{"id":2380521,"date":"2026-04-20T00:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T00:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2380521"},"modified":"2026-04-20T00:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T00:36:12","slug":"nola-jazz-fest-gambits-picks-for-music-to-see-april-25-jazz-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/nola-jazz-fest-gambits-picks-for-music-to-see-april-25-jazz-fest\/","title":{"rendered":"NOLA Jazz Fest: Gambit’s picks for music to see April 25 | Jazz Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Stevie Nicks<\/p>\n

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\n Photo by Sophia Germer \/ The Times-Picayune<\/span>
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With hundreds of performances out at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival<\/a>, it’s hard to know where to start. So Gambit has some suggestion for bands and musicians to see on the festival’s first Saturday.<\/p>\n

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The Deslondes<\/strong><\/p>\n

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Gentilly Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

Named for the 9th Ward street that serves as the band\u2019s home base, The Deslondes<\/a> have been kicking around the city\u2019s Americana music scene for around 15 years, and next month, they release their newest album, \u201cDon\u2019t Let It Die: Vol. 1.\u201d The collection of covers features influences both old and new, from songs like \u201cLawdy Mama\u201d by 1950s New Orleans guitarist Edgar Blanchard to recent material written by friends Kiki Cavazos, Nick Woods and Pat Reedy. \u2014 BRAD RHINES<\/p>\n

Little Freddie King Blues Band<\/strong><\/p>\n

12:45-1:35 p.m., Blues Tent<\/em><\/p>\n

When he was 14, Little Freddie King rolled off of a train from McComb, Mississippi, and made New Orleans home. Seventy years later, King is a New Orleans icon and a gutbucket blues legend.<\/p>\n

In September, though, King took a bad fall from his electric bicycle and injured his arm, hand and leg. The fall left lasting damage, and unfortunately, King\u2019s guitar-playing days may be behind him. Still, he can sing, and he\u2019s bound and determined to keep up his Jazz Fest streak, so King and his band are taking the Blues Tent stage with two guest guitarists. Along with King on vocals, the band will include drummer \u201cWacko\u201d Wade Wright, harmonica player Bobby Louis, bassist Robert Snow and guitarists Ryan Scully and Tony Dios.<\/p>\n

Keep an eye out, too, for King\u2019s recently released album \u201cLive at BJ\u2019s Lounge.\u201d<\/a> The record captures the storied bluesman in his element at his longtime Bywater haunt shortly before his accident. \u201cLive at BJ\u2019s Lounge\u201d is available on vinyl at Louisiana Music Factory, Euclid Records and BJ\u2019s and be found on streaming platforms. \u2014 JAKE CLAPP<\/p>\n

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Little Freddie King<\/p>\n

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\n Provided photo by Steve Pyke<\/span>
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Samantha Fish<\/strong><\/p>\n

1:55-3:05 p.m., Festival Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

Two-time Grammy-nominated blues rocker Samantha Fish<\/a> released her latest album, \u201cPaper Doll,\u201d last year around the time she hit the Festival Stage for a set full of swagger and fire. The guitarist and vocalist mostly plays originals, like the catchy, passionate \u201cSweet Southern Sounds,\u201d but she\u2019ll occasionally throw in her take on \u201960s rhythm and blues, like Barbara Lewis\u2019 \u201cHello Stanger.\u201d The Kansas City, Missouri-born, New Orleans-based Fish releases \u201cPaper Doll Live\u201d in early June to capture the evolution of her 2025 album into raw, soulful, crowd-revving crescendos. \u2014 LIAM PIERCE<\/p>\n

Lutan Fyah<\/strong><\/p>\n

2:10-3:10 p.m., Cultural Exchange Pavilion<\/em><\/p>\n

4:45-5:30 p.m., Jazz & Heritage Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

Jamaican musician Lutan Fyah<\/a> is known for his work with reggae stars like Beenie Man and more recently Ky-Mani Marley, one of Bob Marley\u2019s sons. His up-tempo reggae and smooth vocals cover a range of topics. Songs about Rastafarianism and cannabis are chief among them \u2014 \u201cWeed Oooooh\u201d is one of his top streamers \u2014 but his 2025 release, \u201cStrength and Resistance,\u201d gets political and a lot more serious. \u2014 JENNIFER ODELL<\/p>\n

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Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit<\/p>\n

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\n Photo by Max Becherer \/ The New Orleans Advocate<\/span>
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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit<\/strong><\/p>\n

3:30-4:50 p.m., Gentilly Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

Tyler Childers<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:20-7 p.m., Gentilly Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

Much respect to the Jazz Fest schedule-makers who managed to book the one-two punch of Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers, two of the biggest names in independent country music, to close out the Gentilly Stage on the fest\u2019s first Saturday.<\/p>\n

After an early 2000s stint with alt-country rockers Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell<\/a> launched a solo career with his own outfit, the 400 Unit, releasing two albums to modest acclaim. It was the 2013 album \u201cSoutheastern,\u201d partly inspired by Isbell\u2019s newfound sobriety, that really took off thanks to the emotional songcraft of numbers like \u201cCover Me Up\u201d and excellent musicianship. While some thoughtful introspection is to be expected with Isbell\u2019s latest record, last year\u2019s \u201cFoxes in the Snow,\u201d fans can also count on the 400 Unit to raise a\u202fruckus on older material and maybe even a surprise throwback tune or two from the Truckers days.<\/p>\n

