding vocalist and poignant songwriter. He performed at the King Biscuit Blues Festival, Ground Zero Blues Clubs and the Red’s Juke Joint in Clarksdale.
Harry Connick Jr. , 4/26, GEN, 5:30p : Singer, pianist and composer Harry Connick, Jr. was born in New Orleans. His father was the District Attorney of New Orleans that made a deal with James Booker, making his prison
sentence go away in exchange for piano lessons for his son. A new three movement piece of music “Elaboratio” will premiere at Carnegie Hall in May 2025 is a tribute to his mother who passed away when his was 13 years old. HaSizzle “The King of Bounce” , 5/3, CON, 4:20p : HaSizzle known as “The King of Bounce” is a master of beats. His music has been sampled by Drake and others. His shows are filled with free-styled scatting, rapping, and instructions that set the blueprint for how to let loose.
Helen Gillet , 5/1, LAG, 12:40p : This Belgium-born cellist and singer performs avant-garde jazz and French chansons with gusto. She’s become a cornerstone of the city’s music scene in recent years, lending her skills to multiple improvisational projects.
Herbert McCarver & The Pin Stripe Brass Band, 4/27, J&H, 5:40p : One of the best young bands playing traditional brass band music in town, the YPS represents a new generation of the Original Pin Stripes, founded by McCarver’s father.
High Steppers Brass Band, 5/1, J&H, 1:35p : This local brass band mixes traditional New Orleans brass sounds with plenty of hip-hop influences.
Higher Heights Reggae, 5/1, CON, 12:20p : Performing an array of Studio One classics and other hits, this New Orleans-based reggae act is a staple of Frenchmen Street’s growing reggae scene.
Honey Island Swamp Band, 4/25, GEN, 1:40p : Formed in San Francisco by Katrina exiles who’ve since returned to town, the HISB is a hard-driving rock band with roots in R&B, country and funk.
Hot 8 Brass Band, 4/24, GEN, 3:35p : The storied Hot 8 is a study in survival, having lost three members in shooting deaths. But the band has endured, and they carry on traditional brass band music while adding elements of hip hop and jazz. Their music interprets classic tracks from Joy Division, Michael Jackson and George Benson.
Hot Club of New Orleans , 5/4, ECO, 4:20p : These guys almost singlehandedly spearheaded the great Crescent City gypsy jazz revival by perfecting a more modern, less studious, more swinging style.
Hubby Jenkins , 5/1, BLU, 12:25p; 5/1, AM, 3:15p : Multi-instrumentalist from Brooklyn, New York, that performs old-time American Music. Jenkins was a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops playing guitar and banjo. Jenkins exemplifies the new generation of African American songwriters, with virtuosic instrumental skills. Interviewed by Tom Piazza.
Hurray For The Riff Raff, 5/2, GEN, 3:55p : Alynda Segarra, the New Orleans-based singer-songwriter who performs as lead vocalist for Hurray for the Riff Raff, has developed a highly personalized and often stark and haunting take on Americana.
IIce Divas , 4/24, PAR, 12:15p : Social aid and pleasure club founded in 2013.
Ingrid Lucia , 5/1, LAG, 11:30a : Born into a family of street musicians, Ingrid Lucia sang with the family band, the Flying Neutrinos, from age 8. Her voice is sometimes compared to Billie Holiday, but Lucia’s delivery is upbeat and naughty.
Irma Thomas , 4/26, GEN, 4p : One of this city’s musical treasures, Irma Thomas came out of the ’60s with a catalog to die for—including many of Allen Toussaint’s greatest songs plus the first and best version of “Time Is On My Side.” She then recorded some equally fine, grown-up R&B for Rounder.
ISL Circus Arts Kids , 4/24, KID, 4:15p : Students from the International School of Louisiana in New Orleans make up this young group of acrobats, stilt walkers and clowns.
JJ & The Causeways , 4/25, FS, 1:30p : Founded at the Maple Leaf on a hot summer night, J & The Causeways is a group spearheaded by singer-songwriter Jordan Anderson. Together with his pulsating rhythm section, intricate horn and guitar melodies and robust vocals, lead singer/
keys player Anderson’s music is soul dipped in old-school rhythm and blues.
Jackson Square Allstar Brass Band, 4/25, PAR, 4:15p : The Jackson Square All-Star Band is a rotating group of New Orleans musicians usually found entertaining the crowds at Jackson Square.
Jaime Woods , 4/25, CON, 12:15p : Jamie Woods is a soul singer and songwriter from Chicago. She has been nominated for a Grammy with Chance the Rapper.
Jake Shimabukuro, 4/27, CEP, 12:45p; 4/27, FDD, 4:25p : Virtuoso ukulele player inspired by flamenco guitar master Carlos Montoya.
Jambalaya Cajun Band, 5/3, FDD, 12:25p : This group was founded in 1977 by fiddler Terry Huval. The band is joined by singer Johnnie Allan.
James Andrews & the Crescent City Allstars , 4/26, BLU, 2:50p : Nicknamed “Satchmo of the Ghetto,” trumpeter James Andrews (the grandson of Jessie Hill and brother of Trombone Shorty) has taken a funky, expansive direction with his All-Stars, yet Louis Armstrong remains a key influence.
James Andrews , 4/26, RHY, 12p : A trumpeter and vocalist, James Andrews has the nickname “Satchmo of the Ghetto.”
James Bay, 4/27, GEN, 4p : Rock ’n’ roll artist, singer, songwriter and guitarist from England who has received numerous Grammy nominations. His song “Hold Back The River” has become an anthem you will recognize. He performs wearing a hat and has very long hair.
James Rivers Movement , 4/26, JAZ, 1:35p : Perhaps the city’s only jazz/ funk saxophonist who doubles as a bagpipe player, James Rivers was also known for a longtime (now discontinued) Sunday brunch at the Hilton Riverside, and for scoring Clint Eastwood’s movie The Bridges of Madison County.
Jamil Sharif, 5/3, JAZ, 12:25p : This local trumpeter studied with Ellis Marsalis at NOCCA and went on to do a number of soundtracks, including the Ray Charles biopic Ray, for which he was music coordinator.
Jason Marsalis , 5/3, JAZ, 1:35p : New Orleans, vibraphonist and drummer, Jason Marsalis has established himself as the foremost straight-ahead vibraphonist, a bop torchbearer. Marsalis recently won the Best of the Beat Award for best other instrument - the Vibraphone.
Javier Gutierrez & VIVAZ , 5/1, J&H, 12:20p : This energetic and dance-inspiring Caribbean/Latin jazz fusion band, led by the Bolivian-born guitarist Javier Gutierrez, highlights the Cuban tres, a double three-stringed guitar.
Javier Olondo & AsheSon , 4/27, J&H, 1:40p : Local guitarist Javier Olondo leads this ensemble primarily through the songs of his native Cuba while drawing on the traditions of other Latin American countries, including Guatemala and Puerto Rico.
Jeff Krause & Brokedown Gramophone, 4/27, LAG, 4:20p : Singer, songwriter and guitarist from Minneapolis, now living in New Orleans. His songwriting is influenced by Jason Isbell and John Prine in the tradition of Americana, blues and Southern soul.
Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys , 4/24, FDD, 4:20p : Once a member of the funky Zydeco Force, singer/accordionist Broussard turns to old-school Creole and zydeco with this group.
Jeremy Davenport , 4/24, JAZ, 1:30p : Schooled as the featured trumpeter in Harry Connick Jr.’s band, the St. Louis native has carved out a solo career with a tender tone to both his playing and singing on romantic standards and originals.
Jermaine Landrum & The Abundant Praise Revival Choir, 5/3, GOS, 6:05p : Jermaine Landrum, the director of this New Orleans-based choir, has been leading gospel groups since the age of 9.
Jesse Lege & the Bayou Aces , 5/1, FDD, 11:15a : Jessie Lege, from Guydan, Louisiana is an accordionist that plays traditional Cajun dance hall music. His band includes Darren Wallace on fiddle, Missy Roser on guitar, Erica Weiss on bass and Evelyn Schneider on drums.
Jesse McBride Big Band, 5/4, JAZ, 12:55p : Pianist Jesse McBride has led The Next Generation for more than ten years, taking over for his mentor Harold Battiste who passed away in 2015.
Jessica Harvey and The Difference, 4/27, GOS, 5:15p : This gospel group from New Orleans are billed as “Just a group of ladies that serve a God who is ‘Simply Amazing.’” Leader Jessica Harvey is also a vocal music teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in New Orleans.
Jhamarrick Campbell & Precizion , 5/4, GOS, 12:05p : Gospel group based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Vocalist Jhamarrick Campbell is from Bogalusa, Louisiana.
JM y Sus Norteños , 4/27, CEP, 11:30a : A Norteño Banda group from Veracruz, Mexico. Norteño Banda is music based on duple and triple meter and its lyrics often deal with socially relevant topics.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts , 5/2, GEN, 5:45p : Rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Joan Jett is the lead singer and songwriter. Her shows are a high-energy, no-frills rock ’n’ roll experience. The setlist will include classic hits like “Bad Reputation,” and “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll.” She may also do the Runaways song “Cherry Bomb” written with her manager Kim Fowley.
Joanna Hale-McGill, 4/24, GOS, 5:05p : Gospel artist Joanna Hall-McGill is from New Orleans. She was a regular at the House of Blues Sunday morning gospel brunch. She has opened for Yolanda Adams and Deitrick Haddon. She has also acted and has appeared in the TV show “Cloak & Dagger.”
Joe Krown Trio +1 featuring Papa Mali , 5/3, BLU, 1:30p : New Orlean pianist and currently a full-time member of Kenny Wayne Shepherd band. Krown lost both members of his popular trio, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Russell Batiste, Jr. in the last year. He is joined with guitarist, singer songwriter Papa Mali.
John “Papa” Gros , 5/1, FS, 11:10a : New Orleans funk scene stalwart John “Papa” Gros took his music in a new direction after disbanding Papa Grows Funk in 2013. The powerhouse keyboardist, singer and French horn player recently took vocal lessons to improve the tone and range of his powerful tenor voice, the results of which are evident on his latest album, Central City.
John Boutté, 4/26, JAZ, 2:45p : A local favorite with a high and haunting voice, Boutté is an inspired, passionate interpreter of songs. His acclaim spread widely after his tune “Treme Song” became the theme of the hit HBO series Treme.
John Fogerty, 4/24, FS, 5:30p : With Creedence Clearwater Revival he wrote two of the essential Louisiana songs, “Proud Mary” and “Born on the Bayou,” before he’d ever been to New Orleans. He’s made up for lost time since then, and his Jazz Fest sets are always more than solid. Expect every Creedence hit you can name and a few you’ve forgotten as well.
John Mooney Trio, 4/24, RHY, 12p : Real enough to record for Ruf and Blind Pig and to sit in with Snooks Eaglin and Professor Longhair, John Mooney more or less invented the melding of Delta blues with New Orleans funk.
John Rankin , 5/2, RHY, 1:10p : No stranger to Jazz Fest, guitarist and singer-songwriter, John Rankin, a New Orleans native, has collaborated with Paul Sanchez writing songs such as my favorite “I Love You For Tonight.” Rankin blends New Orleans’ feel and charm with originals, jazz, folk and blues.
Johnette Downing & Scott Billington , 5/4, KID, 2:45p : This local duo, comprised of children’s author and guitarist Johnette Downing and Grammy-winning producer and author “Making Tracks” Scott Billington, present a medley of Louisiana roots music dubbed “Swamp Romp.”
Johnnie Allan , 4/24, AM, 1p : Swamp Pop in the Promised Land interviewed by Derek Huston. See Gregg Martinez.
Johnny Sansone Band, 4/25, BLU, 1:35p : A multi-instrumentalist who draws from swamp-rock, blues and zydeco, Sansone has two aces in the hole: his songwriting and his gut-shaking harmonica solos. For Jazz Fest,
Sansone assembles a large band with many local musicians, that should not be missed.
Johnny Sketch and The Dirty Notes , 5/1, GEN, 12:20p : They’re a funky rock band with a few gonzoid touches. The band’s philosophy can best be summed up by the sentiments of the single and video, “Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance.”
Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen , 4/24, FS, 4p : Since moving over from the UK in the ’80s, Cleary’s earned a place in the frontline of New Orleans blues singers and keyboardists. He won a Grammy Award for the album GoGo Juice. Cleary has been named Songwriter of the Year and Best Pianist (multiple times) at OffBeat ’s Best of the Beat Awards. His upcoming album contains the Mardi Gras anthem “Zulu Coconuts.”
Jonathon “Boogie” Long , 5/2, BLU, 2:55p : This soulful Baton Rouge-based blues guitar slinger has opened for B.B. King and performed with Dr. John, Kenny Neal and many others.
Jonté Landrum , 4/27, GOS, 2:50p : No stranger to Jazz Fest, Landrum sang with the Johnson Extension. A songwriter Landrum said “whatever I’m singing, you will see the Lord in me. I’m ministering, but my church is bigger. It’s the world.”
Josh Alex , 4/25, CON, 11:15a : Josh Alex is a singer, songwriter, and producer from New Orleans. He blends R&B with gospel music.
Josh Kagler & Harmonistic Praise Crusade, 4/26, GOS, 12:05p : This 20-member gospel group from New Orleans, founded in 2004, was originally known as Harmony. Following Hurricane Katrina, they regrouped with a new name and expanded to 20 members.
Joshua Redman Group featuring Gabrielle Cavassa , 5/2, JAZ, 5:45p : Joshua Redman is a saxophone player from California. He has recorded with Dave Brubeck, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and many more. Vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, also from California now living in New Orleans, won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Although Redman’s astounding tenor sax will dominate, he has broadened his palette by including Cavassa’s superb interpretations.
Jourdan Thibodeaux et Les Rôdailleurs , 5/4, AM, 12:15p; 5/4, FDD, 4:05p : Jourdan Thibodeaux is a fiddle-playing farmer from Cypress Island, Louisiana. Diagnosed with throat cancer at the age of 21, Thibodeaux said doctors planned to remove his larynx. He requested that his voice be recorded before it totally disappeared. Now cancer-free with his voice intact, Thibodeaux cherishes his newfound celebrity while his folksy personality and work ethic remain unchanged. Interviewed by Patrick Mould.
Joy Clark , 5/3, LAG, 2:15p; 5/3, AM, 4p : New Orleans singer-songwriter and guitarist Joy Clark has performed with Water Seed and Cyril Neville. Her influences range from Tracy Chapman to Anita Baker. She gained notoriety as the founding member of Soulkestra. Interviewed by Alison Fensterstock.
Judith Owen Big Band, 4/27, JAZ, 1:30p : Welsh born and New Orleans based vocalist and pianist Judith Owen’s primary residence, with her husband, actor-writer-satirist Harry Shearer, is in the French Quarter. On her new album Come On And Get It, she pays homage to the female voices of the ’50s and ’60s. The band includes pianist David Torkanowsky, trumpet Kevin Lewis, saxophonist Charlie Gabriel and many other local musicians.
Julio y Cesar Band, 4/27, LAG, 11:30a : This duo of local brothers performs Latin American music on twin classical guitars and have recently expanded into a larger band.
