A spiritual saturnalia that happens every spring, Jazz Fest in New Orleans is truly a tradition like none other, masters camp in the Big Easy. The blessed and brightest in our little sliver of the musical universe—from OGs, current day killas, and cats on the come-up—together fill the Crescent City with an almost-incomprehensible array of supernatural sound-art in every freaking flavor imaginable for nearly two weeks straight.
Anchored by eight grandiose days at the granddaddy of ‘em all, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, once the sun goes down and the vibe goes up, Jazz Fest morphs into a seemingly-endless blur of nightclubs, dive bars, ornate/antique theaters, chic hotel spots, and weird watering holes with stages that thump n’ bump past the break of dawn.
A whirlwind fortnight of the finest in Black American Music, dotted by debauched dance parties, crawfish boils/copious regional cuisine, round-the-clock NOLA-funk ragers, and voodoo Lagniappe serendipity, Jazz Fest remains in a league of her own. The individual itineraries of many musicians can border on unthinkable or impossible, often cramming a dozen performances (if not double that, across a plethora of projects) inside of a 13-day/night window. In turn, seasoned Jazz Festers’ concert calendars appear insane to mere mortals, as we rabidly chase our faves all over this faire city til ungodly hours.
Jazz Fest 2025, your humble narrator went wire-to-wire, meaning Day Zero (4/23) through Cinco de Mayo. In addition to seven out of eight afternoons spent frolicking at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, I did my damndest to step into the night and paint the town proper. NOLA-centric celebrations, bold-font superjams, and annual reunions continued full force; Daze Between Band on Wednesday night at Tipitina’s welcomed the likes of Dave Matthews and Mike Gordon (Phish) for historic collabs that shook the hallowed room. Led by Jazz Fest godfathers George Porter Jr., Cyril and Ivan Neville, multi-generational dream-team Crescent City Classics delivered big second Saturday night at the marvelous Joy Theater. This year’s emotional tribute to late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, A Dream We Dreamed (also hosted at the Joy), was particularly poignant, as the GD canon and culture loom large in the Bayou.
However, returning to this musical Mecca nearly every year since 2000, I find myself forever searching for the sound, drawn off the beaten path from time to time, looking for local lava or the next new thing. Even after covering the chaos for so many seasons in the abyss, it remains challenging to distill/decide just which concerts to revisit in print.
What follows is a diverse smattering of reflections mined from my 21st long, strange sojourn to get blessed down at the Jazz Fest. As usual, these recollections are primarily nocturnal transmissions, focused on the myriad of Jazz Fest After Dark happenings about town.
Fest du Void: DAY ZERO
Weds. 4/23 — The Broadside
Afterparty — Rabbit Hole
DAY ZERO offered a new twist on tradition for the 2nd annual Fest du Void at Broadside. Just Schwandering welcomed local heads and early Jazz Fest arrivals with a full day and wide array of cool musical offerings, topped off by an afterparty at Rabbit Hole. By day, fans enjoyed the likes of NOON (a trio from Dubai, more on them later) who welcomed renowned djembefola Weedie Braimah for a crucial collab, chased by the rare Jesus Coomes’ Peasant Party. The Broadside transformed into a vibrant, immersive environment, the delightful decor courtesy of Studio Shel NOLA.
Inside on a smaller stage, Mike Dillon’s Punkadelic got real zany with a twisted concoction of punk-funk freak-jazz hijinks, with a sit-in from John Speice (Grupo Fantasma/Money Chicha/Hairy Apes BMX); the main outdoor stage finished with a joyful jamboree from Colorado’s Magic Beans. Fest du Void’s electronic-focused afterparty at Rabbit Hole saw a dilated dancefloor moving to Atlanta bass technician ROHAN SOLO, a sweet tweener from local DJ Snuz Button, and a wild, freewheeling Adam Deitch producer set with contributions from both Coomes brothers and later Will Trask.
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PYTHON ft. Nicholas Payton
Thurs. 4/24 — d.b.a.
PYTHON is a new quartet project from South Florida bassist Brad Miller, drafting Lettuce’s Adam Deitch (drums) and Eric Benny Bloom (trumpet), plus Japanese all-world keyboardist BIGYUKI to complete the lineup. Assisted by the genius talents of NOLA’s own Nicholas Payton on trumpet and Fender Rhodes, the group explored instrumental dance music with funk and electronic elements, pouring up pints of rare groove, neo-soul, deep house, U.K. garage, drum & bass, and trip-hop. The five assassins reached extreme levels of ambitious improvisation, punctuated by imaginative interpolations of Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew”/ “Electric Relaxation” [A Tribe Called Quest] and Roy Ayers’ timeless “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”, pushing the limits deep into the d.b.a. night. Being a mere few feet away as Payton and Bloom traded trumpet bliss induced the first “goosebumps” moments of Fest 2025.
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Weedie Braimah & The Hands of Time
Fri. 4/25 — Music Box Village
The first Weedie Braimah & the Hands of Time show at Music Box Village (2019) remains among the most impactful live music experiences of my life. First Friday, the master djembefola’s dynamite ensemble brought its globalized gumbo of West African folkloric dance styles back to the Bywater’s interactive wonderland. The ceremonial concert celebrated famed Senegalese musician (and Weedie mentor) Youssou N’Dour and his legendary band Le Super Étoile de Dakar, who were all in the house on the heels of their set that afternoon on the Congo Square Stage at Jazz Fest.
