Friday May 3rd at the Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans started off with a sprinkling of rain, but cleared up for an amazing afternoon of music, food, and fun. The headliners tonight were Foo Fighters, Hozier, and Steel Pulse.
Mark Mullins of brass funk rock band Bonerama took to the Gentilly stage around 1:30pm. He strutted around the stage with the quartet of trombonists in a salmon colored suit, interacting with his band mates. He switched between sounding his trombone and serving up vocals to the crowd.
Louisiana native Marc Broussard and son of Louisiana hall of fame guitarist of “The Boogie Kings” performed for an excited crowd on Friday. Broussard strummed out his own “Bayou Soul” tunes on an orange gibson guitar, accompanied by his bandmates on drums, bass, and electric guitar.
Over on the Congo Square Stage The Soul Rebels, an eight-piece brass ensemble delivered a little bit of everything with their genre mixture of R&B, soul, and jazz. The men were dressed in all white for their hour performance. The ensemble is really great at working together, with each instrumentalist getting their chance to shine front and center as they continue to elevate the brass band music of the city.
In the Blue’s Tent, Canadian folk-rock artist Allison Russell sang her heart out in a purple bandeau top and a flowy floral skirt. The multi-instrumentalist switched between delivering soulful vocals, playing a banjo, and playing a clarinet. Hozier even joined her on stage for a beautiful duet of their song “Wildflower and Barley.”
On the Fais Do-Do Stage Zachary Richard gave fans a casual performance of some of his popular Cajun and Zydeco music. The Cajun activist has been performing at Jazz Fest since his first in 1981. Richard’s voice drew me in as I was headed to another stage and I had to make a detour to hear the voice up close and personal.
The Uptown Ruler Cyril Neville with The Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indians in full regalia raised the spirits of festival-goers at the Congo Square Stage. Neville offered up his funky vocals and drum playing in a black top hat, sunglasses, and vest. He dedicated the performance to Big Chief Jolly and all his partners, accentuating the tradition’s importance in New Orleans culture.
Renowned trumpeter Terence Blanchard, his group E-Collective, and the Turtle Island String Quartet did not disappoint at the WWOZ Jazz Tent. Blanchard announced that as his album Flow, was celebrating its 20th anniversary, so the groups performed three compositions from it. The Jazz tent was overflowing with fans for this special performance.
Hailing from Mississippi, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram played at the Blue’s Tent on Friday evening. The 25-year-old drew an extensive crowd, displaying his blues guitar and vocal skills. Kingfish is becoming a fresh face of Blues for a new generation. The artist covered “Smokestack Lightning” and dedicated his performance to the late bassist of Dumpstaphunk, Nick Daniels.
Big Chief Juan & Jockimo’s Groove closed out the Jazz & Heritage Stage. The three members stood in a line at the front of the stage dressed in red, blue, and green Mardi Gras Indian regalia. Big Chief Juan Pardo with roots from Cuba performed his captivating soulful tunes.
At the end of the day, we headed to the Gentilly Stage to see headliner Hozier. The indie-folk-pop artist garnered a huge crowd for his hour and a half set. He performed a mix of songs from multiple albums, making sure to include hits like “Cherry Wine,” “Too Sweet,” and closed out with “Take Me To Church.”
Before singing one of his most popular songs, “Work Song,” Hozier brought out Allison Russell, whom he sang with earlier in the Blue’s Tent, for a surprise duet. The pair’s vocals matched up very well, and the crowd was pleased that they got to hear both amazing artists together.
Taking ownership of the final slot on the Congo Square Stage, Steel Pulse accentuated the reggae side of the performances on Friday. The British band kept fans dancing and singing in the crowd as they sang tunes like “Your House,” “Wild Goose Chase,” Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower” and others. Different from the Steel Pulse many know from their heyday in the 1980’s, this version includes a horn section, backup singers, saxophones, rappers, and a rock guitarist.
On the main Festival Stage, the Foo Fighters put on an energy filled two hour show for a packed crowd. The Dave Grohl-fronted rock band played a slew of songs, covering all their discography. The band hit ten albums from 1997’s The Colour and the Shape to their latest album But Here We Are. The group opened with “All My Life” and closed with “Everlong” as well as a snippet of The Meters’ “Cissy Strut” played by keyboardist Rami Jaffe.
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig