{"id":2290705,"date":"2026-02-20T08:54:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T08:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2290705"},"modified":"2026-02-20T08:54:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T08:54:57","slug":"new-orleans-jazz-fest-2025-musicians-to-see-april-24-jazz-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/new-orleans-jazz-fest-2025-musicians-to-see-april-24-jazz-fest\/","title":{"rendered":"New Orleans Jazz Fest 2025: Musicians to see April 24 | Jazz Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The 2025 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival<\/a> kicks off Thursday, April 24. Below are Gambit’s picks for some of the musicians and bands to see.<\/p>\n

LeTrainiump<\/strong><\/p>\n

12:20-1:10 p.m., Congo Square Stage<\/p>\n

Indie pop artist LeTrainiump Richard<\/a> infuses his music with \u201980s synths and \u201990s R&B vocals to create an energetic, funk-infused pop sound that\u2019s carefree and nostalgic. A native of Mamou, Richard moved to New Orleans in 2020, where his band quickly gained momentum in the city\u2019s indie music scene. Last year, he relocated to Austin, Texas, but he\u2019s still a presence in South Louisiana.<\/p>\n

LeTrainiump has shared the stage with artists like Tank and the Bangas, Pell, Big Freedia and PJ Morton, to name a few. LeTrainiump and his band recently released their latest single, \u201cRelease.\u201d \u2014 MADDIE SPINNER<\/p>\n

Los Tremolo Kings featuring Margie Perez<\/strong><\/p>\n

12:35-1:20 p.m., Lagniappe Stage<\/p>\n

Born in the back room of New Orleans Mexican restaurant Casa Borrega, Los Tremolo Kings<\/a> bring a distinct spin to a classic Latin sound. To the untrained ear, the wah-wah pedal, tremolo, distortion and echo might sit exclusively in the surf rock section of the record store. But the more discerning will recognize the sound as a psychedelic, dub\u2013style spin on more precise genres such as Peruvian 1960s cumbia (which was inspired by surf rock) and mariachi.<\/p>\n

With guitarist Phil Vanderyken, bassist Rene Coman, drummer Doug Garrison and vocalist Margie Perez, the band\u2019s sets have become mainstays at divey locals\u2019 haunts like BJ\u2019s Lounge and Madame Vic\u2019s. Que divertido, indeed. \u2014 LIAM PIERCE<\/p>\n

Flagboy Giz & The Wild Tchoupitoulas<\/strong><\/p>\n

1:30-2:15 p.m., Congo Square Stage<\/p>\n

Since he dropped his first record in 2021, Flagboy Giz<\/a> of the Wild Tchoupitoulas has become a standard-bearer for modern Black Masking Indian music and an integral part of New Orleans\u2019 music scene. While other artists have incorporated Indian music into hip-hop, electronica and other genres, Giz isn\u2019t so much combining styles. Rather, his music is a natural evolution of a sound that for decades has been the rhythm of New Orleans. That intrinsic connection can be felt not only in his funk and jazz beats and the Indian suits he wears, but also in his sharp, socially conscious lyrics.<\/p>\n

Giz\u2019s first Jazz Fest set in 2023 was one of those memorable barn burner shows on the Jazz & Heritage Stage that forced throngs of people heading to other stages to stop and marvel, and it’s nice to see he and the Wild Tchoupitoulas (as well as the crowd) will get the chance to stretch their legs on the bigger Congo Square stage this year.<\/p>\n

Giz also will be interviewed by Matt Sakakeeny on Friday, May 2, on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. \u2014 JOHN STANTON<\/p>\n

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Kacey Musgraves, Gladys Knight, Youssou N\u2019Dour, Andrew Duhon and more artists to see on the first Friday at Jazz Fest 2025.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n