Looming thunder and rain threatened the long-planned festivities; after a lengthy delay we were eventually spared, and then thoroughly blessed. Weedie’s sprawling ensemble stormed the tarped, intimate performance area with intercontinental crosspollinations of the highest and most righteous order. The storytelling and salutations included local siren Sunni Patterson, and culminated in a series of heart-filling dedications; a humbled Weedie presented awards to Assane Thiam, Pape Oumar Ngom, Ibou Cisse, and his personal hero, Mbaye Dieye Faye, before honoring N’Dour himself with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Then both N’Dour and Braimah were bestowed their own ceremonial day in the city of New Orleans, honors delivered by Mayor Latoya Cantrell. Youssou N’Dour got April 25th; Weedie Braimah Day in NOLA falls on his birthday, April 29th.
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El Dusty & The Homies
Thurs. 4/24 — Rhythmporium Tent
Fri. 4/25 — ÌFÉ party
This Corpus Christi, TX-based trio was the dopest (new-to-me) discovery at Jazz Fest 2025. First Thursday at the Fair Grounds, on the way to catch Anna Moss at Lagniappe Stage, we randomly happened upon the Rhythmporium Tent. Passing by, it sounded like a deep Playa dance party at 4 a.m. in Black Rock City, so curiosity called an audible and in short order I got my wig split to some South Texas cumbia-trap.
A DJ/producer flanked by a pair of percussionists, El Dusty & The Homies (Dusty Oliverira and drummers Camilo Quinones and Andrew Ita) performed a couple times in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion first weekend as well, so word was on the street about these Gulf Coast gangstas; naturally, we had to suss out a nocturnal situation for further investigation. First Friday night, just after the Weedie Braimah show, we cruised a short distance to the ÌFÉ house/salon in the Bywater. There we were treated to an all-vinyl cumbia sesh from El Dusty & the Homies (among other DJs), a steezy hang with grown n’ sexy vibes permeating the scene, the hip shindig straying a wee bit off the established Jazz Fest After Dark path. El Dusty dealt a smorgasbord of cumbia, from classic traditional styles to more modern amalgamations tailor-made for nightclub dancefloors.
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The Rumble feat. Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.
Sat. 4/26 — Blue Nile
Fri. 5/3 — Bayou Rendezvous at Howlin’ Wolf
Torchbearers of sacred Black Masking Indian traditions, The Rumble featuring Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr., is one of the hottest and most important bands on the local-to-NOLA scene, and also has international appeal. As such, The Rumble straight-up blanketed Jazz Fest 2025, slaying no less than five sets across several stages day and night, various band members then spilling out into numerous other eclectic endeavors during the two-week bacchanal. An inebriating serum of NOLA-funk, Mardi Gras vibes, conscious hip-hop, and beyond, The Rumble fields a sturdy cast equally steeped in its individual craft and shared culture. The always-bedazzled Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. is frontperson and lead vocalist, augmented by multi-talented Aurélien Barnes (trumpet/percussion), José Maize Jr. (trombone), TJ Norris (bass), Ari Teitel (guitar), Andriu “Yano” Yanovski (keys), and Trenton O’Neal (drums).
A Blue Nile performance first Saturday night saw the traditionalists welcome NOLA legend Ivan Neville to their stage, the Dumpstaphunk founder adding both keys and vocals for a lengthy portion of this explosive frame. As Ivan shared space with Yano stage right, this collab was highlighted by a ferocious reimagining of The Temptations’ classic “Ball of Confusion.” A week later, The Rumble returned to Howlin’ Wolf for the 23rd annual Bayou Rendezvous. The Rumble rose to the occasion once again, igniting a huge primetime crowd turned bustling dancefloor, tearing through heaters “Up Until the Morning Comes”, “Chief Got a New Suit”, “Morning Glory”, “Down in the City”, and the title track to its latest LP Stories From the Battlefield.
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TG & The Smack City All-Stars
Sat. 4/26.— d.b.a.
Billed as an unofficial Babyface late-night afterparty—the 13-time Grammy-winning artist/producer/songwriter played Congo Square Stage at the Jazz Fest Fair Grounds earlier that day—TG & The Smack City All-Stars delivered an appropriately swanky affair that spotlighted syrupy R&B gems from the ’70s, ’80s, and early ’90s. A prolific NOLA-based drummer/sound engineer, Thomas Glass abdicated his throne on this night at d.b.a to the supremely gifted Alfred Jordan Jr. (KDTU), who drove this band of bullies with the verve and vitality of a seasoned veteran. TG ran the show with loose, limber, spirited lead vocals; his Smack City All-Stars a core crew of local killas including Nigel Hall (keys, vox), Shea Pierre (keys), Max Bronstein (guitar), Evan Washington (bass), plus vocalists Vic Glass, Jay Sutton, and Taylor Porter.
