NOLA Jazz Fest: Gambit’s picks for music to see April 30 | Jazz Fest

With hundreds of performances out at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, it’s hard to know where to start. So Gambit has some suggestion for bands and musicians to see when the festival picks back up Thursday, April 30.

OperaCreole

11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m., Lagniappe Stage

Founded by mother and daughter Givonna Joseph and Aria Mason, OperaCreole for 15 years has diligently unearthed and performed operas written by people of color, including Creole composers from New Orleans. At Jazz Fest this year, the ensemble will perform a set including sacred Creole folk songs, grand works by New Orleans-born composer Edmond Dédé and Lucien Lambert’s work “Le Spahi.” — LIAM PIERCE

The Rising Suns

12:40-1:50 p.m., Cultural Exchange Pavilion

3:40-4:40 p.m., Lagniappe Stage

This stripped-down, harmonizing reggae trio’s name pays direct homage to lyrics from Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.” It’s appropriate not just because of the play on threes, but also because one member, Quan-Dajai Henriques, portrayed teenage Marley in the 2024 biopic “One Love.” Henriques plays guitar alongside fellow guitarist Irie Soljah and Matthew Malcolm on percussion. The group is sure to deliver vintage reggae classics in a chill and intimate set. The Rising Suns also perform Friday at 1:10 p.m. in the Rhythmpourium and at 3:30 p.m. in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion. — LIAM PIERCE

Steve Masakowski Family & Friends

1:35-2:35 p.m., WWOZ Jazz Tent

Guitarist Steve Masakowski has been a fixture of New Orleans’ contemporary jazz scene for decades as a bandleader, a member of Astral Project and a sideman to many. Now 71, his latest release — last month’s “Two Worlds” — brings aboard his daughter, vocalist Sasha Masakowski, and son, bassist Martin Masakowski, as part of the album’s sextet. With eight original compositions and a version of James Black’s “A Lover Song,” the album highlights the family’s sophisticated jazz artistry and innovation. — BRAD RHINES

Jesse Royal

1:50-2:50 p.m., Jazz & Heritage Stage

3:50-5 p.m., Cultural Exchange Pavilion

Roots reggae artist Jesse Royal began to build his name around his native Jamaica in the 2010s through a series of mixtapes and EP and his 2017 full-length debut. But he seems to have hit his stride in the last few years, earning Grammy nominations for his 2021 album “Royal” and last year’s “No Place Like Home” and touring extensively. Royal blends hip-hop, soul and electronica into his sound, creating a modern style that has earned him attention among reggae fans. — JAKE CLAPP

Batiste Brothers Band

2:20-3:30 p.m., Congo Square Stage

The Batiste family has been a cornerstone of New Orleans music for generations, including the Batiste Brothers Band, which started recording and touring in the 1970s. The band’s 2024 fest appearance was a tribute to the late drummer Russell Batiste, son of original keyboardist David, and last year the family lost another principal member, Paul Batiste. Expect this year’s appearance to be another celebration of classic New Orleans funk and soul from the multigenerational family that continues to keep the flame. — BRAD RHINES

Lettuce

2:45-4 p.m., Festival Stage

These Berklee-bred funk scholars have burned down many a Jazz Fest aftershow, and in 2026, Lettuce makes its official fest debut. The band is known for its rhythmic psychedelic soul mixed with hip-hop breakbeats, and last December turned up the heat with its latest full-length album, “Cook.” The band also hosts the post-fest show “Rage! Fest” at 9 p.m. Thursday at the Joy Theater. — LIAM PIERCE

Micah McKee

3:35-4:20 p.m., Rhythmpourium

Much of Micah McKee’s music is steeped in the sweet and soulful sounds of singer-songwriters from the ’70s. Long ingrained in Americana and roots music circles in New Orleans, he’s been part of numerous bands and projects and has had standing gigs at neighborhood spots like Saturn Bar, Banks St. Bar and MRB. Earlier this year, McKee’s Lonesome Wilde released “Beautiful Animal,” showcasing his knack for down-to-earth songcraft and easygoing melodies. — BRAD RHINES

