NOLA Jazz Fest: Gambit’s picks for music to see April 24 | 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 on the first Friday at the fest.

Free Agents Brass Band

12:30-1:30 p.m., Jazz & Heritage Stage

Free Agents formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina when a group of displaced brass band musicians found themselves in Atlanta. Some band members returned as soon as they could and found work playing store re-openings and second lines. Their 2008 album “Made It Through That Water” was re-released in 2025 to commemorate Katrina’s 20th anniversary. — LIAM PIERCE

Sevana

12:45-1:45 p.m., Gentilly Stage

3:35-4:35 p.m., Cultural Exchange Pavilion

Jamaican artist Sevana’s vocal style lands as a kind of soulful reggae-slash-dancehall sound in free-floating melody and occasional patois. Her expressiveness may owe a bit of credit to her acting career. She portrayed reggae artist Judy Mowatt in the Bob Marley biopic “One Love” in 2024 and the lead role in Television Jamaica’s web series “Losing Patience” in 2016. But she was a musician first, starting from the age of 16 and citing Celine Dion as her biggest inspiration. But, to make a bold comparison, her sound comes across like a Jamaican version of Lauryn Hill’s melodic work. — LIAM PIERCE

Jonathon “Boogie” Long

12:50-2:50 p.m., Blues Tent

To get a sense of Jonathon “Boogie” Long’s particular brand of hard-driving Southern blues rock, just take a look at the kinds of acts he’s shared a stage with: ZZ Top, Robert Cray, Joe Bonamassa and a whole bunch more. Long’s tunes are shot through with a jolt of playful showmanship — check out his latest video, “Baby I’m Through,” from his 2026 album “Courage in the Chaos.” But when it comes to big beats, chunky riffs and blazing solos, there’s no question the Baton Rouge native and Jazz Fest regular is serious about the blues. — BRAD RHINES

Rosie Ledet

1:40-2:35 p.m., Fais Do-Do Stage

A mainstay of the Southwest Louisiana zydeco scene, Rosie Ledet has been a Fais Do-Do Stage staple since the mid-’90s. With her backing band the Zydeco Playboys, Ledet packs dance floors and keeps crowds moving with her swaggering stage presence, up-tempo tunes and vibrant accordion work. — BRAD RHINES 

Los Skarnales

1:55-2:55 p.m., Jazz & Heritage Stage

5-6 p.m., Cultural Exchange Pavilion

The zoot suited Houston band Los Skarnales produce a punk-ska-reggae-rockabilly sound that pulls cumbia and danzon to center stage. Their fourth studio album was recorded in New Orleans, so they’re well acquainted with the city. Horns, bass, drums and ska guitar will have you skanking in no time. — LIAM PIERCE

Cyril Neville

2-3 p.m., Festival Stage

Cyril Neville still goes hard at 77 years old. Part of New Orleans’ first family of funk and former member of the Meters and the Neville Brothers, Neville stays busy spreading the gospel of New Orleans grooves. His solo sets deliver a danceable lesson in music history, often covering local classics like Professor Longhair’s “Tipitina” and Dr. John’s “I Walk on Gilded Splinters” as well as hits from his own extensive body of work. Neville has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Wild Tchoupitoulas’ record, so also look out for Mardi Gras Indian funk classics. — BRAD RHINES

Givers

2:10-3:15 p.m., Gentilly Stage

Lafayette-born band Givers struck indie pop gold with their 2011 debut album, “In Light,” propelled by the album’s catchy, infectiously upbeat lead-off track “Up Up Up.” Mainstream attention landed them slots at Lollapalooza and Coachella, along with a television debut on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and a NPR Tiny Desk performance. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the album, and the band’s original lineup plays “In Light” in full at Jazz Fest. Vocalists Tif Lamson and Taylor Guarisco also will be interviewed by Clint Maedgen at 4:15 p.m. Friday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — BRAD RHINES

Ani DiFranco

4:20-5:35 p.m., Fais Do-Do Stage

Ani DiFranco has been blazing her own trail and talking truth to power ever since the release of her self-titled debut album in 1990 on her own Righteous Babe record label. The prolific folk-punk musician and feminist icon is a true original, with an off-kilter acoustic guitar style and a poet’s way with words. DiFranco’s latest album is 2024’s “Unprecedented Shit,” and she recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of her classic “Not a Pretty Girl.” — BRAD RHINES

Big Freedia

5-5:40 p.m., Gospel Tent

For some, seeing Big Freedia headline the Gospel Tent might raise some well-tweezed eyebrows. But to those deeper in the know, the Queen Diva is right at home there. The bounce artist grew up in the church choir and last year released a gospel album, “Pressing Onward,” which will feature heavily on Friday. Big Freedia will be back to her bounce and pop set on May 2 over on the Congo Square Stage. — LIAM PIERCE

Lorde

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

As a teenage pop star, Lorde’s dreamy, stripped-down electro-pop on her 2013 debut “Pure Heroine” spoke to the fragile 9th grader inside us all. Love arrived via rolled-down car windows and orange juice gifts (“400 Luxe”) while rampant materialism sparked existential dread (“Royals”). Now 29, Lorde’s sound is similar until you look under the hood. Her personal new album “Virgin” delves into weightier and at times darker matters, ranging from a past eating disorder (“Broken Glass”) to generational trauma (“GRWM”) balanced out with moments of sonic bubblegum pop. — JENNIFER ODELL

Sean Paul

5:45-7 p.m., Congo Square Stage

Barring anyone with the last name Marley, you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger Jamaican superstar than Sean Paul. As can be heard on his latest album, 2022’s “Scorcha,” the dancehall vocalist’s tightly packed lyrics still flow with the quickness. Expect Friday’s headliner to spin early 2000s hits like “Gimme the Light” or “Like Glue” to get you to the right temperature to shelter you from the storm. — LIAM PIERCE

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder

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

Sonicwonder is the latest quartet project from the classically trained pianist Hiromi Uehara, whose recent original compositions favor a high-energy, fusion-oriented sound that highlights her now-signature virtuosity. The group, which also includes bassist Hadrien Feraud, drummer Gene Coye and trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, released their second studio LP “Out There” in 2025. Fans of keyboard pyrotechnics, unexpected rhythmic turns and high-speed technical precision, take note. Hiromi also will be interviewed by Jason Berry at 3:15 p.m. Friday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. — JENNIFER ODELL