Background singers and various instrumentalists cycled on and offstage throughout a two-hour fantastic voyage in a wide-open New Jack Swing wayback machine. The intentional setlist celebrated beloved R&B bangers and sexytime slow-jams galore, some selections sourced from Babyface’s decorated songwriting/production canon. The Smack City committee knocked the hustle with swaggering romps through The Whispers’ “Rock Steady” with Khris Royal on sax, “Tell Me Somethin’ Good” (RUFUS) with Angelika “Jelly” Joseph, “Tell Me If You Still Care” (SOS Band), “Fool’s Paradise” (Melissa Morgan) with Pedro Segundo on percussion, MAZE feat. Frankie Beverly‘s “Love Is The Key”, and even mixing in Nigel’s own defiant anthem “Don’t Change For Me”. Personal highlights: a family tree trifecta from my youth: “Can You Stand the Rain?” (New Edition), “Don’t Be Cruel” (Bobby Brown), and a line-of-scrimmage audible into a synth-drenched “Poison” (Bell Biv Devoe). [Full Show Audio]
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Nate Smith, Kiefer, CARRTOONS w/ special guest Eric Gales
Sun. 4/27 Toulouse Theater
Piloting with viscous authority from his minimalist drum-kit situated stage left, the stupendous Nate Smith (Fearless Flyers) was a flurry of sound in motion, laying down heavy funk, swingin’ with lyrical soul, and snappin’ some mean-mug boom-bap headnodders too. Meanwhile, his erstwhile, younger co-creators Kiefer (keyboards) and CARRTOONS (bass)—a pair of rising stars in the beatmaker/hip-hop adjacent post-jazz scene—showed just why this revered rhythm-keeper drafted them to fill out this exploratory trio. Three technicians traded casual conversations that evolved into spirited discussions, with material sourced primarily from Smith’s songbook, a couple compositions from Kiefer and CARRTOONS, even teasing Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do”.
The electrifying encore was an instant classic. Blues guitar sensation Eric Gales—roused from a second-story porch nap—emerged dripped head-to-toe in all-white-everything, draped in a glistening gold rope chain and jewels, a steezy southpaw wielding his axe like a boss. Smith, Kiefer, and CARRTOONS started up The Meters’ “Just Kissed My Baby”, however Nate was not mimicking Zigaboo’s obtuse, stutterstep NOLA-funk style, instead playing the beat in “Dilla Time” (that trademark J Dilla/Jay Dee limping, drunk funk, behind the beat with a rushed snare).
I couldn’t believe my ears to begin with, then Eric Gales—fresh off closing out the Blues Tent that day at the Fair Grounds—takes center stage with all the swag this side of the Mississippi. First, he tells a wild story, then proceeds to summon a lava-like guitar tone directly from the Jimi/SRV family tree. I closed my eyes, and it was like hearing The Meters, Dilla, and Hendrix jamming together, in the middle of the night in the French Quarter. The quartet chased that magic with a chopped n’ screwed, bluesy stomp through Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”, just to drive the point even further home.
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Money Chicha
Thurs. 4/24 — Chickie Wah Wah
Sun. 4/27 — Saturn Bar
Of the two times I caught psychedelic cumbia ninjas, Money Chicha across the first weekend, a super-late Thursday slot at Chickie Wah Wah was pretty solid, especially given the wee hour and light-ish crowd, but Sunday night told an entirely different story. In the sweltering confines of the intimate Saturn Bar way down St. Claude Ave., Austin’s first chicha band threw down the gauntlet like gangsters, unleashing two flaming hours of Andes-scented anthems atop searing, tantric rhythms.
Money Chicha is culled from members of Grammy-winning Latin orchestra Grupo Fantasma (who played Congo Square Stage at Jazz Fest) and veteran Tejas funksters Brownout (of Brown Sabbath fame). Greg Gonzalez (bass, talkback), Beto Martinez (guitar), Peter Stopschinski (Farfisa organ), John Speice (timbales/drumset), and Sweet Lou (percussion) were a picture of passion and disciplined minimalism, expertly cultivating a potent hybrid of chicha (Peruvian cumbia) and psychedelic garage rock of the ’60s and ’70s to a radioactive room of revelers. Money Chicha incinerated the joint with a fuzzed-out frenzy, its potion equal parts lysergic and libidinous; among the more ecstatic dancefloors I can recall in over two decades of Jazz Festin’. Favorite cut was 2016 original “Quieren Efectos”, a sinister cumbia-funk flip of James Brown’s seminal “Blind Man Can See It”.
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Deitch, Teitel, Fribush [DTF]
Sun. 4/27 — Maple Leaf Bar
After first jamming together during Jazz Fest last year, North Carolina’s organ-wunderkind Sam Fribush, NOLA-based guitarist Ari Teitel (The Rumble, Dumpstaphunk), and drummer Adam Deitch (Lettuce, Break Science) coalesced over the past several months to manifest DTF (debut LP Another Side Of The Sound out now). Late night first Sunday at Maple Leaf Bar, the terrific trio tore through a two-hour tour de force, putting a greasy spin on the Hammond-drenched styles that Jimmys Smith and McGriff made famous 60 years ago. After a vibey improvisational segment set the tone, these three brand-new amigos unfurled their instrumental interpolation of the Allman Brothers Band chestnut “Midnight Rider”, stunning the room from jumpstreet with an adventurous spirit and seemingly instantaneous chemistry.