Grace Bowers

3:45-5 p.m., Blues Tent

It was easy to bandy the word “prodigy” around about Grace Bowers, who released her well-received debut album in 2024 when she was 18. And the guitarist — who went viral last year for playing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” alongside Peter Frampton and Phish’s Trey Anastasio — has forged a meteoric career that has traces of blues yet leans into a grittier, punk-inflected sound. Enjoy watching her shred on songs about getting stoned and seeing UFOs. — LIAM PIERCE

Widespread Panic

4:30-7 p.m., Festival Stage

The Southern jam band returns to the Fair Grounds with an epic two-and-a-half hour headlining slot on Thursday. Widespread Panic announced earlier this year that guitarist Jimmy Herring would be sitting out this tour sidelined by throat cancer (the prognosis is positive, and Herring should return soon). For now, Nick Johnson is filling in, and if fans were skeptical at first, reports from recent shows — including a three-night run in St. Augustine, Florida, that featured a rare cover of the Meters’ “Just Kissed My Baby” — have been all good news. — BRAD RHINES

Lake Street Dive

5:30-7 p.m., Gentilly Stage

Lake Street Dive’s sunny, jazz-steeped pop dates back to 2004, when singer Rachael Price, bassist Bridget Kearney, drummer Mike Calabrese and former guitarist Mike “McDuck” Olson launched the band as New England Conservatory students. That pedigree was more noticeable when they were a bit less polished, but 20 years later, there’s still plenty of playful musical risk-taking. Price’s impossibly strong and soul-fueled voice, clever lyrics and quirky covers make this music fun, while unexpected harmonies and collaborative songwriting keep depth built into their sound. The band’s latest EP is 2025’s “The City Winery Sessions.” — JENNIFER ODELL

Leela James

5:35-6:55 p.m., Congo Square Stage

Leela James’ voice is steeped in retro soul with a raw, gravelly edge, and early on, it earned her a flurry of Etta James comparisons. And Leela in 2012 released an Etta tribute album featuring an impressive array of updated takes on the late singer’s classic tunes. Strong as it was, Leela James sounds more at home now that she’s mostly recording original work. It’s a welcome shift for an artist who writes songs with the same kind of grit, power and heart she pours into her voice. — JENNIFER ODELL

Fred Wesley & His New J.B.’s

5:45-7 p.m., WWOZ Jazz Tent

If James Brown was the Godfather of Soul, then his “right-hand man,” trombonist Fred Wesley, was soul and funk’s chief engineer. As Brown’s musical director from 1968-1975, Wesley led and arranged some of the singer’s greatest works while contributing deeply syncopated, intensely flexible solos that helped define the sound of funk. Wesley went on to work with George Clinton and the Count Basie Orchestra, but he’s consistently returned to various incarnations of the “Doin’ It To Death”-era J.B.’s. Now 82, he leads the New J.B.’s and remains an essential voice in jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop. Wesley also will be interviewed by Melissa Weber, the venerable DJ Soul Sister, at 3:45 p.m. Thursday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — JENNIFER ODELL

Alejandro Escovedo

5:50-7 p.m., Fais Do-Do Stage

Born into a large musical family in San Antonio, singer, songwriter and guitarist Alejandro Escovedo’s musical output since the 1970s has spanned punk, cowpunk, no-wave, art rock and even strains of chamber jazz. But he’s best known for the solo music he’s recorded since the early ’90s — a mashup that’s alternately subtly provocative or gritty, heartbreaking or straight rock and rock and roll, sometimes in one song. On 2024’s “Echo Dancing,” he reimagines deep cuts and classics with heavy electronics to take the angst quotient straight back to first-wave Escovedo. — JENNIFER ODELL