Kentucky son Tyler Childers<\/a> makes his Jazz Fest debut this year, touring behind his latest album \u201cSnipe Hunter.\u201d The singer-songwriter isn\u2019t afraid to ruffle the feathers of country music traditionalists with his outspoken views on social and civic issues, like the pro-Black Lives Matter fiddle tune \u201cLong Violent History\u201d from 2020. The new record, a collaboration with influential producer Rick Rubin, puts Childers\u2019 twang-and-holler approach to modern country front and center, from the winking ode to success \u201cEatin\u2019 Big Time\u201d to the lonesome lament on substance addiction, \u201cNose on the Grindstone.\u201d \u2014 BRAD RHINES<\/p>\n

BrukOut Sound System<\/strong><\/p>\n

3:35-4:35 p.m., Cultural Exchange Pavilion<\/em><\/p>\n

The Jamaican sound system has an important history in the country\u2019s culture. Made up of a group of DJs and emcees and stacks of speakers, the sound system rose out of necessity to become a party staple, playing dancehall, reggae, hip-hop, dub and remixes. BrukOut Sound System<\/a> was founded by London-born producer and DJ Seani B, and at Jazz Fest, he\u2019ll be joined by musicians Nesta, Laa Lee and Izzy Bossy. BrukOut also performs Sunday at 1:15 p.m. in the Rhythmporium and at 3:35 p.m. in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion. \u2014 JAKE CLAPP<\/p>\n

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\n Photo by Maddie Spinner \/ Gambit<\/span>
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Kr3wcial<\/strong><\/p>\n

4:45-5:30 p.m., Rhythmpourium<\/em><\/p>\n

New Orleans-born rapper and producer Kr3wcial<\/a> has been carving out a unique place in Crescent City hip-hop. He\u2019s a dynamic vocalist, turning on a dime from smooth flows to gruff phrasing, and he\u2019ll roll gospel, soul, jazz and string instruments into his sound. Last fall, he released the meaningful full-length album \u201cGod is With Us,\u201d which for now can be found on vinyl at Peaches Records. He\u2019s performed at Jazz Fest before with the glbl wrmng collective, but he makes his solo festival debut on Saturday. \u2014 JAKE CLAPP<\/p>\n

Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:20-6:50 p.m., WWOZ Jazz Tent<\/em><\/p>\n

Saxophonist Dave Koz<\/a> has played smooth jazz and soft rock-inspired instrumental pop in a variety of contexts since he left Richard Marx\u2019s band in 1989 to go solo. He\u2019s released multiple holiday albums and recorded with artists as diverse as Xian aTunde Adjuah, Barry Manilow and Eric Benet. But his go-to touring act is Summer Horns, which he debuted in 2013. Recent performances have focused on familiar \u201970s pop and jazz hits arranged for a 5-piece horn section. \u2014 JENNIFER ODELL<\/p>\n

Rhiannon Giddens<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:25-6:55 p.m., Blues Tent<\/em><\/p>\n

Grammy-winning banjoist and vocalist Rhiannon Giddens<\/a> could recently be found in the movie \u201cSinners,\u201d for which she also was a music consultant, and playing on Beyonce\u2019s \u201cCowboy Carter.\u201d Those projects are just the latest in the work done by MacArthur Genius since her days with the Carolina Chocolate Drops: promoting the Black musical traditions at the foundations of American roots music. Giddens last year released her latest album, \u201cWhat Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow,\u201d a collaboration with fiddler Justin Robinson. \u2014 LIAM PIERCE<\/p>\n

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Rhiannon Giddens<\/p>\n

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Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:25-6:55 p.m., Fais Do-Do Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

From the radio hits of the \u201980s, to a touring member of the Grateful Dead and forays into bluegrass and jazz, Bruce Hornsby\u2019s<\/a> 40-year career has taken some unexpected twists and turns. And the 71-year-old pianist and songwriter continues to innovate. His new album, \u201cIndigo Park,\u201d released earlier this month, is another step forward. It\u2019s an eclectic collection of snappy pop songs with unpredictable melodies, wide-ranging instrumentation and thoughtful lyrics that should translate well to the Fais Do-Do stage. \u2014 BRAD RHINES<\/p>\n

Stevie Nicks<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Stevie Nicks<\/a> has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first for her part in Fleetwood Mac, whose eponymous and \u201cRumors\u201d albums helped define the sound of 1970s pop-rock, and then for her prolific solo work, which extended far beyond the famously drama-addled band. Nicks wrote a number of Fleetwood Mac\u2019s songs, so her sets often roll classics like \u201cLandslide\u201d and \u201cRhiannon\u201d next to solo hits like \u201cEdge of Seventeen.\u201d \u2014 JENNIFER ODELL<\/p>\n

Nas<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:55-7 p.m., Congo Square Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

East Coast hip-hop legend Nas<\/a> still attacks the mic with the same focus that made \u201cIllmatic\u201d a landmark album more than 30 years ago. The son of jazz and blues player Olu Dara, the emcee came out swinging in 1994 with his debut album, and last year, he released his latest album, the long-awaited collaboration with DJ Premier, \u201cLight-Years.\u201d It\u2019s been a few years since Nas\u2019 last time at Jazz Fest, his 2017 set featuring The Soul Rebels. \u2014 LIAM PIERCE<\/p>\n\n

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Eight days of music, food and New Orleans culture.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div><\/div>\n