Sabine McCalla<\/strong><\/p>\n

1:40-2:30 p.m., Lagniappe Stage<\/p>\n

Sabine McCalla\u2019s<\/a> rich voice has the power to transport you to the past. The Haitian American singer moved to New Orleans in 2014 and has become a rising star in the city\u2019s music community.<\/p>\n

She grew up playing the strings, including the violin, along with her sister and fellow New Orleans-based musician Leyla McCalla. You can hear the influences of places she lived in her music, like folk from her college days in North Carolina and New Orleans soul, inspired by artists like Irma Thomas and Ernie K. Doe. McCalla\u2019s songs \u201cSave My Soul\u201d and \u201cRoads We Wander,\u201d both from her 2018 EP \u201cFolk,\u201d have garnered more than million listens each on Spotify.<\/p>\n

McCalla also will be interviewed by Steve Hochman at 4 p.m. Thursday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. \u2014 KAYLEE POCHE<\/p>\n

Grupo Fantasma<\/strong><\/p>\n

2:40-3:35 p.m., Congo Square Stage<\/p>\n

4:55-6 p.m., Cultural Exchange Pavillion<\/p>\n

When Prince asks you to back him and play his after parties, you know you\u2019re operating in the upper stratosphere. Grupo Fantasma<\/a>, a Grammy-winning, genre-leaping Latin funk collective from Austin, Texas, has shared stages with everyone from Wu-Tang Clan to Spoon to Sheila E.<\/p>\n

Aside from Cumbia and Tex-Mex influences, Grupo Fantasma experiments with Turkish guitar psychedelia and Indian instrumentation, covers The Beatles and Chicago, and members even have a side project cover band called Brown Sabbath. Grupo Fantasma\u2019s blend of virtuosity and party-starting energy promises some of Jazz Fest\u2019s most infectious sets. \u2014\u202fLIAM PIERCE<\/p>\n

Karl Denson\u2019s Tiny Universe<\/strong><\/p>\n

4:05-5:15 p.m., Congo Square Stage<\/p>\n

From his early work with Lenny Kravitz and the Greyboy Allstars to his long tenure helming his namesake Tiny Universe<\/a>, reedman and singer Karl Denson has long used jazz and funk as springboards for explorations into new sounds, genres and ideas. That approach has served him well, sparking collabs with a diverse mix of musical stars \u2014 jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette, James Brown trombonist Fred Wesley and the Rolling Stones, to name a few \u2014 and putting Denson at the center of the acid jazz scene in the \u201990s and the jazz-forward arm of the jam band world that followed.<\/p>\n

In New Orleans, KDTU\u2019s extended musical family includes Ivan Neville, and keep an ear peeled for the band\u2019s electric take on Cyril Neville\u2019s \u201cGossip.\u201d KDTU\u2019s also covered a slew of Fela Kuti classics through the years, making their festival slot ahead of Seun Kuti prime time for a nod to the Afrobeat luminary.<\/p>\n

Denson also will be interviewed at 2 p.m. Thursday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. \u2014 JENNIFER ODELL<\/p>\n

Dee Dee Bridgewater with Bill Charlap<\/strong><\/p>\n

4:15-5:30 p.m., WWOZ Jazz Tent<\/p>\n

Jazz singer and overall legend Dee Dee Bridgewater<\/a> stars on musical and theatrical stages alike and often pays tribute to legendary artists who came before her. She infuses jazz classics with her own distinctive voice and flair.<\/p>\n

Over the course of her decades-spanning career, Bridgewater has won a Tony Award and three Grammys, including one in 2011 for her tribute to Billie Holiday, \u201cEleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie with Love from Dee Dee Bridgewater.\u201d At Jazz Fest, Bridgewater will be joined by pianist Bill Charlap, known for his impressive interpretations of the Great American Songbook. Bridgewater also will perform as part of Detroit Brooks\u2019 tribute to Danny and Blue Lu Barker on Friday, April 25. \u2014 SARAH RAVITS<\/p>\n