The new crew leaned into originals “Shama”, “Compassion”, and “Uncle T”, songs steeped in smoked-out rare-groove that would make the great Rudy Van Gelder grin wide. Situated stage left up front, Sam Fribush was pure virtuoso on the burly B3, channeling early Neal Evans and Richard “Groove” Holmes. Red-hot axeslinger Ari Teitel was in full Tone Ranger mode, rippin’ on a pristine Gibson ES 335; the veteran Adam Deitch got his Idris Muhammad boom-bap on proper. Late in the sesh, saxophonist Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band)—who showed up and sat in just about everywhere all Fest long—soared on tenor during DTF’s sure-shot first single “Chester”.
DTF — Maple Leaf Bar — New Orleans, LA — 4/27/25 — Full Set
[Video: Maple Leaf Bar]
LOCALS ONLY
Mon. 4/28, Tues 4/29 — Gasa Gasa
With so many renowned musicians from around the country descending on NOLA for so many shows every spring, Just Schwandering set an intention to offer some decidedly different options with distinctly native flavors. Locals Only went down for two nights uptown at Gasa Gasa. Fans were treated to diverse sounds of area buzz bands on the rise, like the soulful sizzle of The Love Muscles.
This Daptone-esque group kicked off the programming Monday night, the divine Megan Martinez (vocals) dazzling every beating heart in attendance. Late night ragers wiggled to multi-hued psychedelic jams onboard the good ship Zoomst, the most interesting pure jam band to emerge from these parts in some time. Gasa Gasa was transformed into a trippy scene thanks to the always-dope environmental accoutrements via Optic Tempo (projections) and Fete du Void’s Creative Director, Taylor Bryan. Bands showcased across the pair of Locals Only parties included quasi-supergroup BIG WERM, Atom Cat, Bakeys Brew, and Max Sanders’ Cosmic Gumbo.
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Very Good Mondays NOLA
Mon. 4/28 & 5/5 — The Rabbit Hole
Alex Wasily’s Very Good Band.
Thurs 4/24 — Maple Leaf
Los Angeles-based Dumpstaphunk trombonist Alex Wasily recently partnered with NOLA-based guitarist Ari Teitel to bring Alex’s wildly popular Very Good Mondays series in L.A. to The Rabbit Hole. An egoless, freeform, camaraderie-focused superjam, Very Good Mondays operates under one golden rule: No Covers. Musicians can only perform tunes they themselves wrote, otherwise it’s raw improv. This makes for monumental collaborations that incorporate individual talents of a random group into one collective vision, all of it seat-of-pants improvised on the fly.
April 28th’s iteration united Robert “Sput” Searight, Bobby Sparks II, Jay McK, Dominic Xavier, and Jonathan Moses of Ghost-Note, along with Dumpsta’s Wasily, Teitel, and John Michael Bradford, with appearances from Nigel Hall and Jeff Coffin, among others. One of the best and brightest musicians in the city, Jamison Ross emerged from the crowd to sing a rollicking gutbucket blues that brought the house down. The following Monday after Jazz Fest wrapped, another murderer’s row was racketeering at The Rabbit Hole. Co-conspirators included Teitel, Adam Deitch, Ian Neville, Uriah Duffy, Wil Blades, D’Vibes, Corbin Andrick, and José Maize Jr., with Denver’s Eman and Chicago’s Xavier Lynn guesting on guitar for a hot stretch, among other sit-ins.
First Thursday, the VGM mastermind ported this creative concept to the Maple Leaf for Alex Wasily’s Very Good Band; another mind-boggling display of improvisational wonder. A-Waz tapped Ian Neville, Nigel Hall, John Michael Bradford, TJ Norris, Deven Trusclair, and Teitel for a NOLA-centric, hybrid Dumpsta/Rumble squadron that knocked a whole ‘lotta doors down all the way Uptown.
Alex Wasily’s Very Good Mondays — The Rabbit Hole — New Orleans, LA — 4/28/25 — Full Show
[Video: FunkItBlog]
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Dr. Lonnie Smith Tribute
Tues. 4/29 — Blue Nile
The Wil Blades-helmed Tribute to Dr. Lonnie Smith returned to Blue Nile on Frenchman Street, one of several treasured annual traditions hosted by Backbeat Foundation. A longtime mentor to Blades, the late, great, pioneering doctor of the Hammond B3 organ would bless Blue Nile during Jazz Fest several times over the years; this event serves as a celebratory love letter from the student to the enduring legacy of his great teacher (and friend). Per usual, Wil was joined by New Orleans royalty in drummer Herlin Riley and longtime bi-coastal collaborator Will Bernard on guitar. Historically, saxophone was handled by Big Chief Donald Harrison, but he was unavailable, so Karl Denson graciously stepped in (just a few nights after Denson saved the day subbing for Cheme Gastellum with Current Futures at Cafe Istanbul)..
