There was no shortage of storylines from the first weekend of the 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The combination of one of the largest opening days anyone can remember coupled with a new cashless payment system led to long lines and frustration on the first Friday.
The next day’s rains cut down the crowds as well as the lines. The sun and crowds returned Sunday as vendors and customers seemed more comfortable with going cashless.
And there was also a whole lot of music, including a generous helping from Puerto Rico, this year’s cultural spotlight.
The second weekend of the 2023 Jazz Fest gets underway Thursday and continues through Sunday, with storylines to be determined.
One thing that is certain: there will once again be a whole lot of good music.
THURSDAY, MAY 4
THE BIG NAMES:
On “Locals Thursday” — Louisiana residents can buy a ticket for $50 — electric guitars rule the main Festival Stage as Louisiana-born, Chicago-based blues legend Buddy Guy precedes fellow guitar hero Carlos Santana. Will they share the stage at some point?
Meanwhile, ever-smooth contemporary soul singer Leon Bridges holds court at the Shell Gentilly Stage and reggae band Morgan Heritage grooves at the Congo Square Stage.
BEYOND THE BIG NAMES:
Mahmoud Chouki
12:40 p.m., Lagniappe Stage
Mahmoud Chouki was a prodigy on various stringed instruments in his native Morocco before he set off to see the world. His travels eventually landed him in New Orleans, where he now intermingles jazz with traditional Moroccan music. He’s making his Jazz Fest debut.
Shantytown Underground
1:50 p.m., Lagniappe Stage
Guitarist Papa Mali’s horn-driven Shantytown Underground explores the common ground between classic New Orleans rhythm & blues and early Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae. They recreate songs by Jamaican pioneers the Skatalites, Phylis Dillon and the Heptones alongside classics by Irma Thomas, Fats Domino and Lee Dorsey.
Joy Clark
3:05 p.m., Lagniappe Stage
The New Orleans-based singer and guitarist performed as part of Allison Russell’s band at the Fair Grounds last weekend, but returns Thursday with her own mix of blues and soul.
FRIDAY, MAY 5
THE BIG NAMES:
St. Augustine and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts graduate Jon Batiste closes Jazz Fest’s main stage for the first time, following a set by local legend Irma Thomas. Contemporary country singer Kane Brown holds it down the Shell Gentilly Stage while Ludacris raps at the Congo Square Stage.
BEYOND THE BIG NAMES:
Alynda Segarra
1:55 p.m., Cultural Exchange Pavilion
Alynda Segarra, the main creative force of Hurray For the Riff Raff, is a Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent, so is a natural fit for the Cultural Exchange Pavilion’s focus on the music of Puerto Rico.
New Orleans-based singer-songwriter Lilli Lewis.
Lilli Lewis Project
3 p.m., Lagniappe Stage
Trained as an opera singer and classical pianist, Lewis draws on soul, folk, jazz and other sources to distill her own powerful brand of Americana music.
Eric Lindell
4:15 p.m., Blues Tent
With an ear for melody and a feel for an easy groove, guitarist and singer Eric Lindell constructs Gulf Coast boogie ‘n’ blues that goes down easy.
SATURDAY, MAY 6
THE BIG NAMES:
Dead & Company launch their final tour minus drummer Bill Kreutzmann, who bowed out of the band this month. You’ll have plenty of time to study a Kreutzmann-less Dead & Company, as the band’s allotted two-and-a-half hour slot on the main stage is the longest of any Jazz Fest act. It would be a shock if Meters bassist George Porter Jr. didn’t sit in at some point.
Saturday also boasts the Lumineers, guitarist/singer H.E.R., Keb’Mo’, Terence Blanchard and John Hiatt & the Goners.
BEYOND THE BIG NAMES:
New Orleans Nightcrawlers
12:20 p.m., Shell Gentilly Stage
Members of the Grammy-winning brass band pride themselves on intricate, airtight arrangements inspired by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
Leyla McCalla, with her band on the Lagniappe Stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Friday, May 5, 2017. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Leyla McCalla
12:25, Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage
Alternating French, Haitian Creole and English lyrics, this former member of string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops plays guitar, tenor banjo and cello as she weaves ancient threads into a new tapestry. Born in New York of Haitian descent, she is now based in New Orleans.
Solid Harmony tribute to Topsy Chapman with John Boutte
1:45 p.m., Economy Hall Tent
As Solid Harmony, Topsy Chapman and daughters Yolanda Windsay and Jolynda Phillips harmonized on gospel, blues, jazz and rhythm & blues; they were a staple of the Economy Hall Tent. Chapman died last year, so her daughters will honor her legacy, with help from vocalist extraordinaire John Boutte.
SUNDAY, MAY 7
THE BIG NAMES:
Mumford & Sons, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Tom Jones, Herbie Hancock, NE-YO, Melissa Etheridge and of course local favorites Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue — not a bad finale.
BEYOND THE BIG NAMES:
Electrifying Crown Seekers
11:15 a.m., Gospel Tent
The name says it all. They open what looks to be a great day top to bottom in the Morris Bart-sponsored Gospel Tent.
Bon Bon Vivant
11:20 a.m., Shell Gentilly Stage
Bon Bon Vivant brings an indie band’s attitude to gypsy jazz crossed with Americana, as rendered with saxophone, sousaphone and stringed instruments. Hard to define but easy to enjoy.
Saxophonist Charlie Gabriel who performed with Germaine Bazzle, gives a thumbs up during the first day of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Friday, April 28, 2023. (Staff Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Charlie Gabriel & Friends
4:20 p.m., Economy Hall Tent
The 90-year-old singer, saxophonist and cannabis advocate from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band puts on a charming show. Probably just a coincidence that his set starts at 4:20.
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