Julius McKee - Bass X , 5/3, LAG, 4:45p : Born in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, Julius McKee began playing the sousaphone in marching bands. He has played with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and is currently with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He plays upright and electric bass.
Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band, 5/1, LAG, 3:10p : Bandleader and trombonist Colin Myers started the band in 2009 as a Royal Street traditional jazz busking band. They are a high-energy band that often plays New Orleans R&B, surf
rock, funk, gypsy swing, punk, pop, Caribbean music, TV theme songs, commercial jingles or whatever suits the moment.
Juno Dunes ft. Amelia Neville, 5/2, RHY, 12p : Singer songwriter and guitarist, Juno Dunes is featured with Art Neville’s daughter, vocalist Amelia Neville.
KK.Levy, 4/27, CON, 11:20a : K.Levy is a hip-hop artist from Vacherie, Louisiana. He started writing his own rhymes at age 6 and believes his God given destiny is to leave an impact on the people through his art which he calls motivational hip hop.
Kacey Musgraves , 4/25, FS, 5:30p : Country music singer songwriter from Texas. Her album Same Trailer Different Park won the Grammy for Best Country Album. She went on to win a total of eight Grammy awards. She usually performs without shoes in the tradition of Linda Ronstadt. Her crystallin voice remains free of even the hint of rasp. The all-around gay icon took Donald Trump to task over his anti-LGBTQ+ record, saying “voting for Donald Trump is an act of violence against them.”
Kai Knight’s Silhouette Dance Ensemble, 5/3, KID, 4:15p : New Orleans troupe that aims to teach young African-American woman about positive image and self-expression through dance.
Kamasi Washington , 5/4, JAZ, 5:45p : Kamasi is one of the most in-demand tenor sax men in the industry today, having been enlisted by everyone from Lauryn Hill to George Duke to Kendrick Lamar. His solo excursions, however, bring a Coltrane-like exuberance, as well as some Pan-African styling, to the most modern hip-hop and EDM beats.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, 4/24, AM, 2p; 4/24, CON, 4:05p : After letting love rule with Lenny Kravitz’ original band, sax/flute player Denson showed the ability to jam with just about everybody, from local heroes (he’s played with Galactic a few times) to rock legends (he took the sax solos on the Stones’ 2015 revisit of Sticky Fingers). Tiny Universe makes a fitting outfit for any rock, funk, jazz or open-ended directions he cares to go in. Interviewed by Keith Spera.
Kat Walker Jazz Band - Scat with Ms. Kat , 5/1, KID, 3:05p : Kids learn the art of scat singing with a live jazz band, karaoke style.
Keep n It Real, 5/2, PAR, 12:15p : This Bayou St. John-based second line club features solid dancers and parades with some of the best brass bands in town.
Kenny Neal, 4/25, BLU, 2:50p : Neal may be the best living guitarist in the Baton Rouge swamp-blues scene.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd with Bobby Rush , 5/3, BLU, 5:30p : Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a blues guitarist from Shreveport, Louisiana. He started playing guitar at four years of age. The late blues guitarist, Bryan Lee invited 13-year-old Shepherd on stage which started his career. Joining Shepherd is blues singer Bobby Rush from Homer Louisiana, about an hour drive from Shreveport. Bobby Rush has won three Grammy awards, and Shepherd has been nominated five times.
Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ Swingers , 4/26, GEN, 1:20p; 4/26, AM, 3:30p : One of New Orleans’ most beloved trumpeters and personalities, Kermit Ruffins digs swingin’, smokin’ and partyin’ traditional style. Interviewed by Gregory “Blodie” Davis.
Kermit Ruffins’ Tribute to Louis Armstrong , 5/4, ECO, 5:35p : Kermit Ruffins shows off his more serious side in this set devoted to his hero, New Orleans’ own Satchmo.
Kevin Lemons’ Higher Calling , 5/4, GOS, 3:55p : Gospel artist from Atlanta, Georgia. He has shared the stage with Bebe Winans, Kirk Franklin and many others. Higher Calling is a choir with over 70 members that give energetic performances.
Kevin Louis & the Friday Night Jazz Band featuring Yolanda Robinson , 4/27, ECO, 11:15a : New Orleans trumpeter Kevin Louis, a graduate of NOCCA, has performed with Nicholas Payton, Kermit Ruffins, Roland Guerin and
many others. Vocalist Yolanda Robinson, the daughter of the late Topsy Chapman, joins the band.
Kevin Sonny Gullage & the Blues Groovers , 5/4, BLU, 11:15a : Singer, songwriter and blues piano player, Kevin Gullage leads the Blues Groover. As a participant on American Idol, Lionel Richie said of Gullage: “You got so much flavor!” The Blues Groovers are bassist Tony Gullage, guitarist Carlton Ross, saxophonist Roderick Jackson, drummer Mac Carter and Hammond B-3 player Brandon Adams.
Kevin Sonny Gullage Trio, 5/4, RHY, 2:20p : Blues piano player, Kevin Gullage leads this trio.
Kid Charleroi , 4/24, LAG, 11:30a : Soft rock band from Lafayette, Louisiana. Started by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Sphar, the five-piece band includes Dylan Babineaux on guitar, Christina Bertrand on vocals, Ethan Brasseaux on vocals, and Joe Perillo on drums.
Kid Merv’s Tribute to Dejean’s Olympia Brass Band, 4/27, ECO, 5:55p : New Orleans trumpeter, Mervin Campbell is Kid Merv. He has performed with St. Augustine Marching 100 and the Olympia Brass Band as well as his own band Kid Merv & All That Jazz. The late saxophonist Harold “Duke” Dejan was the leader of the Olympia Brass Band in the 1960s and 1970s.
Kid Simmons’ Local International Allstars , 4/24, ECO, 11:20a : An early devotee of George “Kid Sheik” Cola, trumpeter Kid Simmons has been active in traditional jazz since his arrival in New Orleans in 1966. He cut his teeth in Harold Dejean’s Olympia Brass Band and the Young Tuxedo Brass Band.
KID smART Showcase, 4/25, KID, 11:30a : This organization brings arts initiatives to a range of public schools in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, and its student groups have been a fixture in the Kids Tent at Jazz Fest.
Kim Che’re, 5/4, GOS, 2:50p : Gospel singer Kim Che’re Hardy has wowed Jazz Fest audiences. According to music writer Keith Spera, “She sounded a bit like a younger Patti LaBelle, with a slightly huskier voice, minus LaBelle’s over-the-top, upper-register histrionics. And she was every bit the showwoman that LaBelle is.”
Kinfolk Brass Band, 4/24, FS, 12:20p : Formed in 2006, the Kinfolk are true to the traditional brass band sound, performing classics like “Bourbon Street Parade” and “I’ll Fly Away” along with original songs.
Kirkland Green , 5/3, CON, 12:25p : Singer songwriter based in New Orleans. From central Louisiana, Kirkland’s music includes gospel, soul, R&B and jazz. He is also a member of New Orleans’ Asylum Chorus. Kristin Diable & The City, 5/2, LAG, 2:20p : This deep-voiced Baton Rouge
native made a name for herself in New York City’s singer-songwriter community before returning to New Orleans. NPR likened her singing on Create Your Own Mythology (2015) to that of a lighter hearted Amy Winehouse. Kumbuka African Drum & Dance Collective, 5/4, J&H, 11:20a : Founded in 1983 and based in New Orleans, this troupe brings African music and dance to grade schools throughout Louisiana; members range from ages 10 to 55.
Kyle Roussel, 4/26, JAZ, 12:20p : Pianist Kyle Roussel was born in Boutte, Louisiana. He began studying classical piano at age nine and playing in churches at age 12. He has performed with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jon Batiste, My Morning Jacket, The Revivalists, Trombone Shorty and many others. He is an in-demand pianist and is a member of the Headhunter and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. His new album Church of New Orleans is a celebration of New Orleans music.
LL.B. Landry Gospel Choir, 4/25, GOS, 1p : A 40-plus member gospel choir from the West Bank.
La Insistencia Norteña , 5/1, CEP, 2:05p; 5/2, FDD, 12:25p’ 5/2, CEP, 4:55p : La Insistencia Norteña is a band originally from Mexico. Now U.S.based, Norteño is a style of music that originated in Northern Mexico. Their music is catchy and gets people dancing.
La Santa Cecilia , 5/1, FDD, 12:25p; 5/1, CEP, 3:30p : This group is based in Los Angeles and plays cumbia, bossa-nova, rumba, bolero, tango, jazz and klezmer music. Named after the patron saint of music, La Santa Cecilia music influences Latin America and their Mexican heritage. The band includes accordionist and requinto player Jose ‘Pepe’ Carlos, bassist Alex Bendaña, percussionist Miguel ‘Oso’ Ramirez, and vocalist ‘La Marisoul.
Lady Chops , 4/24, KID, 3p : Social Aid and Pleasure Club.
Lady Pigeon Town Steppers Social Aid & Pleasure Club, 4/24, PAR, 2:50p : Social Aid and Pleasure Club parade.
Nkrumah Better Boys Social Aid & Pleasure Club, 4/24, PAR, 12:15p : Social Aid and Pleasure Club parade.
Lars Edegran & the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra , 4/27, ECO, 12:25p : Lars Edegran played the first Jazz Fest in 1970 with the Ragtime Orchestra. Born in Sweden, Edegran most often plays piano but also plays the guitar, banjo, mandolin, clarinet, and saxophone. His theatrical arrangements include the music for One Mo’ Time.
Las Hermanas Garcia , 5/3, CEP, 11:50a; 5/3, LAG, 3:40p; 5/4, CEP, 12:40p; 5/4, RHY, 3:30p : Las Hermanas Garcia are two sisters Laura and Celia Garcia from Ometepec, Mexico. They sing old bolero love songs from their region
in Mexico, that their father taught them. Laura plays acoustic guitar while Celia sings lead vocals and occasionally plays percussion. Their repertoire also includes new songs by local Costa Chica composers.
Laufey, 5/3, GEN, 5:45p : Laufey is an Icelandic singer songwriter, pianist and cellist. Her full name is Laufey Lin Bing Jonsdottir. Although influenced by classical music, she developed her jazz style from musicians like Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday and Chet Baker. She describes her genre as jazz pop.
Lawrence Sieberth’s Special Edition feat. China Moses , 4/27, JAZ, 2:50p : New Orleans-based pianist and composer Lawrence Sieberth has a knack for blending classical and world music with modern jazz. When he’s not leading his own projects, he performs regularly with Germaine Bazzle, Lena Prima and Gerald French.
Ledisi Sings Nina , 5/3, JAZ, 6p; 5/4, AM, 1:15p : Ledisi is a jazz vocalist born in New Orleans. Her album Ledisi Sings Nina is a tribute to singer songwriter and civil right activist Nina Simone. Ledisi sings with strength and muscularity while giving the band the chance to take center stage. Interviewed by Karen Celestian.
Lenny Kravitz , 5/4, FS, 3:40p : Singer songwriter and guitarist Kenny Kravitz was born in New York. This rock ’n’ roll “God” exudes hippie vibes and performs music from Jimi Hendrix to The Beatles to Curtis Mayfield. Expect more funk with the current band that includes guitarist Craig Ross and drummer Jas Kayser. Kravitz was named Music Icon of the Year at the People’s Choice Awards and in 2024 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Leo Jackson & The Melody Clouds , 5/1, GOS, 1:55p : This family group, known for its rousing vocals and synchronized steps, was formed in 1965 and is now led by founder Leo Jackson’s son.
Leo Nocentelli & The Meters , 4/25, GEN, 4:15p : The original Meters guitarist played a key role in shaping New Orleans funk, working Hendrix-inspired guitar leads into the band’s slinky setting. He was also the most prolific songwriter in the group, taking the lead on “Cissy Strut,” “Hey Pocky Way” and other signature songs. He is joined by the surviving members of the Meters.
Leroy Jones & New Orleans Finest , 4/24, ECO, 1:45p : Trumpeter Leroy Jones is a protégé of the legendary Danny Barker. At age 13, he was leading the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band. In 1991, Jones joined Harry Connick Jr.’s band. He has also appeared with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Dr. John.
Leroy Thomas & the Zydeco Roadrunners , 5/2, FDD, 11:15a : From Lake Charles, Louisiana, accordion player Leroy Thomas comes from a family of zydeco musicians, including Keith Frank, Geno Delafose and Brian Terry. The band plays old school zydeco but often throws in originals and covers, like a bouncy zydeco interpretation of “The Battle of New Orleans.”
LeTrainiump, 4/24, CON, 12:20p : Originally from Mamou, Louisiana, LeTrainiump Richard, sings, composes and produces pop music that blends Michael Jackson with New Edition.
Leyla McCalla , 5/3, FDD, 1:35p : A first-generation Haitian American, Leyla McCalla made a name for herself by mixing ancestral Creole folk with Cajun fiddle and Dixieland banjo—among other innovations—on the streets of the French Quarter.
Lil’ Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers , 5/3, FDD, 2:50p : This young accordion player from Lafayette scored a regional hit with “That L’Argent,” a hip-hop flavored zydeco tune about the power of money. His dad is Nathan Williams of the Zydeco Cha Chas.
Lil Wayne & The Roots , 4/26, FS, 5:30p : New Orleans rapper Dwayne Carter, Jr. known as Lil Wayne is regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time. Questlove leader of the Roots is paired with Lil Wayne reprising their SNL Anniversary Special performance. Get there early this show will be packed.
Lila Downs , 4/25, CEP, 2:20p; 4/25, FDD, 4:20p : Mexican singer songwriter from Oaxaca. Downs is recognized on stage for wearing traditional and authentic fashion, based around Mexico’s indigenous peoples’ styles, cultures and heritages. Trained as an opera singer she has a remarkable voice, and often throws growls, rolled Rs, and eerie falsettos. There is no equivalent to Lila Downs so don’t miss this.
Lilli Lewis Project & Le Bon Ton Baby Dolls , 5/4, LAG, 1:50p : Classically trained singer-songwriter Lilli Lewis describes her music as follows: “If Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Odetta Holmes had had a baby, and that baby had had a baby, and that baby had had another baby…. well that baby would probably be me.” Her latest album, Americana, features country and folk-style songs along with spirituals and splashes of funk and rhythm and blues.
Lisa Knowles & The Brown Singers , 4/24, GOS, 3:50p : Gospel group from Memphis. Vocalist Lisa Knowles started singing with the Brown Sister when she was nine years of age. Knowles is co-pastor with her husband Marcus at the Life City Church in Anniston, Alabama.
Lisbon Girls , 5/4, RHY, 4:45p : The Lisbon Girls are a pop band from New Orleans. Since they were children, the three brothers (Lucho, Pilar and Nikolai) who make up Lisbon Girls grew up listening to Latin music that forged a sound identity that is reflected of their style.
Little Freddie King Blues Band, 4/24, BLU, 3p : The Mississippi Delta-born Little Freddie King plays raw juke-joint blues with style, and he’s one of the best dressed performers found on any stage. King was recently honored with OffBeat ’s Lifetime Achievement in Music Award.
Loose Cattle, 5/1, FDD, 1:40p : New Orleans based roots rock band was founded by OffBeat contributor, vocalist Kimberly Kaye and actor, singer, and guitarist Michael Cerveris. Also in the band are Renè Coman, Doug Garrison and Rurik Nunan. OffBeat contributor Cree McCree says the band is her favorite Americana cowpunks in New Orleans.
Los Güiros , 4/26, J&H, 12:25p : Led by Corina Hernandez, Los Guiros blends traditional Columbian cumbia folkloric dance rhythms with trippy guitar driven sounds of Peruvian chicha all with modern electronic instruments. They are one of the hottest Latin bands from New Orleans.
Los Texmaniacs , 4/26, CEP, 2:20p; 4/26, FDD, 4:20p : Los Texmaniacs are a Tejano band from San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 1997 by Max Baca who plays the bajo sexto, a twelve-string guitar-like instrument, and his nephew Josh Baca, on the accordion. They play canciones rancheras (traditional Mexican music) that includes soulful vocals from La Marisoul (Marisol Hernandez).
Los Tremolo Kings feat. Margie Perez , 4/24, LAG, 12:35p : Los Tremolo Kings is a nine-piece Latin music ensemble led by singer Margie Perez and saxophonist Brent Rose. Perez is a versatile singer who performs with many bands and emulates the energy and spirit of Celia Cruz.
Lost Bayou Ramblers , 5/1, FDD, 6p : This band typically plays traditional Cajun music but incorporates Western swing, rockabilly, and punk rock elements. Leader Louis Michot has revived forgotten classics and sings almost entirely in Cajun French. The Lost Bayou Ramblers have collaborated with many artists, including Spider Stacey of The Pogues. The band’s 2017 release Kalenda received a Grammy for the Best Regional Roots Music Album.
Louis Armstrong Hot 5 & 7 Centennial featuring Nicholas Payton and Dr. Michael White, 4/27, AM, 1p; 4/27, ECO, 3:05p : Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven Sessions were first recorded in 1925, 100 year ago. To celebrate the centennial, trumpeter Nicholas Payton and clarinetist Dr. Michael White will perform material from that session. Expect to hear “Muskrat Ramble.” “Big Butter and Egg Man” and “Cornet Chop Suey” and many others. Dr. Michael White and Nicholas Payton interviewed by Sally Young. Louis Ford & his New Orleans Flairs , 5/1, ECO, 12:30p : Clarinetist and saxophonist Louis Ford’s father was Clarence Ford, who played with Fats
Domino. Louis will lead his old-time New Orleans jazz band through a set of traditional music.
Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, 5/3, JAZ, 11:15a : Fred Starr leads this local traditional jazz septet with a focus on tight arrangements of tunes by Sam Morgan and other music from the turn of the century.
Loyola University Jazz Ensemble, 4/24, JAZ, 11:15a : Students from Loyola’s jazz program, the oldest in the city, make up this group.
LPO Academy, 5/1, KID, 11:30a : The LPO Academy is a mentoring program that helps students learn music theory, instrument technique and more, set up by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Some of the mentors include Jon Gannon on horn, Michael Matushek on bassoon and Jeanne Jaubert on cello.
Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats , 5/3, KID, 1:55p : Songwriter and ukulele playing, Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats are a Grammy winning children’s group from Brooklyn, New York. Kalantari is an American born daughter of Latino parents (Dominican mother and Puerto Rican father), so Spanish language elements naturally pop up in her songs.
Luke Combs , 5/2, FS, 5:10p : Country singer from North Carolina with three Grammy nominations. Expect to hear “Better Together,” “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” and “The Kind of Love We Make.” His high-energy performances where fans feel deeply engaged with his storytelling lyrics are not to be missed.
Luke Winslow-King featuring Roberto Luti , 4/26, RHY, 4:40p : A Michigan native who studied music at UNO, Winslow-King is both a performer and musicologist, combining the sound of early 20th century New Orleans with the street smarts of a modern songwriter. Featured is frequent collaborator Italian guitarist Roberto Luti, who as a street musician in New Orleans was
featured with Winslow-King in the film Playing for Change. Luti says that New Orleans taught about both music and life.
Lulu & the Broadsides , 5/4, LAG, 4:20p : Singer-songwriter Dayna Kurtz wanted to be a broad she named Lulu all her life. The band plays “lost songs” of all types and has been described as if the American standard moved down to New Orleans, got drunk and had a baby. Kurtz also includes some original material.
LVVRS, 4/25, GEN, 12:30p : LVVRS (lovers) are rockers crafting sounds that are a blend of disco pop and ’70s rock ’n’ roll. They released their debut EP Midnight Fantasy this past February.
Lyle Henderson & Emmanu-EL , 4/24, GOS, 2:45p : A former radio DJ at R&B and gospel stations for WYLD, Lyle Henderson also coordinates the gospel brunches at the House of Blues.
MMaggie Koerner, 5/3, GEN, 4:10p : Maggie Koerner earned plenty of new fans when she held down the vocal role during a series of Galactic tours a few years back, but her powerful voice and intense stage presence make her solo shows equally exciting.
Magical Moonshine Theatre, 5/4, KID, 1:05p : Founded in 1979 by Michael and Valerie Nelson, the Magical Moonshine Theatre takes its puppets to schools and events around the country.
Mahmoud Chouki , 4/25, LAG, 1:50p; 4/25, AM, 4:15p : Born in Morocco and now living in New Orleans, Mahmoud Chouki is a classically trained guitarist, oud and banjo player. Chouki composed the music score for the 2021 Sundance Award winning film Ma Belle, My Beauty. In 2021, Chouki was named Best Emerging Artist at the 2020 Best of the Beat Awards. He is often joined by local musicians, including saxophonist Brad Walker, and Khris Royal, bassist Martin Masakowski and others. Interviewed by Jason
Marc Broussard, 5/2, FS, 12:40p : The Lafayette singer, songwriter and guitarist grew up around vintage swamp-pop but has since found his niche with a mix of soulful roots music and adult-contemporary pop. His style is best described as “Bayou Soul,” a mix of funk, blues, R&B, rock, and pop. He has opened tours for both the Dave Matthews Band and Maroon 5.
Marc Stone, 4/27, BLU, 12:25p : Singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Stone is a roots and blues slide guitarist. Stone was born in New York but arrived in New Orleans more than 20 years ago. Stone has collaborated with Walter “Wolfman” Washington, John Mooney, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr., Shannon McNally and many others.
Marcia Ball, 4/26, BLU, 4:15p : A Jazz Fest perennial, the singer, songwriter and pianist born in Texas and raised in Vinton, Louisiana, is a multi-awardwinning artist. Her work with Tracy Nelson and Irma Thomas for “Sing It!, was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Margo Price, 5/3, AM, 1p; 5/3, FDD, 5:35p : Country singer, songwriter from Illinois now living in Nashville. Price plays acoustic and electric guitar and sometimes drums. Her music could be classified as Americana since she frequently covers Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney. Interviewed by Scott Jordan.
Mariachi en Nueva Orleans Los Viajeros , 4/24, CEP, 11:30a; 4/26, KID, 1:25p; 4/26, CEP, 1:55p; 4/27, CEP, 3:15p; 5/4, GEN, 12:15p : Mariachi band from New Orleans. The five-member band includes guitar, trumpets and vocals. They are only one of two authentic mariachi bands in Louisiana.
Mariachi Jalisco with Ballet Folklorico Vive Mi Tierra , 4/27, LFS, 12:10p; 4/27, CEP, 2:05p; 4/27, J&H, 4:25p : Baton Rouge-based alumni of Cuba’s Mariachi Real Jalisco reunite to perform music from their hometown of Havana.
Mariachi Los Camperos , 5/3, CEP, 1:15p; 5/4, CEP, 3:40p : Mariachi band from Los Angeles, founded in 1961 by the late Natividad “Nati” Cano. They are known for their interactive performances that include traditional songs like boleros, son jalisiense, and huapango. The ensemble was one of four mariachis that collaborated and toured with Linda Ronstadt. They are considered one of the best Mariachi bands in the world.
Marimba Nandayapa , 4/25, CEP, 12:50p; 4/25, J&H, 4:25p; 4/26, CEP, 11:30a; 4/26, LAG, 1:50p : A Mexican marimba group lead by marimba player Javier Nandayapa. His father was Zeferina was a world-renowned marimba player. They are the only Mexican marimba group that has performed twice at Carnegie Hall.
Mark Braud’s New Orleans Jazz Giants , 4/26, ECO, 12:30p : Mark Braud is the musical director of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. This trumpeter and vocalist leads a different cast of traditional jazz players for a change of pace.
Mark Brooks & Friends , 5/1, ECO, 4:25p : New Orleans born Mark Brooks plays upright bass. He has worked with Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, Henry Butler, Lou Rawls, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Fats Domino Band and many others. He appeared in the film “The Bridges of Madison County” playing in James Rivers band.
Mark Rubin , 5/1, RHY, 12p : Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Norman, Oklahoma. Rubin lives in South Louisiana and is known in New Orleans as “Jew of Oklahoma.” Rubin has been a driving force in the “klezmer” music world as a bassist, tuba player. Rubin is also the tenor banjoist and vocalist for the Panorama Jazz Band.
bluegrass numbers. Interviewed by Mark Guarino.
Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School Jazz Orchestra and Performing Arts Ensemble, 4/24, KID, 11:30a : Located in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans, the school students perform in the School Jazz Orchestra.
Matlachines Los Venados , 4/25. PAR, 1:30p; 4/25, CEP, 3:30p; 4/26, PAR , 1:10p; 4/27, PAR, 2:50p : Vibrant and lively traditional Mexican dance company from Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly “The Legacy Band” , 5/4, CON, 4p : Though lesser known in much of the country, the late Frankie Beverly (he died in 2024) said of New Orleans: They treat us with the same respect there that they do their artists that come from there.” Maze recorded its first live album at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans in 1980 and the group has played the closing set on Congo Square for too many years to count.
McDonogh 35 High School Gospel Choir, 5/1, GOS, 12:10p : Jazz Fest traditionally feature high-school choirs in the Gospel Tent, and this Treme school has been a regular. The choir has been the recipient of numerous OffBeat ’s Best of the Beat Award for Best Gospel Group.
Melvin “Maestro” Winfield Jr. & The Glory Chorale Community Choir, 4/24, GOS, 1p : Gospel group featuring Melvin “Maestro” Winfield, Jr. Soloists include Joren Bates, Lady Amanda Hayden and Lady Cassandra Matthews. Mem Shannon & the Membership, 4/26, BLU, 11:15a : Inspired to play the blues by B.B. King, local guitarist and singer Mem Shannon made a splash when he incorporated recorded conversations from his previous cabbie gig into his first major album.
Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns , 5/2, BLU, 1:40p : Once a Royal Street performer, Meschiya Lake made herself a marquee name in the local traditional jazz scene. Lake and her band are getting more attention worldwide thanks to her vintage sass and great storytelling.
Mestre Curtis Pierre “The Samba Man” and The Samba Kids , 4/26, KID, 4:15p : The self-professed “Samba King of New Orleans” leads the AfroBrazilian troupe he founded in 1987 in a series of parades and performances. Mexican Institute of Sound, 5/3, AM, 12p; 5/3, CON, 1:35p, 5/3, CEP, 4p; 5/4, J&H, 1:40p; 5/4, CEP, 5p : The Mexican Institute of Sound is an electronic music project created by DJ and producer Camilo Lara. Interviewed by Marisa Rodriguez.
Mia Borders , 5/3, GEN, 11:15a : A native of New Orleans, singer-songwriter Mia Borders has great vocals and compelling songwriting. Her recent album, Good Side of Bad, is “well-steeped in classic soul.”
Michael O’Hara The Sheik , 4/27, RHY, 4:45p : Frontman and vocalist for the ’80s band The Sheiks, O’Hara left the band in 1985 and wrote songs for Anita Baker, Patti LaBelle and Donna Summer. He is back with his trademark Arabian-style headscarves, and a collection of new songs.
Midnite Disturbers , 4/26, J&H, 4:30p : This all-star brass band only comes together at Jazz Fest when schedules allow, and the planets align. Drummers Stanton Moore and the late Kevin O’Day cofounded the band; among those who’ve been part of the lineup are Mark Mullins (Bonerama), Ben Elman (Galactic), Matt Perrine (Tin Men), Big Sam (Funky Nation) and many other notables.
Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88’s , 4/24, BLU, 12:55p : A red-hot “rock-aboogie” pianist and singer, Woods has spent the past four decades perfecting his blend of ’40s-inspired blues and swing with a modern feel.
Mitch Woods , 4/24, RHY, 3:35p : Boogie-woogie pianist Mitch Woods on his own.
Mixanteña de Santa Cecilia , 4/24, CEP, 12:40p, 4/24, PAR, 3:45p; 4/24, CEP, 4:30p; 4/25, J&H, 1:45p; 4/25, CEP, 3:30p; 4/25, CEP, 4p; 4/26, KID, 12:35p; 4/26, CEP, 3:35p; 5/1, PAR, 4:10p; 5/2, PAR, 3:40p; 5/3, PAR, 12:10p : From Mexico City, Mexico, the four-piece wind band (trumpets, sousaphone, trombone) are renowned for its expressive and moving Patterson.
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives , 5/4, AM, 3:15p; 5/4, FDD, 5:30p : Marty Stuart is a Country Music Hall of Famer and five-time Grammywinner. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Mississippi, Stuart got his start in bluegrass legend Lester Flatts’ band and worked with Johnny Cash playing mandolin and guitar. The band performs classic country tunes such as Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” and George Jones’ “Old, Old House,” and traditional
performances. The music is a special fusion of traditional Mexican sounds and modern influences.
Mo’ Fess , 4/25, LAG, 12:40p : The band’s love for Henry Roeland Byrd a.k.a. Professor Longhair (Fess) and the unique ability of Tom Worrell to emulate Fess’s piano style of music was the inspiration to create a band that utilizes Fess’s sound.
Monogram Hunter Black Masking Indians , 5/4, PAR, 4:15p : James Harris, aka Big Chief Yam, created this uptown gang after stints with the Creole Wild West and the Wild Magnolias.
Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church Mass Choir, 4/24, GOS, 6p : The members of this large local church choir range in age from teenagers to septuagenarians.
Morris Day & The Time, 5/1, CON, 5:50p : Singer songwriter from Minneapolis. Day and Prince attended the same high school and became bandmates. Morris Day & the Time were long-time friends and often collaborated with Prince. Like Prince, they perform funk and R&B, with songs like “Jungle Love,” and “The Bird” both songs were featured in the movie “Purple Rain.” Day often will ask for “Sexy Ladies” to come up on stage, so be prepared.
Mount Hermon Baptist Church Praise Delegation Choir, 5/2, GOS, 5:55p : Bishop Sean T. Elder, who writes much of his group’s music, leads this choir from a church on North Broad Street in New Orleans.
Mr. Sipp, 5/1, BLU, 6p : Singer-songwriter and guitarist Castro Coleman, a.k.a. Mr. Sipp, is from McComb, Mississippi. He started playing the guitar at age six. He has won several awards for his Malaco recordings and was featured in the James Brown biopic Get On Up. Muggivan Irish Dancers , 5/1, KID, 4:15p : Joni Muggivan, a dancer, founded the Muggivan School of Irish Dance in New Orleans. Joni become the first dancer in Louisiana to compete at the World Championships in Ireland where she again danced her own choreography.