Blue Nile was packed to the gills as club owner Jesse Paige honored Dr. Lonnie and introduced his buddies in the band; juicy opening combo “Back Track” and “A Matterapat” left copious jaws agape with immediate impeccable cool. The kinetic krewe galloped through Dr. Lonnie’s catalog spanning decades, touching on “The Whip”, “Midnight Special”, and “Mellow Mood”, among others. With Blades channeling the turbaned wizard on organ, Bernard was right on time with sweet-toned hollowbody.
The first situation pairing Denson and Riley together in the same combination, and the results were astounding. Herlin’s commanding, high-octane beats pushed the Diesel to peel off blistering saxophone, and a few glorious turns on flute. Naturally, DMB sax assassin Jeff Coffin found his way to the stage, burning on “Play It Back” (with Khris Royal also joining in); Coffin stayed up for the closing “Pilgrimage”, and another terrific Tribute to Dr. Lonnie Smith was in the books.
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lespecial ft. Skerik & Mike Dillon
Tues 4/29 — Daze Between Fest — Mahalia Jackson Theater
Fackin’ A ft. Kanika Moore
Thurs. 5/1 — Toulouse Theater
Kicking off Daze Between New Orleans midday Tuesday afternoon in a dark Mahalia Jackson Theater, lespecial offered a welcome diversion from the plethora of funk, jazz, and jamband options that populate the majority of Jazz Fest itineraries. After shredding a some of its heavier tunes like “Snells Fleet” and “Lungs of the Planet”, the sadistic king of skronk Skerik (sax) and “Jazz Dad” Mike Dillon (vibraphone, percussion, punk vocals) helped welcome these Connecticut lads to the stranger side of the Crescent City. The five-man diabolical jam traversed titanic thrash and guttural groove metal, hardcore punk, and lespecial’s nascent dubbed-out detour “Cannibal Holocaust”, plus meaty covers from old school Skerik and Mike Dillon projects Critter’s Buggin’ and Dead Kenny G’s.
Late night on Thursday, May 1st, an ever-rare Fackin’ A show (lespecial x Mike Dillon) with special guest Kanika Moore threatened the structural integrity of the Toulouse Theater. A couple of lespecial originals set the tone while folks filed in, then Jazz Dad came home from work; soon the punk rock Pops and his three sicko kiddos were tearing the club up with zero f*cks given. They ripped punishing pages from Mike D’s voluminous songbook, pummeling with “Speed Trap” and “Crab Rangoon”, even resurrecting embryonic late-80’s Texas funk-punk riot squad Billy Goat (“F–k More Bitch Less”).
The royal songstress Kanika Moore then commandeered center stage, lending pipes to Les Claypool deep cut “Riddles Are Abound Tonight” (Sausage), and reprising her spine-tingling interpolation of Tool’s “Forty Six & 2”. Deep into the night, Moore arguably coalesced best on some of lespecial’s most brilliant work; ‘The Vessel”, “Machine Elf”, and “Divider”, readings chased by a cataclysmic stomp through Nine Inch Nails’ 1989 breakout “Head Like A Hole” that sent us all home with our hair on fire. Kudos to Fest by Nite hosts GMP/L4LM/Purple Hat Productions for making Jazz Fest metal again.
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NOON
Weds. 4/30 — Le Bon Temps Roule
Hitting twice during Jazz Fest all the way from Dubai was the otherworldly NOON, a spiritualized, genre-bending trio where oud is the lead instrument. NOON is Mohamed Hosny on oud/vocals, Steven Bedford on bass/electronics, and Ratish Chadha on drums/percussion. Creating a style they’ve glossed “Experimental Oriental”, these three dudes made their NOLA debut at Fest du Void: Day Zero. On the Wednesday night of the days between, NOON unspooled a monumental concert to a packed house uptown at Le Bon Temps Roule that had everybody in a state of shock and awe.
NOON’s original music draws influences from across generations and around the globe, be it fusion virtuosos Snarky Puppy, traditional Egyptian music, or OG dubstep legends like Mala (U.K.). From psychedelic groove excursions to Icaros-like vocals, meditative movements and booming bass-heavy bangers, NOON proved an ability to move the crowd with elegant sounds and unhinged jams alike. Elements of NOLA funk, Indian and African percussive rhythms, and electronic soundscapes all flavor this intercontinental sonic gumbo, plus a late-set sit-in from Steve Lands on trumpet. Mad props to Just Schwandering for importing this excellent act from Dubai at great effort and expense, and to Talent Buyer Steve Kelly at Le Bon Temps Roule for providing a clutch midweek slot to a relatively unknown group on the other side of the world.
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RAGE Fest! An Evening With Lettuce
Thurs. 5/1 — Orpheum Theater
Another treasured threauxdown in the Crescent City, Lettuce’s annual RAGE Fest! soiree moved over to the Orpheum Theater in 2025, a fresh container and fantastic canvas for these crunkalogic cosmonauts to take flight once again. While in the past, LETT welcomed numerous guests to their RAGE Fest! stage, more recently the group has eschewed the copious sit-ins that are the Jazz Fest norm for a focused, surgical display of intentional sorcery with just the core cats, augmented solely by the addition of percussionist TYCOON (older brother of bassist Jesus Coomes) for the entire performance. For the second consecutive year, visual artist supreme Optic Tempo transformed the RAGE Fest! room with psychedelic projections, and the magnificent Orpheum enhanced the setting.
