The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is underway in the heart of New Orleans from April 24 to May 4 featuring over 5,000 musicians on 14 different stages. This year, the country of Mexico is being celebrated at the Expedia Cultural Pavilion and around the festival grounds. Genres of all types are represented including country, rock, alternative, and the NOLA classics like jazz, Zydeco, and brass bands.
Local funk rock band Bonerama took to the Shell Gentilly Stage at 12:45. The band consists of Mark Mullins (trombone, electric trombone, lead vocals), Greg Hicks (trombone and vocals), Chris Butcher (trombone), Bert Cotton (guitar), Matt Perrine (sousaphone) and Eric Bolivar (drums). The group was glad to be playing on opening day, delving into Ernie K-Doe’s “Here Come the Girls” and Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks” among other classic brass band songs.
On the Sheraton Fais Do-Do Stage, Ryan Foret & Foret Tradition brought swamp pop, a genre specific to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, to a crowd ready to dance along. Jamming out were brothers Ryan and Brandon Foret, as well as cousin Aaron Foret and band members Jason Parfait, Lynn Boudreaux, Johnny Alan, Don Rich, and John Blancher. They performed songs “Lord I Need Somebody Bad” and “Into the Mystic” as the crowd grew.
Flagboy Giz & The Wild Tchoupitoulas were the first Mardi Gras Indians to make an appearance at Jazz Fest this year. Flagboy Giz is a member of the Wild Tchoupitoulas Black Masking Indians, a highly celebrated tribe in NOLA. He has also made a career as a musician, cultural performer, and bead worker. He was joined on stage by other Tribe members including the young Spy Boy of the Nation T3 who rapped alongside his elders.
On the Fais Do-Do stage, self-taught Cajun musician Waylon Thibodeaux sounded amazing playing his fiddle with his accompanying band. Thibodeaux has been playing music professionally since he was only 13 and became Louisiana’s state fiddle champion when he was 16. Since his start in music, he has recorded many swamp pop tunes that have landed him on world wide music charts.
The Little Freddie King Blues Band jammed out in the Blues Tent. King wore a colorful and tropically designed suit jacket and dark green suit pants while he plucked away on the guitar. King is one of the last of the gutbucket guitar bluesmen, beginning his musical journey in deep country juke joints and continuing to bring classic blues to NOLA today.
Cuban musical group Papo y Son Mandao caught our attention on the Jazz & Heritage Stage so we went over to dance a bit and take some photos. Their Latin jazz music is creatively played by band members Alexis “Papo” Guevara (guitar & vocals), Guillermo Guzmán (piano), Jose Colon (bass), Israel Romo (trumpet), Andy Pizzo (trombone), Gabriel Velasco (timbales), and Javier Rodriguez Acevedo (congas).
In the Gospel Tent, Lyle Henderson & Emmanu-EL, dubbed New Orleans’ “Prince of Gospel” sang to the crowds at 2:45. Henderson, wearing a golden shirt and dark green suit jacket belted his stunning vocals full of faith filled messages. Back in 2015, Henderson had his entire set in the Gospel Tent recorded and sold as a live album. He has been back to Jazz Fest for many years since. For many a trip to the Gospel tent is one of the most important traditions at the festival.
The nine-piece Latin funk and GRAMMY winning Grupo Fantasma drew in a crowd at the Congo Square Stage. For 25 years the band has travelled around the world sharing their vibrant creation of Latin music that embodies both classic and traditional sounds. Their intricate music abilities shined through with effortless trumpet lines intertwined with smooth vocals and the repetitive ‘oomph’ of the drums.
Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys got the crowd moving on the Fais Do-Do Stage as couples partnered up in the audience to dance around. The band has been dedicated to keeping alive the Creole culture and Zydeco music with their classic remakes and original songs. Band members wore all red while Broussard showed his award-winning talents on the accordion and fiddle.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe performed at 4:05 on the Congo Square Stage. Saxophonist Denison is a seasoned musician, touring with The Rolling Stones, has been in the Lenny Kravitz band, and co-founded The Greyboy Allstars soul-jazz band. His constant energy fueled his performance as he switched flawlessly between vocals and saxophone.
John Fogerty closed out the night on the Festival Stage. Despite being 79, Fogerty sang all of his 70’s hits as if nothing had changed since the heyday of the Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fogerty sang many CCR hits including “Born on the Bayou” and “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” He also sang a few songs from his solo career like “Rock & Roll Girls,” “Joy of My Life,” and “Centerfield,” in which he played on his baseball bat shaped guitar.
Jam band Goose ended the day with their first-ever Jazz Fest performance on the Shell Gentilly Stage. The band opened with their 2018 hit “Madhuvan” to a packed crowd as members Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, keys, guitar), Trevor Weekz (bass) and Cotter Ellis (vocals, drums) vibed along with the audience. They debuted their single “Your Direction” from their recently released album Everything Must Go. The set ended with a cover of Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” and Goose classic “Arcadia.”
Afrobeat legends Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 closed on the Congo Square Stage. Kuti is the son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela, and promised his father that he would continue the band after his passing. Kuti put all his energy into blasting the sound of his saxophone as the band’s vocalists supplemented the sound. The crowd was enjoying the lively dance type beats, moving along to the sounds and enjoying Egypt 80’s energy.
Pioneer of “newgrass” music, Sam Bush closed out the Fais Do-Do Stage with a bang. The GRAMMY award winning mandolin and fiddle player, vocalist and songwriter, and subgenre creator provided a wonderful show full of his bluegrass inspired music. Bush is known for his lively nature during concerts, which he definitely delivered for opening day.
Comeback tomorrow for our overview of Day 2 at Jazz Fest 2025!