My Morning Jacket , 5/4, GEN, 5:30p : My Morning Jacket is a rock band from Louisville, Kentucky. Jim James, the vocalist and guitarist of the band, is a frequent visitor to New Orleans who has toured and performed with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They are considered one of rock’s best live acts and a stylistically broad one.
NNa’Christia , 5/2, CON, 11:15a : R&B singer songwriter with sultry vocals and relatable lyrics. She is currently working on her first EP All Bets On Me and has released her first single “Is It Real.” Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas , 4/26, FDD, 6p : Nathan Williams sprung
from his brother’s club, El Sid O’s in Lafayette, to become one of zydeco’s biggest names—and to write its two greatest porcine songs, “Zydeco Hog” and “Everything on the Hog is Good.”
Native Stoyteller Amy Bluemel with Stomp Dance group Hithla , 5/3, KID, 12:45p ; Amy Bluemel is a Native American storyteller and a member of the Chickasaw Nation. She performs in Indian regalia and explains why they wear what they wear and tells stories of the language, history, and culture.
Naughty Professor, 5/4, JAZ, 11:30a : Naughty Professor is a New Orleansbased jazz-funk sextet.
New Birth Brass Band, 5/4, GEN, 11:10a : Featuring trumpeter Will Smith and other former students of the famed Olympia Brass Band, this longrunning ensemble boasts Glen David Andrews and Trombone Shorty among its alumni.
New Breed Brass Band, 5/3, CON, 2:50p : Their latest album Made in New Orleans was nominated for a Grammy and was produced by Trombone Shorty. The group is led by drummer Jenard Andrews who is James Andrews son and Trombone Shorty’s cousin.
New Generation Brass Band, 5/4, PAR, 2:45p : New Generation Brass Band will be parading with Lady & Men Rollers and Scene Boosters Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs.
New Groove Brass Band, 4/27, PAR, 1:20p : Brass band from New Orleans that combines the traditions of New Orleans brass bands with contemporary styles from R&B and hip-hop.
New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra , 4/26, ECO, 11:15a : A multigenerational, always-entertaining large ensemble that plays only ’90s music—as in the 1890s, when the shipboard dance music and early jazz they favor was first created.
New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings , 4/26, ECO, 5:50p : Led by Eddie Baynard, this septet performs the music of influential ‘20s-era New Orleans bands like the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.
New Orleans Dance Collective, 4/27, KID, 3:05p : The New Orleans Dance Collective (NODC) is a non-profit organization using dance as intervention for inner-city at-risk youth. NODC teaches tap, hip hop, jazz and ballet.
New Orleans Gospel Soul Children featuring guest Big Freedia , 4/27, GOS, 1:55p : Led by Craig Adams, this long-standing local gospel group delivers energetic and choreographed renditions of gospel standards. This year will feature Big Freedia.
New Orleans Groovemasters: Herlin Riley, Shannon Powell, Jason
Marsalis and Weedie Braimah , 4/25, JAZ, 4:05p : New Orleans drummers. Herlin Riley is a jazz drummer and is a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Shannon Powell known as “King of Treme” has performed with Diana Krall, Earl King, Dr. John and many others. Jason Marsalis is also a vibraphone player and took drum lessons from New Orleans drummer James Black. Weedie Braimah plays the Djembe a West African drum. Braimah was born in Ghana and now lives in New Orleans.
New Orleans Klezmer AllStars , 5/3, LAG, 5:05p : Innovators of a funked-up localized take on traditional Jewish music, this band’s past and present members include scions of the city’s jazz and funk scenes.
New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Rhythm Section , 4/26, PAR, 3:05p : Parading Mardi Gras Indians.
New Orleans Nightcrawlers , 4/27, GEN, 1:25p : Not your average second line street band. The Nightcrawlers add new harmonic substance and challenging arrangements to the funky New Orleans sound. The band includes familiar faces from Bonerama and Galactic. Their latest album, Too Much To Hold was nominated for a Grammy and Atmosphere won a Grammy in 2021.
New Orleans Suspects , 4/27, FS, 11:20a : The New Orleans Suspects were formed in 2009 for a jam session. Comprised of some of the most seasoned players, the group called themselves The Unusual Suspects. They have established themselves as one of New Orleans’ best supergroups. The band consists of Neville Brothers drummer “Mean” Willie Green, Dirty Dozen guitarist Jake Eckert, James Brown’s bandleader saxophonist Jeff Watkins, keyboardist CR Gruver and bassist Eric Vogel.
New Wave Brass Band, 4/25, PAR, 12:10p : Snare drummer Oscar Washington is at the helm of this updated traditional New Orleans brass band.
Nicholas Payton and Triune feat. Karriem Riggins , 5/3, JAZ, 4:20p : New Orleans trumpeter, Nicholas Payton is joined with jazz drummer and DJ, Karriem Riggins. Payton’s trio with Riggins will also feature Esperanza Spading at Café Istanbul.
NOCCA Jazz Ensemble, 4/27, JAZ, 11:15a : This student group is based at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, whose graduates include Harry Connick, Jr., Nicholas Payton, Trombone Shorty and the Marsalis brothers. New Orleans Council on Aging Community Choir, 5/2, GOS, 11:15a : Besides providing assistance to older adults, the New Orleans Council on Aging supports a community choir.
NOLA Capoeira , 5/1, KID, 12:35p; 5/1, KID, 2:20p : Nola Capoeira is an organization in New Orleans that teaches Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art.
Northside Skull & Bone Gang , 4/27, PAR, 3:30p : In the wee hours of Mardi Gras morning, a group of men dressed as skeletons roam the streets of the New Orleans neighborhood of Tremé as part of a centuries-old Black Carnival tradition.
Nu Nation Choir, 4/25, GOS, 2:45p : Gospel choir lead by contemporary gospel singer and songwriter Kirk Franklin.
OOdd the Artist with Kari Jay, 5/3, CON, 11:20a : Odd the Artist is a New Orleans hip hop and R&B artist. Joining her is Kari Jay, a spoken word artist who has opened for Nikki Giovanni, Common and Sista Souljah. Her poetry is inspired by Harriet Tubman and Ida B. Wells.
Ole & Nu Style Fellas and The Perfect Gentlemen SA&PCs , 4/25, PAR, 4:15p : Social aid and pleasure club parades.
Omari Neville and The Fuel, 4/26, CON, 1:20p : Cyril Neville, Omari’s father, featured the Fuel at Jazz Fest for years. Now on his own, Omari’s band is a fusion of New Orleans funk, rock, reggae, punk and soul. Daryl Johnson and Eric Struthers (alumni of the Neville Brothers) and Omari Neville make up the group.
One Mind Brass Band, 4/24, PAR, 2:50p : This ten-member group is influenced by the Rebirth Brass Band, New Birth Brass Band, Soul Rebels, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Stooges Brass Band. Their sound is a unique
mix of traditional jazz, R&B, blues, soul and rap.
One Shot Brass Band, 5/1, PAR, 12:15p : From New Orleans this hard-working traditional brass band, One Shot Brass Band, can be found at Mardi Gras parades and other events.
Ordinary Elephant , 5/2, LAG, 12:50p; 5/2, AM, 4:15p : Ordinary Elephant, based in Opelousas, Louisiana, are Crystal and Pete Damore. They are a married folk duo that won the International Folk Music Award for Artist of the Year in 2017. The songs are character-driven storytelling with performed with banjo, guitar, and octave mandolin. Interviewed by Mollie Farr.
Original Big Seven and Go Getters SA&PCs , 4/25, PAR, 12:10p : Social Aid and Pleasure Club parade.
Original New Orleans Lady Buckjumpers and Prince of Wales SA&PCs , 5/4, PAR, 2:45p : Social Aid and Pleasure Club parade.
Original Pigeon Town Steppers, Sudan and Undefeated Divas & Gents & Kids SA&PCs , 5/3, PAR, 4:20p : Social Aid and Pleasure Club parade.
Original Pinettes Brass Band, 5/2, GEN, 12:45p : Billed as “The World’s Only All Female Brass Band,” the Pinettes were formed by a group of students at St. Mary’s Academy in 1991. They won the Red Bull Street Kings brass competition in 2013.
PPanorama Jazz Band, 4/27, LAG, 5:30p : Influenced by styles from around the globe, this hip band comprised of top local instrumentalists blends New Orleans jazz traditions with klezmer, Latin and Balkan sounds.
Papa Mali’s Shantytown Underground, 4/24, LAG, 2:55p : Best known as frontman for 7 Walkers (a band that includes Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann and the Meters’ founding bassist, George Porter Jr.), Papa Mali is an accomplished singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Papo y Son Mandao, 4/24, J&H, 2:55p : Cuban guitarist Alexis “Papo” Guevara and his band Son Mandao includes Israel Romo on percussion, Julian Alpizar on bass and Omar Ramirez on trumpet.
Pardon My French! , 5/3, LAG, 11:30a : A New Orleans-based vintage French jazz band, members of Pardon My French! include guitarist Pete Roze, singer Caroline Fourmy, bassist Joshua Gouzy and accordionist Michael Ward-Bergeman. The band performs music by Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, and others, including Serge Gainsbourg, Eartha Kitt and Pink Martini favorites. Pasatono Orquesta , 5/1, CEP, 12:15p; 5/1, CEP, 12:45p; 5/1, LAG, 4:20p; 5/2, AM, 2:15p : An eight-member Mexican ensemble that plays traditional Oaxacan music. Their music is a blend of Mexican folk music with a mix of jazz, polka, chilena and cumbia. Championed by Lila Downs, the band has compiled a vivid repertoire of tunes played with strings, wind instruments and percussion. Interviewed by Betto Arcos.
Pastor Jai Reed, 4/27, GOS, 12:05p : This New Orleans Baptist minister is a soulful singer in the Stevie Wonder tradition, doing gospel with a contemporary R&B influence.
Pastor Tyrone Jefferson , 5/1, GOS, 2:50p : This New Orleans native is the Senior Pastor of the Abundant Life Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church and the CEO of Abundant Life Ministries. His extensive work serving the community has included efforts to improve voting rates, feed the hungry and get more young people enrolled in college.
Patrice Fisher & Arpa with special guests from Mexico, 5/4, LAG, 12:40p : This Latin jazz ensemble is led by versatile professional harpist Patrice Fisher, who has been performing and recording her original compositions since the early ’80s.
Patti LaBelle, 5/4, CON, 5:45p : R&B singer and actress, Patti LaBelle is often referred to as the Godmother of Soul. Her first number one hit “Lady Marmalade” was produced by Allen Toussaint with the Meters as backup band. At 80 years of age, LaBelle is one of the last of the original divas still performing. “Lady Marmalade” is usually her encore.
Paul Sanchez , 4/27, LAG, 3:05p : Cowboy Mouth alum Paul Sanchez has since been a friendly godfather to the local songwriter scene, and the co-writer of the post-Katrina musical Nine Lives. Sanchez transforms audiences with a unique blend of music and storytelling.
Paul Varisco & the Milestones , 4/27, FS, 12:30p : Singer, Paul Varisco with his band the Milestones play blue-eyed soul music. They have been active since the early ’60 and recorded covers of songs like “Hey Girl,” and “Gotta Have Love.” They frequently play Rock ‘N Bowl.
Pearl Jam , 5/3, FS, 5p : Rock band from Seattle, Washington. Although originally known as a grunge band, their style is more classic rock with influences including The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. Leader Eddie Vedder will often play acoustic guitar without the band. A highlight will be the full band on the song “Even Flow.” Eddie Vedder is no stranger to New Orleans having been arrested and locked up in Orleans Parish Prison. Pearl Jam was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
People Museum , 4/27, GEN, 12:20p : A pop art, electronic band from the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans. Formed by Jeremy Phipps and Claire Givens, they are joined with Aaron Boudreaux and Charles Lumar ll. Michael Sell in OffBeat described them as “Brian Eno producing dream pop in New Orleans.”
Peter Harris presents: Firm Roots , 5/1, JAZ, 2:55p : Firm Roots is a New Orleans jazz super group headed by New Orleans bassist Peter Harris. Firm Roots includes drummer, Herlin Riley, saxophonist Derek Douget, trumpeter Ashlin Parker and pianist Dwight Fitch, Jr. They frequently perform at the Bayou Bar at the Pontchartrain Hotel.
Phil DeGruy, 5/4, RHY, 12p : This band has spearheaded the latest revival of Cajun music, bridged new and traditional music and snagging four Grammy nominations. Leader Wilson Savoy is the son of Cajun music’s first couple, Marc and Ann Savoy.
Pine Leaf Boys , 5/3, FDD, 4:10p : This band has spearheaded the latest revival of Cajun music, bridged new and traditional music and snagging four Grammy nominations. Leader Wilson Savoy is the son of Cajun music’s first couple, Marc and Ann Savoy.
PJ Morton , 4/25, CON, 4:20p : New Orleans native PJ Morton came to fame as the touring keyboardist for Maroon 5 and was made a full-time member in 2012. He launched his solo career with the hit “Only One” featuring Stevie Wonder and has consistently been nominated for a Grammy Award.
PJ Morton has also won several Best of the Beat awards, twice for Allen Toussaint Songwriter of the Year Award.
Pocket Aces Brass Band, 4/26, J&H, 1:50p : This Bridge City brass-hop band began as a few friends who got together for an annual Mardi Gras jam before expanding to a full-time touring outfit.
Pow Wow presentations with Native Nations Intertribal, 4/24, FLS, 12:05p; 4/24, FLS, 1:20p; 4/24, FLS, 3:55p; 4/25, FLS, 12p; 4/25, FLS, 1:20p; 4/25, FLS, 2:35p; 4/26, FLS, 12:05p; 4/26, FLS, 1:15p; 4/26, FLS, 3:50p; 4/27, FLS, 1:20p; 4/27, FLS, 2:35p : Exhibition of pow wow performances include traditional shawls, straight dance, grass dance, and jingle, hoop, southern cloth and stomp dances. The groups include Grammy winners Northern Cree of Canada and Native Nations Intertribal.
Pow Wow presentations with Calpulli Tonalequeh Aztec Dancers , 5/1, FLS, 1:20p; 5/1, FLS, 2:40p; 5/1, FLS, 4:05p; 5/2, FLS, 12:05p; 5/2, FLS, 1:20p; 5/2, FLS, 2:40p; 5/3, FLS, 1:15p; 5/3, FLS, 2:30p; 5/4, FLS, 12:05p; 5/4, FLS, 1:20p; 5/4, FLS, 3:45p : Exhibition of pow wow performances include traditional shawls, straight dance, grass dance, and jingle, hoop, southern cloth and stomp dances. From San Jose, the Calpulli Tonalequeh Aztec Dancers are presented.
Pow Wow presentations with Hithla Stomp Dancers , 5/3, FLS, 3:45p : The Hithla Stomp Dancers are comprised of comprised of Native people from Southeastern Tribes.