This shape-shifting two-set excursion blasted off with a brief take on Dynasty‘s “Adventures in the Land of Music” (also known from Camp Lo’s “Luchini aka This is It”), before LETT laced a slick shift into a nuanced “Relax”. More scintillating segues would follow, like the kaleidoscopic “Insta-Classic” > “Purple Cabbage” pairing that took us all on intergalactic safari. Second set exploded with a trip to the District, a massive Go-Go medley that began with LETT’s own “Checker Wrecker”, barreling into the theme from Inspector Gadget, turning the corner to “Makin’ My Way Back Home”.
The septet slid into Chuck Brown’s take on Sly & the Family Stone’s “Family Affair” and then busted MAZE featuring Frankie Beverly’s “Joy & Pain” (with Nigel Hall shining bright), eventually landing the bubonic Go-Go segment back home in “Makin’”. Late in the second frame, a dusty, mycelial “Hawk’s Claw” somehow mutated into a brief blaze through Busta Rhymes‘ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See”, which then seamlessly cooled out into some mid-’90s trip-hop mushroom jazz. Nights like this one are why we Lettuce.
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The SMOKER Section
Derrick “Smoker” Freeman
SOUL Brass Band, The Nerve, Smokers World
WWOZ DJ, The Shadow People Podcast
In lieu of an individual concert or band report, I’ve gotta show some love to the man, the myth, the legend himself: Derrick “Smoker” Freeman. This crucial cat is a keeper of NOLA culture and a torchbearer for his adopted city, an integral part of my Jazz Fest experiences dating back a quarter-century when he was drumming with CRONK. Smoker can do it all, and during Jazz Fest, he definitely does it big.
I caught him holding down his forever-dope SOUL Brass Band on the Gentilly Stage at the Fair Grounds second Thursday, and enjoyed SOUL twice more for midday block parties at Daze Between Fest. Throw in a stealth late-afternoon set on Tuesday at d.b.a. drumming/singing with The Nerve, a side project with swamp-rock troubadour Papa Mali. Derrick hosted his wide-ranging WWOZ radio show The Kitchen Sink for two hours on both Monday nights. He also taped three episodes of the phenomenal podcast The Shadow People with co-host Nigel Hall, the duo welcoming guests like Alex Wasily and Nikki Glaspie for very good conversations.
There were several other SOUL Brass Band shows, plus the ever-rare Smoker’s World hit first Saturday at Le Bon Temps Roule. And when Freeman wasn’t giggin’, he was outside: in the crowds, smokin’, dutifully supporting his peers, and always contributing to the best of what Jazz Fest—and the culture of New Orleans—has to offer.
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Adam Deitch — Fri. May 2
BTTRFLY Quintet — Toulouse Theater
WRD — Bayou Rendezvous — Wolf Den
Adam Deitch Producer Set — Bayou Rendezvous — Late Night Howlin’ Wolf
Friday, May 2nd was an all-time night for Adam Deitch at Jazz Fest, and the dude has been grinding hard as hell every spring in the Crescent City for over two decades. First, a phenomenal sesh with Denver-based electro-jazzers BTTRFLY Quintet, a top-flight contingent of Dom Lalli (sax, Big Gigantic), Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet, Lettuce), Borahm Lee (keys, Pretty Lights/Break Science), and criminally-underrated bassist Hunter Roberts. BTTRFLY probed a plethora of spaces and styles that made the people boogie, welcoming guitarist Eman (host of Denver hotspot Meadowlark’s Off The Cuff residency) for a late set sit-in.
Immediately thereafter, Deitch raced over to Howlin’ Wolf for the first of two performances as part of the 23rd annual Bayou Rendezvous. In the tiny, beyond-sweltering Wolf Den next door, Deitch linked up with keyboardist Robert Walter and guitarist Eddie Roberts for the rare WRD set. The trio battled the sauna-like conditions like seasoned professionals, tearing through scorching tracks from their 2018 Color Red LP The Hit, assisted by Lalli on tenor sax for a stretch.
The highlight of Deitch Night was the second consecutive Adam Deitch producer set on the late-night Howlin’ Wolf stage, once again joined by a gang of peers at a preposterous hour for another raucous rager for the ages. Last year’s debut put people on notice, but this time Deitch & Company raised the freaking bar: mixing up his original creations, a Camp Lo classic, Break Science banger, Lettuce remix, a Kaytra-styled house edit of The Pharcyde’s “Runnin’”, a future-trap flip of Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams”, and even a deep cut from his 2017 solo Sky’s Alive.
After a while the homies showed up, and a producer set turned into a bombastic full band; Nikki Glaspie, Deven Trusclair, Robert “Sput” Searight, and Brian Richburg took turns on drums and toys, D’Vibes on keytar, trumpet maven Maurice “Mobetta” Brown, saxophonists Khris Royal and Autumn Dominguez, Eman on guitar, the whole damn neighborhood got in on this debauched dance party ’til the clock struck six in the mornin’. Favorite moment: 5:32 a.m. Nikki Glaspie grabs the mic and starts freestyling bars, grimy thug sh*t spit in triplets, on top of a fully-improvised, seven-piece electro-funk squad made up of some of the finest musicians on Earth.