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John Fogerty plays the Festival Stage on Thursday, April 24.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n Photo by Chris Granger \/ The Times-Picayune<\/span>
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Jeffery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys<\/strong><\/p>\n

4:20-5:20 p.m., Fais Do-Do Stage<\/p>\n

Jeffery Broussard<\/a> is an accordion master and a zydeco mainstay in Acadiana. After getting his start playing with his father Delton Broussard and his band the Lawtell Playboys, the younger Broussard struck out on his own with Zydeco Force in the late \u201980s, which was a funky, versatile presence in zydeco until it disbanded in the mid-aughts.<\/p>\n

With The Creole Cowboys, now going on almost 20 years, Broussard takes the sound a little closer to traditional Creole la-la music in an energetic, unstoppable zydeco show. \u2014 JAKE CLAPP<\/p>\n

Goose<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:10-7 p.m., Gentilly Stage<\/p>\n

Goose<\/a> may share jam lineage with Dead & Co., but their sound bends toward crisp, radio-polished indie hooks rather than noodle-heavy detours. The band\u2019s funky, groove-laden jams often give way to earworm choruses, especially on studio tracks.<\/p>\n

Goose\u2019s song \u201cSo Ready\u201d is a good entry point: bright staccato twangs, a bassline dripping in funk and Top 40-ready lyrics build into a tightly packaged groove. Rick Mitarotonda\u2019s guitar dances between clean structure and melodic exploration, all while his voice floats airily above.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s Jazz Fest stop arrives just a day before the release of the new album \u201cEverything Must Go.\u201d \u2014 LIAM PIERCE<\/p>\n

John Fogerty<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:30-7 p.m., Festival Stage<\/p>\n

Despite being a band made up of California rockers, Creedence Clearwater Revival had an obvious love and fascination for the blue-collar South and Louisiana in particular, with songs like \u201cBorn on the Bayou\u201d and \u201cProud Mary\u201d and albums titled \u201cBayou Country\u201d and \u201cMardi Gras.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the band\u2019s principal songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, John Fogerty<\/a> was largely responsible for hits like \u201cBad Moon Rising,\u201d the anti-war anthem \u201cFortunate Son,\u201d \u201cWho\u2019ll Stop the Rain\u201d and a number of other songs Millennial Louisianans now know by heart because their dads played CCR on repeat in their trucks until the cassette tape broke.<\/p>\n

Fogerty has had a long, successful solo career since the band broke up in the early \u201970s, but he\u2019s spending the spring playing many of CCR\u2019s hits on tour. \u2014 JAKE CLAPP<\/p>\n

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:45-7 p.m., Congo Square<\/p>\n

When Fela Kuti died in 1997, the Afrobeat pioneer\u2019s youngest son, Seun Kuti<\/a>, took the reins of his father\u2019s Egypt 80 band, a group the then-14-year-old had been performing with for most of his life. Three decades later, the younger Kuti has both sustained and expanded Fela\u2019s politically charged, high-energy blend of jazz, funk, highlife and traditional Yoruba rhythms by delving into modern R&B, reggae and hip-hop on originals. He also explicitly honors Fela\u2019s legacy by keeping his classic tunes in their live sets.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s forthcoming release, \u201cHeavier Yet (Lays the Crownless Head) Deluxe Edition\u201d \u2014 featuring Kamasi Washington, Damian Marley and POS \u2014 finds Kuti leading the large ensemble with bright-toned alto sax lines and hard-hitting socio-political messages. Speaking to Afropop Worldwide in 2024, Kuti called the album \u201ca tale of class consciousness,\u201d and he explained the title this way: \u201cHeavy lays the head that wears the crown,\u2019 fuck that. At least your head is lying heavy in a castle.\u201d \u2014 JENNIFER ODELL<\/p>\n

Editor’s note:<\/strong> This article has been updated to correct information about Seun Kuti’s upcoming release.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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Gambit previews the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2025.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div><\/div>\n