Preservation Brass , 5/4, ECO, 1:40p : Featuring bass drummer Tanio Hingle, snare drummer Kerry “Fat Man” Hunter and trumpeter Will Smith, plus a rotating roster of players, the Preservation Hall Brass aims to serve as the jazz collective’s go-to brass band arm, like the Olympia Brass Band once did in past decades.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, 4/26, GEN, 2:35p : This New Orleans music institution’s profile is higher than ever. Their guest-heavy Jazz Fest sets are always festival highlights.
Professor Craig Adams’ Tribute to the Maestro - Raymond A. Myles , 5/1, GOS, 3:55p : Hammond player and Houston/New Orleans native Craig Adams leads this dynamic, 16-piece gospel group in a tribute to gospel great Raymond Myles.
Prophetess Flora and The Angels of Light Gospel Singers , 4/24, GOS, 1:55p : Gospel group headed by Pastor, Prophetess Flora Alexander from Abbeville, Louisiana.
QQuique Escamilla of Canada/Mexico, 5/1, CEP, 11:30a; 5/1, LAG, 1:55p; 5/2, AM, 12:15p; 5/2, RHY, 3:30p : Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer from Chiapas, Mexico now living in Toronto. His music combines folk, pop, rock, ska, reggae, rap and traditional Mexican music. He also covers Los Lobos and the Mavericks. Escamilla knows all about the power of music that is both political and danceable. Interviewed by Dan Sharp.
RRAM of Haiti , 4/27, CON, 12:35p : RAM is a mizik rasin band from Portau-Prince, Haiti. Led by the group’s namesake and founder Richard A. Morse and his wife, Lunise, the group has recently relocated to New Orleans. Mizik rasin means “roots music” in Haitian creole. RAM’s music is a hybrid of styles mixing traditional voudou lyrics and Haitian rhythmic instrumentation including rara horns and petro drums with funky rock-influenced sounds.
Ray Boudreaux , 4/24, FS, 2:45p : From Lafayette singer songwriter, Ray Boudreaux was one of top eight contestants on NBC’s The Voice. Boudreaux was influenced early on by Cajun culture and swamp-pop music, but today he is more of a soul singer.
Real Untouchable Brass Band, Divine Ladies, Original CTC Steppers and Men Buckjumpers SA&PCs , 5/4, PAR, 12:15p : This local brass crew adds congas to its otherwise street-centric sound.
Rebirth Brass Band, 4/26, FS, 12:30p : Rebirth was one of the first bands to modernize and funkify the New Orleans brass band sound. They won their first Grammy in 2012 for the album Rebirth of New Orleans and are frequent award winners at OffBeat ’s Best of the Beat.
Rickie Lee Jones , 5/1, AM, 12:15p; 5/3, GEN, 1:40p : The eternally bohemian singer-songwriter has called New Orleans home for the last several years, and she’s turned up in local clubs and at Jazz Fest (where she guested with Bruce Springsteen in 2014). Her new hometown informed the 2015 album
The Other Side of Desire and she’s followed that with Kicks, an eclectic set of covers from Brecht/Weill to Bad Company. If you only know “Chuck E’s in Love” you’ll probably hear that too. Interviewed by Gwen Thompkins.
Ricky Dillard and New G , 5/3, GOS, 3:55p : Chicago born gospel singer Ricky Dillard was raised in the church singing in the choir from the age of five years. He has been nominated for a Grammy award twice.
Rising Dragon Lion Dance Team , 5/4, KID, 12:30p; 5/4, KID, 2:10p; 5/4, KID, 3:50p : Marrero-based traditional lion dancers display a colorful and acrobatic part of Vietnam’s cultural heritage. Often performed at festivals and holiday events, the dance is intended to ward off evil spirits.
River Eckert Band, 5/3, BLU, 11:15a : Carrying the torch of the New Orleans piano tradition, River Eckert is a 14-year-old piano player born and raised in New Orleans. He plays in the styles of Professor Longhair, James Booker, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Fats Domino among others.
Robert Jon & The Wreck , 4/24, BLU, 4:20p : Rock band from Southern
California. The band plays straight-ahead blues and rock and roll. Their songs are filled with killer riffs, and memorable choruses.
Robin Barnes & Pat Casey: Da Lovebirds , 5/4, RHY, 1:10p; 5/4, AM, 4:15p : Steeped in R&B, this self-professed “soul pop” vocalist first sang in the choirs at St. Phillip and St. David Catholic Churches, and later with her family’s jazz band the Soul Heirs. She is joined by her bassist husband, Pat Casey. Interviewed by Charles Burchell.
Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters , 4/24, FS, 1:30p : One of the few rubboard players to lead a zydeco band, Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. plays it wilder than his accordionist dad, and his sets are guaranteed party-starters.
Roddie Romero & the Hub City All-Stars , 4/27, FDD, 2:55p : This eclectic Cajun, zydeco, swamp pop and rock ’n’ roll band is built around accordionist/guitarist Roddie Romero and pianist Eric Adcock. Their double album The La Louisianne Sessions was nominated for a Grammy.
Roderick Harper, 4/24, JAZ, 12:20p : A vocalist since early childhood, Harper sings with elegance and ease. The Washington D.C. native studied with the late Alvin Batiste at Southern University in Baton Rouge.
Ronnie Baker Brooks , 5/1. AM, 2:15p; 5/1, BLU, 4:30p : Blues guitarist and songwriter from Chicago. He is the son of Lonnie Brooks and brother of Wayne Baker Brooks. His style of Chicago blues honors the torch bearers including Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Luther Allison and his father. Interviewed by John Wirt.
Ronnie Lamarque, 4/25, GEN, 11:15a : New Orleans’ silver-haired singing car dealer Ronnie Lamarque is a convincing Sinatra-style crooner. He appeared on America’s Got Talent but was cut when judge Simon Cowell referred to his performance as “very karaoke.”
Rosie Ledet , 4/25, FDD, 12:20p : Known as the Zydeco Sweetheart, singeraccordionist Ledet has long been zydeco’s premier female bandleader. She’s also a master of the lyrical double entendre, as evinced by her local hit “I’m Gonna Take Care of Your Dog.”
Royal Essence, 4/26, CON, 11:10a : Royal Essence is Lenford Coote from Brooklyn, New York. He is a hip-hop songwriter and music producer.
Rumba Buena , 4/26, CON, 12:15p : This popular New Orleans Latin band is a 12-piece group with four singers, four percussionists, horns and rhythm to spare.
Ryan Foret & Foret Tradition , 4/24, FDD, 12:25p : From the Westbank of New Orleans, Ryan and Brendan Foret grew up playing music alongside their older relatives. They started playing as the Foret Tradition in the late ‘90s, with Ryan on bass and Brandon on guitar. The music is swamp pop (think of Johnny Allen, Warren Storm and Tommy McClain) but in their vocals, you can also hear the influence of singers like Otis Redding and the whole canon of Southern soul music.
SSabine McCalla , 4/24, LAG, 1:40p; 4/24, AM, 4p : Leyla McCalla’s younger sister Sabine is a singer songwriters and multi-instrumentalist based in New Orleans. McCalla will keep you enchanted with superb storytelling. Interviewed by Steve Hochman.
Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars , 5/3, LAG, 12:50p : Vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Salvatore Geloso is the creative force behind Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars. From New Orleans, his music is inspired by New Orleans R&B from the ’50s and ’60s. The band includes, Nathan Wolman on trumpet, James Beaumont on saxophone, Oliver Tuttle on trombone, Zach Serlet on bass, Jess Armerding on drums and Steve DeTroy on piano.
Sam Bush , 4/24, FDD, 5:45p : Considered the originator of progressive bluegrass music, Sam Bush plays the mandolin, fiddle and guitar. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame both as a member of the New Grass Revival and as a solo artist.
Samantha Fish , 5/3, FS, 1:45p : This Kansas City guitar-slinger was originally perched on the bluesy side of classic rock. Her early albums included Rolling Stones and Steve Miller Band covers. Yet she’s got far more interest-
ing on her last couple of releases exploring roadhouse rock. Samantha Fish is a frequent big winner at OffBeat ’s Best of the Beat Awards.
Santana , 5/1, FS, 5:25p : As long as there’s a vocalist willing to work with him—in other words, forever—Carlos Santana will be making music, furthering a career that started with Woodstock and “Black Magic Woman” and reached its commercial peak not long ago with a series of duets with famous singers (like Rob Thomas on “Smooth”). His squalling Latin guitar runs are always the star of the show. He’s played with half of Journey, Buddy Guy, and Curtis Salgado among others, so we may get a roots heavy workout with occasional hits and fabulous guest stars.
Sarah Quintana , 4/27, LAG, 12:40p : Guitarist and vocalist, Sarah Quintana weaves influences of Cajun, jazz and folk music into her songwriting.
Savoy Family Cajun Band, 5/2, FDD, 1:40p : Marc and Ann Savoy have done as much as anyone to celebrate and preserve Cajun music and culture. This group finds the couple with their sons Wilson (of Pine Leaf Boys) and Joel.
Second Line Arts Collective - Little Stompers , 4/25, KID, 12:40p : New Orleans teaching artists featuring New Orleans music from jazz with Louis Armstrong and Louis Prima, R&B with Fats Domino and Irma Thomas and rock n roll with Professor Longhair.
Secret Six Jazz Band, 4/25, ECO, 5:45p : The Secret Six continues to be one of the most prolific bands in New Orleans today. They play traditional jazz and blues that goes deep into the well of old-time music. The groups name comes from famed abolitionist John Brown and his “Secret Committee of Six” from 1859, and features bassist and leader John Joyce.
Seminoles and Black Osceola Black Masking Indians , 5/1, PAR, 2:10p : Big Chief Demond Melancon leads the Young Seminole Hunters, taking it to the streets for decades as a part of the Black Masking Indian culture of New Orleans.
Semolian Warriors Mardi Gras Indians , 5/1, J&H, 11:20a : Big Chief Ray Blazio leads this tribe of Mardi Gras Indians.
Seratones , 4/25, FS, 2:40p : American soul rock band formed in Shreveport, Louisiana in 2013. The group’s original line-up consisted of AJ Haynes (vocals, guitar), Travis Stewart (guitar), Adam Davis (bass guitar), Tyran Coker (keyboards) and Jesse Gabriel (drums).
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, 4/24, CON, 5:45p : Saxophonist, Seun Kuti, is the youngest son of Nigerian musician and political activist Fela Kuti. Seun joined his father’s band Egypt 80 before he was 12 and took over as its head after Fela’s death in 1997. Egypt 80 are a well-oiled Afrobeat machine. You have Seun Kuti stage presence with soulful sax solos and a backing singer that’s pure energy. You won’t be able to stay seated for this show.
Seva Venet & New Orleans Legends , 5/2, ECO, 12:40p : Seva Vent is a guitarist and banjo player originally from Los Angeles now living in New Orleans. Vent will celebrate the legends of New Orleans music that he has worked with or been influenced by including Danny Barker, Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, Lionel Ferbos and “Uncle” Lionel Batiste. The band will include Dr. Michael White, Rodger Lewis, Jamil Sharif, Craig Klien, Lawrence Sieberth, Herman Lebeaux and Kerry Lewis.
Shades of Praise New Orleans Interracial Gospel Choir, 5/2, GOS, 11:50a : This gospel choir is integrated across race, gender and denomination, and had its first scheduled performance on September 12, 2001. They’ve since been dedicated to spreading a message of hope.
Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band, 4/25, ECO, 12:25p : This all-female traditional jazz band was originally assembled by trumpeter Shaye Cohn of Tuba Skinny to perform for Girls Rock New Orleans. Although Cohn is not a full-time member of the band the members include Haruka Kikuchi on trombone, Marla Dixon on trumpet, Chloe Feoranzo on saxophone, Molly Reeves on guitar, Julie Schexnayder on string bass and Defne ‘Dizzy’ Incirlioglu on washboard and percussion.
Shamarr Allen , 5/1, CON, 4:20p : Jazz-funk-hip-hop trumpeter Allen resists
categorization, having performed with Willie Nelson and written the local anthem “Meet Me on Frenchmen Street.” He was awarded Best Trumpeter at the 2019 Best of the Beat Awards.
Shannon McNally, 4/25, LAG, 4:15p : Singer, songwriter from Long Island New York. Before the Federal Flood, McNally lived in New Orleans. She has recorded a tribute to Louisiana songwriter Bobby Charles who was a longtime friend and has collaborated with Dr. John. She’s won acclaim both for her own writing and for her exceptional ability as an interpreter of songs.
Sheepy & the Hen , 5/1, KID, 1:20p : Classical violinist and songwriter Brett Massimi along with her mother who plays fiddle, are Sheepy and the Hen. Although Brett plays classical music, she is passionate about music of many genres. She plays the agogô and surdo (Brazilian percussion instruments) in her samba group Tamojunto. She is a NOCCA student.
Shemekia Copeland, 4/24, BLU, 5:45p : Blues vocalist and songwriter from New York. She is the daughter of Texas guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland. She has deep roots in New Orleans and has written songs with Dr. John, Mary Gauthier and Will Kimbrough. Copeland has a unique, powerful, fierce and gripping voice.
Sheryl Cormier & Cajun Sounds , 4/26, FDD, 11:20p; 4/26, AM, 2:30p : Cajun accordion musician from Grand Coteau, Louisiana. She was the first professional Cajun accordion female musician and is known as the Cajun Queen. Her song “Mon Coeur et Mon Armour” is a highlight of her live shows. She is in the Cajun Music Hall of Fame. Interviewed by Barry Ancelet.
Shining Star Hunters and Mohawk Hunters Mardi Gras Indians , 4/27, PAR, 2p : Mardi Gras Indian parade.
Sierra Green & the Giants , 5/1, BLU, 3p : Vocalist Sierra Green performs a mix of covers and originals. The Giants are a 5 to 10 piece band. Their influences include Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Bruno Mars and others.
Silver Synthetic, 4/26, LAG, 4:20p : Silver Synthetic is a rock band from New Orleans. They were formed by members, Chris Lyons (guitarist and songwriter) and Lucas Bogner (drummer), of the garage punk band Bottomfeeders. They were later joined by bassist Pete Campanelli and guitarist, Kunal Prakash. The band’s sound has been compared to Lou Reed and Television.
Single Ladies, Single Men and Nine Times SA&PCs , 4/26, PAR, 12:15p : Social aid and pleasure club parade.
Sisters of Unity, Keep n It Real, and We Are One Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs , 5/2, PAR, 12:15p : Social aid and pleasure club parade.
Solid Harmony, 5/4, ECO, 12:25p : The late Topsy Chapman lead this allfemale group. Her two daughters, vocalists Yolanda Robinson and Jolynda “Kiki” Chapman are continuing the tradition.
Son de Madera , 4/26, CEP, 12:50p; 4/26, J&H, 3:10p; 4/27, FDD, 12:30p; 4/27, AM, 3p; 4/27, CEP, 5p : From Veracruz, Mexico, Son de Madera play regional folk music from Veracruz. Founded in 1992, its core members are Ramón Gutiérrez Hernández, Tereso Vega, and Rubí Oseguera Rueda. Gutiérrez leads the group playing the guitarra de son (similar to a guitar) and sings. Rubí Oseguera footwork adds a percussive cadence to some of the band’s performances. Interviewed by Betto Arcos.