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Holy Ghost-Note
Sat. 5/3 — Blue Nile
Thanks to Backbeat Foundation, more magnificent traditions continued deep into second Saturday night with Holy Ghost-Note’s gospel extravaganza at Blue Nile. For the past several years, Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth—co-founders of Ghost-Note—put together a faithful flock of superheroes to take the stage just after midnight, basking in unrepentant folkloric funk to greet the Lord’s Day well before the sun does. Holy Ghost-Note went down just a few hours after an expansive Ghost-Note lineup performed at the interactive Music Box Village, also now a Jazz Fest tradition for Sput, Nate, and Co. However, the soul-quenching baptism at the Blue Nile worships in another zip code altogether. Many/most of these cats participating came of age playing in church, and some have extensive histories performing gospel music (or in Sput’s case, winning a Grammy).
Crowding a cramped Blue Nile stage, the swollen congregation began with an always-appropriate take on The Headhunters‘ “God Made Me Funky”; naturally, this sordid session was going to land on the stankier side of the church pews. Across an exhaustive two-hour, 2 a.m. Frenchman Street mass, Holy Ghost-Note unleashed lengthy, filthy gospelized funk and soul versions and vamps, rapturous riot acts rooted in devotion to Creator and entrance to Heaven. The group was graciously amplified by top-shelf virtuosos who testified with Pentecostal passion: Jamison Ross (“One Day in Paradise”), Nigel Hall (“If I Ever Lose This Heaven”), and Cory Henry (“Lord Will Make A Way”) each got liturgical with it, other contributors included Xavier Lynn and Marcus Machado (guitar), Lettuce’s Ryan Zoidis (alto sax), TK Johnson (drums), Stanley Randolph (Sput’s cousin, drums), as well as extended members of the Ghost-Note family. God is good, yes indeed.
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Holy Ghost-Note — Blue Nile — New Orleans, LA — 5/3/25 — Full Video
[Video: FunkItBlog]
Triune: Nicholas Payton, Esperanza Spalding, Karriem Riggins
Sun. 5/4 — Cafe Istanbul
In the tailwind of a terrific Jazz Tent set at the Fair Grounds a couple of days earlier, Nicholas Payton presented his latest project Triune at Café Istanbul early evening on Sacred Sunday. A trio alongside Grammy-winning bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and Detroit drum phenom Karriem Riggins, Triune finds Payton playing trumpet and keyboards while leading with a humble authority. This esteemed team hasn’t performed together since Angela Davis’ 75th birthday event in 2019. At Cafe Istanbul six years onward, the sum of these prodigious parts coalesced as Triune, painting in pristine colorways to weave majestic works of high art.
With a scalding Spalding stunning primarily on upright bass (save for one tune electric), Riggins was torrid in Philly Joe Jones meets J Dilla mode; Payton steered the vessel with a steady confidence while doing double duty to boot. With uncanny chemistry and organic pizzaz, these alchemists defied genre, generation, or categorization, effortlessly cross-coagulating hard bop and hip-hop, fusion-adjacent fireworks and instrumental neo-soul, rendering such cognoscenti labels rather meaningless, defiantly declaring all of it Black American Music.
Triune explored works from a prolific pair of cultural pillars in late pianist Geri Allen (“Feed the Fire”, “Unconditional Love”), and late saxophone icon Wayne Shorter (“Fall”, a Terri Lyne Carrington arrangement originally performed with Allen and Spalding in 2013). Payton compositions included “Let It Ride’ (2008) with Esperanza taking lead vocal, “Jazz is a Four-Letter Word” (2017), the ethereal “Ultraviolet” (2019), smoky session “Gold Dust Black Magic” (2021), among other sterling selections and improvisations.
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Nikki Glaspie & The Homies
Sun. 5/4 — Maple Leaf Bar
Nikki Glaspie & The Homies’ Herculean housequake late-night Sacred Sunday uptown at the Maple Leaf is already the stuff of legend, just a week or so after homegirl came through and crushed the building. Every year (usually during “Deep Fest”), a different all-star assembly somehow summons their A+ game to Nikki’s vigorous stage; then the cadre of mostly local-to-NOLA killas reliably detonates the baddest git-down in town. This (almost) annual get-together has been my #1 can’t miss Jazz Fest After Dark shindig since I first got religion right here at the Leaf, late second Sunday 2019. Six years to the night on down the numberline, this tantalizing Homies heauxdown was quite possibly the best one yet.
The Maple Leaf was sold out and vibrating from wall to wall all the way out to the back patio, as a dozen-plus cats—and their mountains of gear—crammed onto the tiny hallowed stage. For two volcanic hours, The Homies plunged a packed house 30,000 leagues subaqueous into the glory days and disco nights of deep-cut, full-throttle FONK sourced solely from the late ’70s and early ’80s. Think DJ Soul Sister’s bottomless record crates springing to life, and then coming for your jugular, smackin’ you upside the head with unrelenting thumpasaurus fury.