Son del Coamil of Mexico, 4/24, J&H, 12:20p; 4/24, CEP, 3:15p; 4/25, CEP, 11:30a; 4/25, LAG, 3:05p : Son del Coamil is a group from Guadalajara, Mexico. They are a traditional Mariachi band and perform with guitars and violin, unlike the horn-driven Mariachi from Los Angeles.
Son Rompe Pera , 5/2, J&H, 4:15p; 5/3, FS, 11:20a : A Mexican fusion band from a suburb of Mexico City. The primarily play cumbia and integrate Mexican marimba music with traditional folk music. The band was formed by brothers Jesús “Kacho” Gama and Allan “Mongo” Gama who are influenced by Colombian cumbia legend Andres Landero.
Son Rompe Pera feat. Gil Gutierrez , 5/2, CEP, 1:40p; 5/3, CEP, 2:40p : A Mexican fusion band from a suburb of Mexico City. They are joined with Mexican guitarist Gil Gutierrez.
Sonny Landreth , 5/4, BLU, 4:10p : A thoughtful songwriter and scorching slide guitarist, Landreth can claim Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffett, John Hiatt and John Mayall as collaborators and fans.
Sons of Jazz Brass Band, 4/24, J&H, 4:10p : This local brass band often provides the soundtrack for parades by the Ladies of Unity and Revolution Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs.
SOUL Brass Band, 5/1, GEN, 1:30p : Drummer Derrick Freeman and saxophonist James Martin lead the Soul Brass Band, which was formed in 2015. Southern Avenue, 5/3, GEN, 2:55p : Blues band from Memphis formed in 2015 when Israeli blues guitarist Ori Naftaly met vocalists Tierinii Jackson and her sister Tikyra Jackson. Southern Avenue took their name from a street that runs from East Memphis to “Soulsville,” the home of Stax Records.
Southern University Baton Rouge Jazz Ensemble, 5/2, JAZ, 11:15a : This student group from the Southern University of Baton Rouge is part of a modern jazz program designed by the late Alvin Batiste.
Sporty’s Brass Band, 5/1, J&H, 5:40p : Sporty’s Brass Band will be parading with the Sudan, Revolution, and Men Buckjumpers Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs.
Square Dance NOLA , 4/26, KID, 3:05p : The string band gets kids and grownups moving to the sounds of old-time fiddle tunes and a variety of up-tempo blues while caller Dan Wally Baker shouts out invitations to swing yer partner.
St. Mary’s Academy Gospel Choir, 4/25, GOS, 1:55p : St. Mary’s Academy Gospel Choir is a choir from St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans. They have strong vocals and an energetic stage presence and are considered one of the best choirs in New Orleans.
St. Joseph the Worker Music Ministry, 5/1, GOS, 6:05p : The choir of this New York-based church plays a key role in their community’s daily activities.
Stanley Clarke & N 4EVER , 4/25, AM, 3:15p; 4/25, JAZ, 5:30p : Four-time Grammy winner Stanley Clark is a bassist and composer. The band plays jazz fusion with a combination of jazz harmony, improvisation with rock, funk, R&B, and hip-hop influences. The band consists of Beka Gochiashvili on piano, Colin Cook on guitar, Emilio Modeste on saxophone and Jeremiah Collier on drums. Interviewed by Ashley Kahn.
Stanton Moore feat. David Torkanowsky and James Singleton , 4/24, JAZ, 2:50p : New Orleans drummer for Galactic and Dragon Smoke, Stanton Moore is joined with pianist David Torkanowsky and bassist James Singleton. Stephanie and Rachel Jordan with Music Alive Ensemble, 5/4, JAZ, 2:25p : The Music Alive Ensemble is a blend of musicians, composers, arrangers and educators that help provide work for musicians. Stephanie and Rachel Jordan are the daughters to the late saxophonist Kidd Jordan. Stephanie is a jazz vocalist, and Rachel is a classically trained violinist who was a Stephen Foster & the New Orleans Jazz Ramblers , 4/24, ECO, 5:50p : No relation to the early American composer, this family foundation is dedicated to music education in New Orleans.
Steve Austin & The Bioniq Brass Band, 5/1, PAR, 2:55p : Trombonist Steve Austin blends soul and hip-hop to create this unique brass band. His influences include Keith “Wolf” Anderson and Charles Mingus. An outstanding vocalist and commanding stage presence gets the audience dancing all the time.
Steve Lands , 5/2, JAZ, 12:20p : Trumpeter Steve Lands is from Baton Rouge, now living in New Orleans. A regular at Preservation Hall he is no stranger to traditional jazz music. Like so many classic jazz trumpet players, Lands also sings. He is featured on P.J. Morton’s Grammy-nominated album Watch the Sun . Lands will often perform with drummer Joe Dyson, saxophonist Gladney, pianist Oscar Rossignoli and bassist Jasen Weaver.
Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys , 4/27, FDD, 1:40p : The venerable band is equally capable of playing straight-up Cajun music as they are of going progressive. Some recent gigs have even included a ten-minute jam on Neil Young’s “Down By the River” in French.
Stooges Brass Band, 5/4, CON, 11:25a : The Stooges are one of the busiest brass bands on the second line circuit, and one of the best. They’ve also performed in Pakistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan as musical ambassadors on US Embassy tours, as well as throughout Europe.
Storyville Stompers Brass Band, 4/26, GEN, 11:15a : The tradition of second line jazz is well embodied by this group, which formed in 1981 and has performed innumerable concerts, parades, riverboat cruises and jazz funerals. Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots , 4/26. AM, 12:30p; 4/26, FDD, 2:55p : Accordionist and harmonica player Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, who grew up surrounded by blues masters like Sonny Boy Williamson in Arkansas, infuses plenty of R&B into his brand of contemporary zydeco. Interviewed by Nick Spitzer.
Sweet Crude, 5/2, GEN, 2:15p : New Orleans indie pop septet Sweet Crude plays an energetic brand of percussion-driven, sparkly rock, often sung in French.
TTab Benoit , 4/27, FS, 1:45p : Tab Benoit is equally adept at swamp grooves and sizzling blues. As a founder of Voice of the Wetlands, he has also been one of the most outspoken advocates for preserving Louisiana’s imperiled coastal environment.
Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band, 4/26, BLU, 5:45p : Since the longago days at the Fillmore Taj Mahal has played the blues in just about every format, including a few that he made up. Perhaps his most rocking outfit, the Phantom Blues Band was formed partly as a New Orleans homage and only reunites once in a blue moon.
Taken 24 Karat Gospel Singers , 4/26, GOS, 11:15a : Gospel group from Raceland, Louisiana.
Tank and The Bangas , 4/26, FS, 3:30p : The boundlessly charismatic Tarriona “Tank” Ball leads a New Orleans crew whose infectious style doesn’t even have a name yet; admirer Trey Anastasio has called them “a psychedelic joy rap explosion.”
TBC Brass Band, 5/4, FS, 11:15a : If a brass band on Bourbon Street ever stopped you in your tracks, it was probably TBC Brass Band.
Tchefunky Playground, 4/24, KID, 12:40p : Formerly known as the Swing Setters, singer Jayna Morgan’s spirited new band covers standards, folk tunes and Disney songs with a jazz lilt.
Tems , 5/3, CON, 6p : Tems is Nigerian singer songwriter Temilade Openiyi. She has recorded with Justin Bieber and rapper Drake. Her voice has been described as deep, velvety, with characteristics of both male and female.
Terence Blanchard, 5/4, JAZ, 4p : A New Orleans born trumpeter, pianist and composer was a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and The Jazz Messengers. Blanchard has composed film scores for Spike Lee and the Metropolitan Opera staged Blanchard’s second opera “Fire Shut Up in My Bones.” His first opera “Champion” premiered at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.
Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience ft. Marcella Simien , 5/2, CON, 1:35p : One of zydeco’s ambassadors and one of its most energetic performers, are joined by Terrance Simien’s daughter Marcella, the Swamp Soul Songstress. Terrance Simien has performed at Jazz Fest for at least the last 31 years.
Terrell Griffin & Free, 5/1, GOS, 11:15a : Gospel singer songwriter and bassist from Baton Rouge. His music is often categorized a smooth jazz gospel. Thandiswa Mazwai of South Africa , 5/1, CON, 2:55p; 5/1, CEP, 5p : Vocalist, and songwriter from South Africa. She is known as King Tha and was also a member of Bongo Maffin. She has performed with Paul Simon performing “Under African Skies” which was originally sung by Linda Ronstadt. Her music is often political and blends Xhosa rhythms with jazz, Afrobeat and West African rhythms. She will captivate any audience.
The Academy of Our Lady ECHO, 4/25, GOS, 12:10p : Gospel group directed by Clark Knighten, piano and choir director at The Academy of Our Lady catholic high school in New Orleans.
The Bester Singers and the Dynamic Smooth Family of Slidell, 4/24, GOS, 12:05p : A cappella gospel harmonies are the specialty of The Bester Singers, a Slidell, Louisiana-based group. Evangelist Rosa Lee Smooth founded the Smooth Family group three decades ago, and her daughter Cynthia Smooth Plummer now leads the group.
The Branford Marsalis Quartet , 4/27, JAZ, 5:45p : New Orleans born and current resident, Brandford Marsalis is a saxophonist and composer. His quartet are bassist Eric Revis, drummer Justin Faulkner and pianist Joey Calderazzo. The quartet has been described as feeling like a jam-rock group similar to the Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic or Phish. Marsalis on soprano sax has incorporated into their set’s songs from the 1920s, like
the Fred Fisher tune “There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’s Worth The Salt Of My Tears.”
The Castellows , 5/2, FS, 2:05p : Country music trio consisting of three sisters, Eleanor (banjo), Lily (guitar) and Powell Balkcom (banjo). Castellow was their great-grandmother’s maiden name. What distinguishes the band are their beautiful harmonies, and choice of music. You may hear the Dixie Chicks “Traveling Soldier” or Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” or even the Beatles “Come Together.”
The Chosen Ones Brass Band, 4/26, PAR, 4:15p : The rock-steady members of the nine-piece Chosen Ones bring a hip hop-infused, high-energy style to traditional New Orleans backbeats and horn sections
The City of Love Music & Worship Arts Choir, 5/2, GOS, 2:35p : Singers from New Orleans’ City of Love ministry perform as part of the group’s arts focus.
The Deslondes , 5/2, FS, 11:15a : Formerly the Tumbleweeds, this earthy songwriters ensemble describes itself as “country-soul swamp boogie.” The band’s leader is Sam Doores, a former traveler and companion of Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Lee Segarra. Three players share composing duties; fiddle and pedal steel player John James is also a standout.
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, 5/1, FS, 2:35p : The Dirty Dozen Brass Band was formed in 1977 by Benny Jones. The band has continued to evolve and won OffBeat ’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Music at the Best of the Beat Awards in 2020.
The Dixie Cups , 4/26, GEN, 12:20p : Pop music group from New Orleans originally comprised of sisters Barbara Ann and Rosa Lee Hawkins and their cousin Joan Marie Johnson. Both Rosa Lee and Joan Marie passed away. The current lineup includes Aaron Neville’s daughter Athelgra Neville. The Dixie Cups’ unique infusion of New Orleans soul into “Chapel of Love” and “Iko Iko” set the stage for their success.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds , 5/2, BLU, 5:45p : Still more than tuff enuff, singer and harmonica man Kim Wilson has been this Texas blues-rock institution afloat through a couple dozen lineups: Star guitarist Jimmie Vaughan is long gone, but the spirit of the original band continues with Austin guitar slinger Johnny Moeller in his slot.
The Florida State Jazz Orchestra 1 , 4/25, JAZ, 11:15a : Orchestra from the school of music at Florida State University. Jazz drummer Leon Anderson, from New Orleans, is the director of the Jazz Studies program at the university.
The Gospel Soul of Irma Thomas , 4/27, AM, 4p; 5/2, GOS, 3:45p : If you heard 1993’s Walk Around Heaven, you know how stirring Thomas can be as a gospel singer. She has a personal rule against singing gospel during a secular set, but her sacred side feeds into everything the Soul Queen of New Orleans sings. Interviewed by Joyce Jackson.
The Headhunters featuring Bill Summers and Mike Clark , 5/3, J&H, 4:35p : The Headhunters are a jazz fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The original band’s lineup included Louisiana native percussionist Bill Summers, who is also performing at the Fest with Jazalsa. Summers is joined by drummer Mike Clark, a past member of the Headhunters, and saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr.
The Hoot-n-Holler Inn , 4/26, KID, 1:55p : The Hoot-n-Holler Inn is an artistrun workspace in New Orleans with a focus on providing unique art.
The Iceman Special, 4/24, GEN, 2:10p : The Iceman Special is 4-piece outfit transplanted from the swamps of Louisiana. They combine a sound of dirty funk and delicate groove with elements of disco and rock and roll to create danceable jams with plenty of edge and substance. Screeching yet smooth guitars, wandering yet punchy bass lines, electronic synth samples, driving drum beats and powerful vocals form one a kind soundscapes.
The Iguanas , 4/25, FDD, 1:40p : With Tex-Mex rock as their base, the Iguanas can swing freely into jazz, country, garage and Caribbean music.
The Johnson Extension , 5/3, GOS, 2:45p : New Orleans spiritual leader and matriarch Rev. Lois Dejean leads four generations of family members in sacred song.
The Jones Sisters , 5/1, GOS, 1p : Grade school-aged sisters Kayla, Kiera, Dalia and Dejon Jones comprise this gospel quartet, which first performed when the youngest sister was only two.
The Knockaz Brass Band, 4/27, PAR, 4:15p : Formed in 2014, the band specializes in New Orleans second line arrangements.
The Legendary Rocks of Harmony, 5/4, GOS, 11:15a : New Orleans gospel in its purest form, this all-male group has been singing praises and spirituals for a half-century.
The Leon Anderson Quintet , 4/27, JAZ, 12:20p : Jazz drummer from New Orleans. Anderson is a trained classical percussionist and has worked with Marcus Roberts as a member of the Trio and with many orchestras around the world. He performs and tours with Wynton Marsalis, Walter Payton and Victor Goines. His quintet consists of Rodney Jordan on bass, Oscar Rossignoli on piano, Ricardo Pascal on saxophone and John Michael Bradford on trumpet.
The Magic Jones , 4/25, KID, 4:10p : The Magic Jones is a duo, comprised of sisters Arin Jackson and Alexis Jones from New Orleans. Their music blends soul, R&B, and gospel influences. Formerly known as Elysian Fieldz they have worked with John Legend, Kanye West, Mary Mary and many others.
The Mid-City Aces , 4/24, FDD, 11:15a : The Mid-City Aces are accordionist Cameron Dupuy, his father, guitarist Michael Dupuy and fiddler Gina Forsyth.
The N’awlins D’awlins Baby Dolls , 5/3, ECO, 1:45p : For more than a century, groups of Black women in New Orleans have worn short dresses, bloomers, and bonnets as a distinctive masquerade for Mardi Gras. Parade in the Economy Hall Tent.