Onstage, a dream team supreme, yet there were no egos present, just pure collective passion for the timeless tunes and one another. Every joint stretched double digits; between songs, the HNIC (Homie Nikki In Charge) kept folks educated on just who was responsible for the music she selected, and why these songs/artists were so important/influential to her. If I’ve got to pick a fave five: Nigel Hall and Nikki sharing lead vocals for “Back Together Again” (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway), Sput and Dominic Xavier hopping up for “Jump to It” (Aretha Franklin), “Hurry Up This Way Again” (The Stylistics), “Spread That Feeling [All Around]” (Pleasure), and the 20-minutes of straight crunk haymakers that clobbered us into submission on traditional Homies encore “Birdie” (Brides of Funkenstein).
Nikkie Glaspie & The Homies — Maple Leaf Bar — New Orleans, LA — 5/4/25 — Full Audio
[Audio: Keith Antaya]
Nikki & the Homies – NOLA Jazz Fest 2025:
Nikki Glaspie – Drums/Vocals
Nigel Hall – Keys/Vocals
Amy Bellamy – Keys
Aaron Bellamy, Uriah Duffy, “Pastor Funk” Brandon Brown – Bass (⅓ each)Danny Abel – Guitar
Max Bronstein – Guitar
Aurelien Barnes – Trumpet, Percussion
John Michael Bradford – Trumpet
TJ Norris – Trombone
Corbin Andrick – Tenor Saxophone
Adam Joseph – Vocals
Cliff Porter – vocals
Tyler TYCOON Coomes – Percussion
Robert “Sput” Searight (drums), Dominic Xavier (keys) guesting on “Jump To It”
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The Last Hoorah w/ The Nth Power ft. Nicholas Payton & Dominic Xavier
Mon. 5/5 — Blue Nile
Nicholas Payton ft. The Nth Power
Wed. 4/30 — Chickie Wah Wah
Late night Wednesday days between at Chickie Wah Wah, The Nth Power would reunite with New Orleans gentleman/scholar Nicholas Payton (trumpet/Fender Rhodes) for an esoteric experience that found a confident and curious quartet cruising through Payton’s catalog, fearlessly improvising with focused discipline, righteous intention, and Soulquarian cool. For the ninth straight Monday after Jazz Fest, Backbeat Foundation and Blue Nile hosted The Last Hoorah featuring The Nth Power, always a monumental finale to the marathon sprint every spring. To a packed house on Cinco de Mayo, The Nth Power welcomed back Payton to return the favor with his unassailable flavor, along with Ghost-Note keyboard wiz Dominic Xavier.
During the penultimate set, Nikki Glaspie (drums/vocals), Nate Edgar (bass), and Nicholas Cassarino (guitar/vocals) galloped through a gang of fan faves like (another) reworked version of their timeless “Spirits”, the emotionally-resonant “Hero”, “100 Milly”, and hit single “Right Now”. Cassarino was full of savage fury on guitar, shredding with a surgical sense of purpose; Xavier boarded the freight train for the back half of the first frame. Second set saw teacher return to class, Payton sliding into the mix to daze and astound with ultraviolet cool. Sultry trumpet solos stitched stories into the starry night, with Rhodes tones reverberating through the pulsing room.
For a nearly half-hour encore (at the tail end of two weeks chock full of round-the-clock mania), the core trio returned for a massive medley that left us reeling. Bookended by the beloved, embryonic anthem “Only Love”, the band hit the gas on an astonishing romp through the ol’ record box that flashed on ghosts of Nth’s past: “That’s The Way of the World” (Earth, Wind, & Fire), “We’re Blessed” (Fred Hammond & RFC), “Who Do You Call” (The GAP Band), and an extended detour through “War/No More Trouble” (Bob Marley & the Wailers), before finally pulling into port—and shutting down Jazz Fest 2025—smack dab in the bosom of the gripping “Only Love” coda. The Nth Power Loves You. Where the hell they summon the extra gear to pull off The Last Hoorah every year, we’ll probably never know, but remain eternally grateful for the indefatigable healing power of their music.
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A Handful of Honorable Mentions:
[select sets I loved, but did not review this year]
- Current Futures w/ Karl Denson — Cafe Istanbul — Thurs. 4/24
- Toubab Krewe — Blue Nile Upstairs — Fri. 4/25
- Sari Jordan / Kirsten Diable — The Chloe Hotel — Sun. 4/27
- Papa Mali’s Shantytown Underground — Lagniappe Stage — Thurs. 4/24, Chickie Wah Wah — 5/1
- New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars — Lagniappe Stage, Vaughn’s — Sat. 5/3
- SOUL CLAP — Rabbit Hole — Sat. 5/3
- Marco Benevento Trio w/ special guests Joe Russo, Tom Hamilton, Wil Blades, Adam November — Blue Nile — Sat. 5/3
- Adam Deitch Quartet w/special guest Eman — Toulouse Theater — Sun. 5/4
Giving thanks to the many musicians, artists, production staff/techs, hospitality workers, bartenders, drivers, and dedicated Jazz Festers who come together in such poetic fashion to make this whole gumbo geaux. Grateful to Live For Live Music for the opportunities to continue this beloved tradition, chronicling the culture that emerges during Jazz Fest After Dark.
A deep bow of gratitude to the peerless hostess with the most, New Orleans—the greatest place on Earth!
words: B.Getz
Special Thanks to Funk It Blog for the audio/video