The Nayo Jones Experience, 5/1, JAZ, 1:35p : Singer, Nayo Jones was born in Chicago. Her father is saxophonist William “Doc” Jones who has played with The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, and ‘Pops” Staples. Now a New Orleans resident she performs with Kermit Ruffins as the featured vocalist. She also performed with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Her vocals are compared to Natalie Cole, Nancy Wilson and Whitney Houston.
The New Orleans Swinging Gypsies , 5/3, JAZ, 5:40p : Bandleader and NOCCA grad John Saavedra began the group with the vision of mixing and mingling gypsy jazz style with New Orleans influences and a punk rock edge. The gypsy numbers allow guitarist Saavedra to show off his nimble-fingered skills and the swing tunes are a great showcase for the heavy-hitting horn/ reed players. The band is full of energy and versatility that will get the audience up to dance.
The Paulin Brothers Brass Band, 4/25, ECO, 1:40p : Ernest “Doc” Paulin founded this band in the 1920s; his sons now perform strictly traditional brass band music, complete with the requisite black-and-white uniforms and spiffy white caps.
The Pfister Sisters’ Tribute to The Boswell Sisters , 4/24, ECO, 3:05p : Inspired by the close harmonies and lively personalities of New Orleans’ Boswell Sisters, the Pfister Sisters are all about the ‘30s in both sound and look. Expect to hear the Andrews Sisters’ best-known songs, particularly their 1941 hit “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
The Radiators , 5/4, GEN, 3:50p : The quintessential local rock band, the Rads ceremoniously quit the road ten years ago, and leader Ed Volker has stuck to his guns about staying put in New Orleans. Their annual reunion/ anniversary shows at Tipitina’s have since become the stuff of legend. They even released a new album in 2016, Welcome to the Monkey House, which has no fewer than five monkey-themed songs.
The Revelers , 4/26, FDD, 12:25p : An Acadian supergroup made up of founding members of Jazz Fest perennials the Red Stick Ramblers and the Pine Leaf Boys.
The Revivalists , 4/27, FS, 3:10p : Long before they became rock stars, the Revivalists were performing like they were, swinging for the rafters when they still had early-morning Jazz Fest slots. Their efforts were rewarded with a nationwide hit, “Wish I Knew You,” in 2015.
The RiverBenders , 4/26, LAG, 11:30a : Roots/Americana Quartet from New Orleans. Members included Aaron Wilkinson (Honey Island Swamp Band), Jake Eckert (New Orleans Suspects) and Myles Weeks (James Hunter, Andrew Duhon), showcasing three premier songwriters and performers.
The Roots of Music Marching Crusaders , 5/4, PAR, 3:30p : Rebirth snare drum player Derrick Tabb’s program aims to support, teach, and protect at-risk youth through music education while preserving and promoting New Orleans’ musical heritage. Songwriter Ani DiFranco is on the board of directors.
The RRAAMS, 5/3, KID, 11:30a : The River Road African American Museum Society in Donaldsonville presents an educational program for kids.
The Rumble ft. Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. , 4/26, FS, 11:15a : The Rumble distills classic Mardi Gras Indian funk with brass band music and contemporary popular music, bringing forth a pure New Orleans product of our time. They were nominated for a Grammy award for their album Live at the Maple Leaf.
The Showers , 4/25, GOS, 6p : This family gospel group includes six daughters and one son of Bobby and Oralean Showers of Hammond. They recently called on their faith and their music to sustain them when their family home burned down several years ago.
The Smothered Brothers: Paul Sanchez & Alex McMurray, 4/27, RHY, 12p : Two of New Orleans’ most prolific songwriters join together bringing a unique blend of music and storytelling. From Sanchez’ Nine Lives to McMurray’s “You’ve Got to be Crazy to Live in this Town” expect the audience to sing-a-long.
The Soul Rebels , 4/27, AM, 12p; 4/27, CON, 3:25p : An object in motion stays in motion. For the Soul Rebels, that’s been an unspoken mantra since the band formed in 1991. Borne from the wellspring of traditional brass and marching bands, with a goal of becoming the standard bearer for performing popular music through horns and drums, the Soul Rebels have moved in a consistently impressive trajectory for nearly three decades. They are probably the local brass band most open to hip hop and other nontraditional influences as their album Poetry in Motion demonstrates. As founding member and snare drummer Lumar Leblanc says, “Throw whatever you want at us; we’ll be able to play it.” Interview by David Kunian.
The Tangiers Combo, 4/24, RHY, 1:10p : From New Orleans the Tangiers Combo combines French bal musettes, Latin waltzes, American songbook classics, and Caribbean beats with a homage to New Orleans’ jazz heritage. The band members include Carl Keith on guitar, Eric Rodriguez on the fiddle, and Jason Danti on reeds.
The Tanglers Bluegrass Band, 5/2, LAG, 1:30a : The Tanglers are a bluegrass band based out of New Orleans, Louisiana. They cover Meters songs in “Grassy Pi” a medley of “Cissy Strut” and “Look-a-Py-Py.” All six members play string instruments (banjo, dobro, acoustic guitar, mandolin and fiddle) with three members sharing vocals.
The Wailers featuring Julian Marley, 5/2, CON, 5:40p : Julian Marley is Bob Marley’s son. At 14 years of age, he formed a reggae duo with Aston Barrettt, Jr. whose father was the band director for Bob Marely’s band
The Wailers. The current version of the Wailers has Aston Barret, Jr., as its leader and drummer. Guitarist and lead singer Julian Marley, the only son of Bob Marley born in the U.K. has followed in his father’s footsteps and is a devout Rastafarian who uses his music to inspire his life and spirituality.
The Z Steppers and Lady & Men Rollers SA&PCs , 4/25, PAR, 3p : Join a second line parade with this social aid and pleasure club.
is a New Orleans Gospel & R&B Singer songwriter. Phaze includes vocalists Tiffany Hayes-French, Chantal Mitchell, and Demond Southall.
The Zion Harmonizers , 4/26, GOS, 1:55p : This venerable group has been a Jazz Fest favorite since the beginning. The gospel group’s history goes back to 1939, when the original lineup was formed in the Zion City neighborhood of New Orleans.
Thee Sinseers , 5/4, BLU, 12:20p : From East Los Angeles, Thee Sinseers combine Chicano and African American music to create R&B with mariachi and boleros. The nine-member, horn heavy band puts together a nostalgic and unique sound to soul music.
Tia Wood, 5/3, GEN, 12:25p; 5/3, AM, 3p : Singer songwriter from Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada. She first performed with her family, singing traditional music at powwows. Her father, Earl Wood, is co-founder of the powwow drum group Northen Cree. She has a soulful and powerful voice that blends folk, pop, and soul with her Indigenous culture. Interviewed by Brenda Dardar.
Tidal Wave Brass Band, 5/3, PAR, 2:20p : New Orleans brass band that was created in 2022 as a wedding or event brass band.
Tim Laughlin , 5/2, ECO, 5:50p : Clarinetist Laughlin’s compositions fit within the classic traditional jazz idiom, but his skill in bringing old-time New Orleans jazz into the 21st century gives the songs a more modern feel. He was the first New Orleans clarinetist to write and record an entire album of originals.
Tin Men , 5/2, BLU, 11:15a : The Tin Men are America’s premier sousaphone, washboard and guitar trio. The band includes Alex McMurray on guitar, Matt Perrine on sousaphone and Washboard Chaz.
Todd Dulaney, 4/26, GOS, 3:55p : Gospel singer and songwriter from Forest Park, Illinois. He was originally a baseball player and was drafted by the New York Mets. His performances are a blend of get-up-and-dance with lift-up-your-hands worship. The music is a combination of acoustic and reggae-infused pieces.
Tom McDermott & Aurora Nealand, 4/26, RHY, 1:10p : Tom McDermott, a virtuoso pianist whose skill and deep knowledge of music history allows him to play everything from New Orleans jazz and blues to Caribbean and classical music, is joined by singer and saxophonist Aurora Nealand. Nealand and McDermott never cared too much about musical boundaries, so expect their set list to be eclectic. On their album Live At Luthjen’s, you will find Chopin, Carole King, Duke Ellington and a handful of obscurities.
Tommy Sancton’s New Orleans Legacy Band, 5/3, JAZ, 4:30p : This clarinetist served as Time magazine’s Paris bureau chief for 22 years. As a child, he took music lessons from Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s George Lewis, an experience he documents in the book Song for My Fathers: A New Orleans Story in Black and White.
Tonia Scott & the Anointed Voices , 5/2, GOS, 1:40p : Primarily comprised of women, this local gospel choir has become a Jazz Fest regular.
Tony Dagradi & The New Orleans Saxophone Ensemble, 5/3, JAZ, 12:20p : Saxophonist Tony Dagradi is most well-known for his work with Astral Project. He performed with Allen Toussaint, Professor Longhair, James Booker, the Meters, Dr. John and many others. The New Orleans Saxophone Ensemble has been Dagradi’s project for many years.
Tonya Boyd-Cannon , 5/4, CON, 12:40p : This New Orleans-based soulful singer boasts a powerful contralto voice. Her delivery is sharp yet inspirational, contemporary and authentic. In 2015, she had a near-winning run on The Voice.
Treces del Sur - New Orleans Latin Music Band, 4/27, J&H, 11:20a : Latin music band from New Orleans.
Treme Brass Band, 4/26, ECO, 1:45p : Led by Benny Jones, the Treme Brass Band is one of the longest-running traditional brass bands in town. The Treme Brass Band contributed to the Carnival repertoire with “Gimme My
Money
Back.”
Tribute to Bessie Smith: 1925 Remembered featuring Kiki Chapman and Yolanda Robinson with the Lars Edegran Band, 5/3, JAZ, 3:05p : The two daughters of the late Topsy Chapman, vocalists Yolanda Robinson and Jolynda “Kiki” Chapman along with Swedish-born multi-instrumentalist Lars Edegran, pay tribute to vocalist Bessie Smith.
Tribute to Luther Kent with Trickbag feat. Jonathon “Boogie” Long , 4/27, BLU, 3p : This soulful Baton Rouge-based blues guitar slinger has opened for B.B. King and performed with Dr. John, Kenny Neal and many others. Luther Kent, a Jazz Fest favorite, passed away in 2024. After his passing Long said: “He was one of the most influential people in my life and career, and without him and his selfless love I would be less than half of the human being and musician that I am today.”
Tribute to Pete Fountain featuring Tim Laughlin , 4/26, ECO, 3:05p : Clarinet player Pete Fountain passed away in 2014. Writing for OffBeat , clarinetist Tim Laughin wrote: “The first time I heard you on the radio in 1973, I didn’t even know your name or that you were famous. I just knew what I heard drew me in to listen. Every note had a smile on it.”
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, 5/4, FS, 5:45p : One of the current kings of New Orleans music, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews can do everything from sexy old-school soul to heady jazz excursions to full-throttle dance workouts drawing both from hip hop and local traditions. Since he took over the closing Acura slot from the Neville Brothers, he’s been sure to include music from them and other local touchstones in his sets.
Trombone Shorty Music Academy, 4/27, KID, 4:15p : The Trombone Shorty Academy at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation educates the next generation of musically gifted students. Students are fully immersed in the history and key influencers of New Orleans music, while preparing for
ensemble performances under the instruction of accomplished musicians. Trumpet Mafia , 5/2, JAZ, 2:50p : Skilled local trumpeter Ashlin Parker, a member of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, brings a hip hop sensibility to the modern jazz-rooted approach of his forward-thinking, multi-trumpet ensemble.
Tuba Skinny, 4/27, ECO, 1:40p : This band of New Orleans street musicians specialize in traditional jazz, Depression-era blues and spirituals. They are frequent Best of the Beat Award winners.
Tulane BAM Ensemble, 4/26, JAZ, 11:15a : Students from Tulane University Newcomb Department of Music, led by pianist Jesse McBride.
Tyronne Foster & The Arc Singers , 5/4, GOS, 5:10p : These Jazz Fest regulars formed in 1987 when Tyronne G. Foster started working with the St. Joan of Arc Youth and Young Adult Choir. In 1992, they opened their ranks to singers from all denominations.
UUNO Jazz All Stars , 5/3, JAZ, 11:15a : Student group from the University of New Orleans’ jazz program, which was established by Ellis Marsalis in 1989.
VVal & Love Alive Choir, 4/26, GOS, 6:05p : Few things sound more spirited than 100 school-age kids singing praises. Valentine BemissWilliams directs this large choir.
Valley of Silent Men , 4/26, PAR, 4:15p : Social aid and pleasure club parades.
Vickie Winans with Davell Crawford, 4/25, GOS, 3:50p : Gospel singer from Michigan. She is married to gospel singer Marvin Winans and her in-laws include BeBe and CeCe Winans. Her album Live in Detroit was nominated for a Grammy. Her music is eclectic with a traditional edge. She is joined with the piano prince of New Orleans.
Victor Campbell, 5/3, JAZ, 2:55p : Jazz pianist from Cuba now living in New Orleans. Influenced by Gonzolo Rubalcaba, Campbell’s first introduction to New Orleans music was when Wynton Marsalis brought his band to Cuba. Campbell in says: “Now when I play Cuban music, I try to put a little New Orleans in it too.”
Video Age, 4/26, LAG, 5:35p : Rock band from New Orleans. Their influences include David Bowie, Paul McCartney and Janet Jackson. The four members are Ross Farbe on guitar, Nick Corson on bass, Duncan Troast on keyboards and Ray Micarelli on drums.
VIP Ladies, Original Four, and Lady Wales SA&PCs , 5/1, PAR, 12:15p: Social aid and pleasure club parades.
Voices of Peter Claver, 5/3, GOS, 12:05p : This adult choir is based at St. Peter Claver Church on St. Philip Street in New Orleans.
WWalter Trout , 4/25, BLU, 5:45p: This blues guitar slinger has worked with Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker and Joe Tex.
Wanda Rouzan & A Taste of New Orleans , 4/25, BLU, 12:25p; 4/25, AM, 2:15p: Vocalist that is known as “The Sweetheart of New Orleans.” The Taste of New Orleans was originally formed by David Lastie. The band fuses jazz and blues, funk and soul and R&B. She has won numerous awards and honors for her musical skills and has appeared on HBO’s Treme and in major films such as Ray and Glory Road. Interviewed by Mona Lisa Saloy.
Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, 5/2, RHY, 2:20p: Washboard Chaz is Chaz Leary a fixture on the New Orleans club scene. He performs with the Tin Men, Palmetto Bug Stomper and many others. Leary’s wood framed washboard is outfitted with a wood block and a hotel call bell. He plays it like a drum kit, ratcheting over the ridges of the corrugated metal as if it were a snare drum and using the block, bell and wooden frame for rhythmic accents. The resultant sound of Leary’s blues band recalls the sprightly acoustic dance music of the 1930s popularized by the Mississippi Sheiks, Bo Carter and Tampa Red.
Watson Memorial Teaching Ministries , 4/26, GOS, 5:10p: Based in Algiers and the Garden District, these singers are led by Pastor Tom Watson.
Waylon Thibodeaux , 4/24, FDD, 1:40p: Cajun fiddler was born in Houma, Louisiana. He has been dubbed “Louisiana’s Rockin Fiddler.” Although Thibodeaux has an old school approach to his music, he often puts a modern spin on his tunes. He has a thin voice but it is loaded with enthusiasm.
Wayne Toups , 5/2, FS, 3:20p: Wayne Toups is a native of Crwoley, Louisiana, whose long-running band Zydecajun blurs the lines between Cajun, zydeco, and larger-than-life arena rock. Li’l Band O’ Gold member C.C. Adcock put it best around the time his band played with Robert Plant: “Hell, we’ve opened for Wayne Toups and he is bigger than Led Zeppelin where we come from.”
Wendell Brunious , 5/1, ECO, 1:45p: Trumpeter Brunious took over as the leader of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in 1987 and remained a Hall regular for many years. Brunious has played regularly with Lionel Hampton, Linda Hopkins and Sammy Rimington.
Wesli of Canada/Haiti , 5/2, CON, 12:20p; 5/2, CEP, 3:10p: Wesli is the stage name of Wesley Louissaint a Haitian Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Port-Au-Prince he moved to Montreal in 2001, they play a blend of Haitian roots music, reggae, rara, Afrobeat and hip-hop.
Wild Mohicans Black Masking Indians and Buffalo Hunters Mardi Gras Indians , 5/2, PAR, 4:20p: Social aid and pleasure club parades.
Wilson Savoy, 5/3, LAG, 1:10p: Grammy winning accordionist, keyboard player, fiddler and singer with the Pine Leaf Boys and The Band Courtbouillon, and the son of Marc and Ann Savoy, will often perform on the accordion and piano.
Women of Class and Lady Wales Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs , 5/1, PAR, 2:55p : Social Aid and Pleasure Club parade.
Woodenhead 50th Anniversary, 5/4, AM, 2:15p; 5/4, LAG, 5:30p: In the immortal words of Frank Zappa, Woodenhead is a band with no commercial potential—and damn proud of it. An instrumental prog/fusion, rock/jazz, classical/Celtic band, Woodenhead represents a breed that wasn’t too widespread
in the first place. The band consists of guitarist Jimmy Robinson, bassist Paul Clements, keyboard Fran Comisky and drummer Mark Whitaker. Interviewed by Brett Milano.
YYellowjackets , 5/1, JAZ, 5:45p: Jazz band that has won two Grammys and 17 Grammy nominations. They were formed as the backup band for guitarist Robben Ford. Founding member Russell Ferrante (piano and synthesizers) says there is no leader, and that the musicians come together as four equal parts. They play ballads and jazz fusion. They include Bob Mintzer on woodwinds, Dane Alderson on bass and Will Kennedy on drums.
Young Audiences Performing Arts Showcase, 5/2, KID, 11:30a: This top arts education and integration program offers a review of its latest work.
Young Brave Hunters and Wild Mohicans Black Masking Indians , 5/4, PAR, 1:40p: Mardi Gras Indian Parade.
Young Cherokee and Washitaw Nation Mardi Gras Indians , 4/26, PAR, 3:05p: Mardi Gras Indian Parade.
Young Eagles and Young Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians , 5/3, PAR, 3:30p: Mardi Gras Indian Parade.
Young Fellaz Brass Band, 5/2, PAR, 2:40p: The Young Fellaz add plenty of youthful swagger to traditional brass-band instrumentation.
Young Men Olympian Jr. Benevolent Assoc., First Division YMO, and Untouchables SA & PCs , 4/27, PAR, 1:20p: Social aid and pleasure club parades.
Young Pinstripe Brass Band, 5/3, J&H, 12:15p: Formed in 2009 and led by fourth-generation musician Herbert McCarver IV, the group puts a funk and hip-hop spin on the brass band sound.
Youssou N’DOUR , 4/25, CON, 2:40p: Singer, songwriter from Dakar, Senegal. His music mixes aspects of Islamic music with modern influences including Cuban rumba and soul. He has performed with Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Sting and many others. His performances usually end in a party mode (this is dance music) from a very thrilling performer. The song “No More,” a song of political disappointment, should hit home to many of us.
Yusa Cuban Soul, 5/3, J&H, 1:25p: Singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Havana, Cuba now residing in New Orleans. Her style of music is funk, jazz and soul that keeps its connections to her African and Caribbean heritage. She plays guitar, bass and keyboards. She is often compared to Tracy Chapman.
Yvette Landry & the Jukes , 5/4, FDD, 11:15a: Singer/guitarist Yvette Landry is part of the Cajun supergroup Bonsoir Catin, and her own sets are solid, swinging honky tonk with Richard Comeaux playing pedal steel guitar.
ZZach Edwards & The Medicine, 5/1, GEN, 11:15a: Southern rock, jam band from Lafayette, Louisiana. They are a five-piece band with two guitars, drums and harmonica that draws its inspiration from The Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead.
Zachary Richard, 5/4, FDD, 12:30p: Zachary Richard is a singer-songwriter from Lafayette. His idiosyncratic fusion of rock and Cajun elements has made him a regional treasure and has taken him to different musical destinations over the years.
Zar Electrik of the Maghreb, 4/26, LAG, 3p; 4/26, CEP, 5p: Zar Electrik is a trio from Marseille, France that blends traditional music from the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa with electronic music. The band pays homage to tribal cultures from Ethiopia and Egypt with trance and dance. The electronic layers resembling mantras. The band’s name comes from the ancient Zar ritual, which is used for healing and connecting with the spirit world.
Zena Moses & Rue Fiya’s Allstars , 5/1, CON, 11:15a: Singer songwriter from New Orleans, Zena Moses, blends funk, soul and jazz for a unique sound.
Zigaboo Modeliste’s Funk Revue, 5/4, GEN, 1:20p: Zigaboo is usually joined with Ivan Neville, Tony Hall, Ian Neville and George Porter Jr. It’s the closest thing to a full-fledged Meters set.
Zulu Gospel Male Ensemble, 5/3, GOS, 11:15a: Local New Orleans gospel group performs gospel music through an R&B and soul filter.
LILA DOWNS
talks back
BY STEVE HOCHMAN
Lila Downs, one of Mexico’s most vibrant musical stars for a few decades now and a global ambassador of the nation’s culture, sits in a house in the capital Mexico City, about 250 miles northwest from her home in Oaxaca. She’s not there as an artist, but as a mother.
“My older young boy is 14 and we’re here getting his teeth fixed,” she says, idly weaving her hair into long, black braids as she talks on a video call. “I live in Oaxaca now, so coming to Mexico City is like coming to the big city and getting things done. And it’s wonderful.”
She also has an eight-year-old, she says, who she left for a few days with her mother. It all sounds fairly normal, but of course for a musician who tours the world regularly, this is a special time. And parenting has taken on another layer in the last couple of years since the death of her husband Paul Cohen, her musical and life partner for more than 30 years, of heart disease in late 2022.
“They’re growing up in Oaxaca, and it’s a beautiful place for children,” she says, the locale being a couple of hours from the town of Tlaxiaco, where she spent most of her childhood. “And we get to visit with the aunties and the cousins and people from the rural areas. And that makes life a really different experience than it is to be in a city.”
Oaxaca is where her mother, Anita Sánchez, a singer herself, is from. But Downs’ father, Allen Downs, who died when she as 16, was a U.S.-born art professor and she spent some of her youth there as well. She and Cohen too moved between both countries, then settled for a decade in New York before relocating to Oaxaca.
Her music reflects that. An ad-hoc trilogy of 2011’s Pecados y Milagros (Sins and Miracles) (which won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Music Album, as well as the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album, 2015’s Balas and Chocolate (Bullets and Chocolate) and 2017’s Salón, Lágrimas y Deseo (Hall of Tears and Desire) showcases her nimble, powerful voice and an expansive vision of music as a force to bridge ancient and
Friday, April 25 at 2:20 p.m. Expedia Cultural Exchange Pavilion
Friday, April 25 at 4:20 p.m. Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage
modern, villages and metropolises as she celebrates joy and exposes hardships and sorrows. All this often manifests visually in her lively performances and album cover photos. This same spirit flourished in her activism and in too many collaborations with too many artists from too many countries and cultures to list.
It’s motherhood from the other side that she celebrated on her most recent album, La Sánchez , the title honoring her mother and the traditions of that side of her family. This was also, though, her first without Cohen, recorded just months after his death. He had a big hand in planning the album, so it stands as a tribute to and continuation of the life and art they made together. And always she has been a strong voice for women. That powers the 2014 album Raíz (Root), in which she is joined by Spanish singer Niña Pastori and Argentine singer Soledad Pastorutti in a triumphant global trio. The threesome returned last year for the EP Raíz Nunca Me Fui (Root I Never Left).
This will all be on display, colorfully, in her Jazz Fest appearance, as a featured artist in this year’s cultural exchange focus on Mexico. Not only will it be her first Fest performance, but also her first time ever in New Orleans.
You live in the same area where you grew up? I live in the city proper now, Oaxaca, But I grew up in the Mixtec mountains, which are on the way to the coast.
That’s still a big part of who you are as an artist. Of who I am. Of course. Mainly my mother’s indigenous village, because I have estranged myself a bit more from my more Mestizo village, I think, because my experience as a young woman was very difficult in a very macho society. And that’s all part of my story. It comes through in so much of your art. Yeah, I’ve
been fortunate to live in this generation where I can go from these very conservative attitudes to now, and how things are much more liberated. And there’s still stuff we need to work on. But it’s certainly a different panorama of what’s happening now.
You’ve always been a very collaborative spirit with your art. You probably can’t even count how many people you’ve collaborated with. It’s been quite a few!
And from many different places and different cultures, different backgrounds and traditions. That feels like a real passion for you. It is because I think my vision as I was formed as an artist was to find a global village of sorts in the music—and also in life. I think that’s why I wanted to live in New York. I lived in New York for 10 years and then, because of the circumstances that Paul was facing, because of his illness, we decided to come back to Oaxaca. At first it was a very difficult decision for me to make for all these different reasons. But it now makes sense in terms of what I have been trying to say. I miss the cities, but then I see the enormous necessity of focusing on roots and on the importance of endemic and local, and thinking local. And that’s always been an issue since I was a child, because I grew up in these cultures, Minnesota and Oaxaca, that are very collective conscious societies. So, I’ve always had that. I think that I was attracted to the city the way everybody else is, to be liberated in ways. And now I see the importance of coming back home and singing about important issues again and writing songs once again about these things.
You come across with people’s vision of what an identity is and what a nation is and what it means to be Mexican and what it means to be Latino. Each of us comes from our own experience. And in my case, because I am tri-cultural, I have a particular vision and translation for the three cultures.
of people assume that, because I sing music that comes from the different traditions of Mexico. Also, my vision is to speak about the diversity that exists in Mexico, because sometimes people are very ignorant of this. But of course, I come from one particular ethnic group, and I can’t speak for everyone. But I have been fortunate to be in a generation, once again, where there has been a movement of resistance and expression of identity. And I have contributed to music to this movement. And I venture to say that I have as well contributed—as literary figures and poets and artists do—to people looking at our diversity and seeing how important it is to express this diversity and to legitimize each expression. Sometimes there’s the notion that all these languages have died. And even in places like Argentina, you go and [Spanish] is still the official language or historical language. But it’s not true. In Argentina most people have black hair and dark skin, like I do. So, what’s that all about? In Mexico we have also gone through this denial of who we are and so the story of identity has been very important. And in my music, it was from the beginning, because my tri-cultural identity caused me such pain and rejection from the three of them that I had to look for my own place in the three of them. And I think that’s what made this vision so important through the art and through the songs.
When you say “tri-cultural identity”… It’s my indigenous ethnic group, which is Mixtec. And then my Mestizo heritage, which is the national Mexican identity. And then my MexicanAmerican identity as well, from North America.
Representing Mexico is a big challenge. There’s no one Mexico, no one culture, no one sound. But you’ve long drawn on many parts of that. Do you see yourself as a representative of your country in that way? Well, a lot
How does this all play into what you see as your role at Jazz Fest as part of the cultural exchange spotlight? You come across with people’s vision of what
an identity is and what a nation is and what it means to be Mexican and what it means to be Latino. Each of us comes from our own experience. And in my case, because I am tri-cultural, I have a particular vision and translation for the three cultures.
And of course, the AfroOaxacan route has been important as well, because I have ancestors from my mother’s background. And that also complicates things, this notion of discrimination and how light your skin is, and these things have been very difficult to deal with. But through music, you’re able to cross those bridges and speak truth to your audience and then teach them about your heritage and about your little place in the world and how you also are able to move, and what that movement causes in your art as well.
I have a sister who’s a milliner and an artist, and she doesn’t speak Spanish. She’s a half-sister through my father, the Downs family. And she said, “Well, Lila, do you think that people get you when it’s usually Anglo audiences?” [Laughs] It’s a very legitimate question. And it depends. Sometimes you’re ahead of your time and people can’t relate. You’re one of a kind, you know? So that’s why I’ve said that I’m fortunate because I’ve lived 30 years on the scene and now it’s like people finally understand what this is all about. [Laughs]
New Orleans, as a culture and a community, has some overlap here. People may have something in mind when they hear about it, but so much of its history is so complex. I’ve studied a bit of the cultural tradi -
tions that come together there, and of course the indigenous dance and music influence in the New Orleans scene. That has always been fascinating to me. The album Shake Away , which we did back when we were living in New York, I thought would take us to New Orleans, because we worked with a drummer who was working with a second line. We did a few songs like that and honored the dead and the ancestors through the blues and some of the forms that are prominent in that area. But I’m very happy to finally come and be there.
One thing people often overlook in New Orleans
history is the Latin influence, the rhythms that come through or from South America are very prominent. I remember reading about this and listening to the music, of course, and the food–the food of course, has these influences. The spices and the way we cook our molés has a lot to do with the roux that is tradition from this region. And the way that the seafood is cooked. It is interesting to see those similarities, and beautiful.
Your last album, La Sanchez , is in many ways celebratory. But it was also a tough time and what came from it must have been very hard. Was it important for you to work through that all in your music? Well, we lost Paul in December [2022]. And I went into the studio in January [2023], because that’s when it was planned to be done. And I didn’t want to change the plans, in part because I have a history of depression. So, I thought, “I can’t risk it. I have to just keep going, let the train keep going, and I’ll have my time to grieve.” And more recently I’ve been giving myself more time off. It was a very challenging time for all of us, because our whole team had lost their boss and their friend and their musical director.
So, it was pretty tough. But we pulled through and we finished that album, and we had it out in March of that year. I’ve been very grateful for that music. We’ve been performing it along with some of our older things and people have responded beautifully and accompanied me in my grief and also in my happiness, because now I have more happiness. And I’m very grateful.
The title and cover photo, with you in a very traditional hat, are statements too. My mother’s family traditionally has listened to norteño music and that is the way it is in all of southern Mexico. People wear the hat and the boots, and there’s a lot of accordion playing. So, it’s something that I wanted to do, to honor and remember the fiestas that we have in Oaxaca with my mother’s family, which are Los Sanchez, the Sanchez part of the family who are actually the Afro-descendants. And I remember when I went and met my mother’s side of the family and my grandmother’s side. They were divided. One side was very spiritual, and the other side was very political. And I understood a lot about myself! ✯
