{"id":2390520,"date":"2026-04-26T23:14:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T23:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2390520"},"modified":"2026-04-26T23:14:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T23:14:44","slug":"nola-jazz-fest-gambits-picks-for-music-to-see-may-3-jazz-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/nola-jazz-fest-gambits-picks-for-music-to-see-may-3-jazz-fest\/","title":{"rendered":"NOLA Jazz Fest: Gambit’s picks for music to see May 3 | Jazz Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mavis Staples<\/p>\n

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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 the last day of the festival.<\/p>\n

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Chiefs of the Indian Nation<\/strong><\/p>\n

12:40-1:20 p.m. Sunday, Jazz & Heritage Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

Putting aside friendly rivalries between Black Masking Indian tribes, a contingent of Big Chiefs take the stage together on Sunday, including Chiefs Terrance Mitchell of the Creole Wild West, Shaka Zulu of the Golden Feather Hunters, and Juan Pardo of the Golden Comanche in a colorful explosion of traditional Indian music. Pardo told Gambit to expect \u201cdrums for the culture and the diaspora, music from origin story to present-day vibes.\u201d The chiefs also will be interviewed by Matt Sakakeeny at 4 p.m. Sunday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. \u2014 BRAD RHINES<\/p>\n

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

12:50-1:50 p.m. Sunday, Blues Tent<\/em><\/p>\n

Louisiana Blues Hall of Famer \u201cDeacon\u201d John Moore helped develop<\/a> New Orleans\u2019 classic R&B sound as a session guitarist on most of the Minit Records hits that came out of the Crescent City in the early 1960s. In addition to the guitar tracks he laid down for songs by Lee Dorsey, Ernie K-Doe, Irma Thomas, Fats Domino and more, \u201cDeac,\u201d as he\u2019s known around town, led his group, the Ivories, during a long stint as the Dew Drop Inn\u2019s house band. His voice, meanwhile \u2014 gospel-ready and blues-heavy \u2014 is well-steeped in the so-called \u201cNew Orleans sound\u201d that helped spawn early rock and roll. \u2014 JENNIFER ODELL<\/p>\n

RAM from Haiti<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Formed by Richard A. Morse in 1990 in Haiti, RAM<\/a> has evolved into a cultural touchstone for many in the Caribbean nation, combining traditional Haitian instruments and rhythms with electric guitars and big rock beats. Over the decades, the Creole-language band has weathered political turmoil and violence, natural disasters, and \u2014 most recently \u2014 creative differences. After splitting from his longtime wife and collaborator Lunise, Morse last month released a pair of new songs, \u201cTi Mal O\u201d and \u201cKenbe\u2019m,\u201d that reflect RAM\u2019s new sound and direction. \u2014 BRAD RHINES<\/p>\n

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Lila Ik\u00e9<\/p>\n

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Lila Ik\u00e9<\/strong><\/p>\n

2:10-3:20 p.m., Congo Square Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

5-6 p.m. Cultural Exchange Pavilion<\/em><\/p>\n

Lila Ik\u00e9 toiled away at plenty of singles and EPs in the last few years, but her debut full-length album<\/a> \u201cTreasure Self Love\u201d earned her a nomination for the 2026 Best Reggae Album Grammy, the lone female artist in the category. She also got the spotlight at the ceremony while singing Earth Wind & Fire\u2019s classic \u201cShining Star.\u201d Her sound is roots-reggae meets R&B and dancehall, and she sings it with crystalline vocals and sharp social commentary. \u2014 LIAM PIERCE<\/p>\n

Trumpet Mafia feat. Keyon Harrold<\/strong><\/p>\n

2:15-3:20 p.m. Sunday, WWOZ Jazz Tent<\/em><\/p>\n

Ashlin Parker\u2019s Trumpet Mafia<\/a> collective emerged in 2013 from a group of fellow trumpeters he\u2019d invite to his house for practice sessions. A jazz educator and alumnus of Ellis Marsalis\u2019 quintet, Parker welcomed players with a variety of experience levels into the group to maximize all members\u2019 learning potential. That open approach has allowed Trumpet Mafia to expand continuously \u2014 and internationally \u2014 yielding the multi-generational army of horn players that\u2019s now an annual WWOZ Jazz Tent highlight.<\/p>\n

Trumpeter and vocalist Keyon Harrold<\/a>, whose resume includes extensive work in hip-hop and neo-soul as well jazz, played Miles Davis\u2019 trumpet parts in the biopic \u201cMiles Ahead.\u201d He joins Trumpet Mafia for a centennial tribute to Davis’ groundbreaking work. \u2014 JENNIFER ODELL<\/p>\n

Teddy Swims<\/strong><\/p>\n

4:05-5:20 p.m., Festival Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

Face-tatted Teddy Swims<\/a> arrives in New Orleans at a career-high. He\u2019s fresh off a Coachella set and the announcement of his 2026 \u201cUgly Tour.\u201d Known for his single \u201cLose Control\u201d \u2014 streamed nearly 2.5 billion times on Spotify alone \u2014 the Georgia native\u2019s powerful vocals bridge classic R&B with a modern pop grit. Backed by his band Freak Freely, Swims is currently promoting his latest 2026 single, the soul-searching \u201cMr. Know It All.\u201d But he just might play you his version of Shania Twain\u2019s \u201cYou\u2019re Still The One.\u201d \u2014 LIAM PIERCE<\/p>\n

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Davell Crawford\u2019s Fabulous Friends Forever<\/strong><\/p>\n

4:05-5:05 p.m., Gospel Tent<\/em><\/p>\n

A grandson of James \u201cSugar Boy\u201d Crawford, Davell Crawford<\/a> was raised within the city’s gospel and R&B traditions. This performance brings the “Piano Prince” together with some of his mentors and friends, including Cyril and Charmaine Neville and Wanda Rouzan. Crawford\u2019s style \u2014 a mix of Baptist church organ, funk and modern jazz \u2014 serves as the backbone for a set that highlights deep ties among New Orleans musical families. \u2014 LIAM PIERCE<\/p>\n

Tedeschi Trucks Band<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

The Tedeschi Trucks Band<\/a> operates like a well-tuned machine, a 12-piece ensemble churning out laid back jams with seemingly effortless precision. Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, the blues rock power couple, get top billing for good reason, thanks to her powerful gospel-inspired vocals and his incendiary slide guitar chops. But the band\u2019s chemistry and cohesion make this outfit something special, from blistering, horn-heavy blues numbers to soulful grooves, all of which is on display with the band\u2019s most recent release, the 2026 album \u201cFuture Soul.\u201d \u2014 BRAD RHINES<\/p>\n

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Earth, Wind & Fire<\/p>\n

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Earth, Wind & Fire<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:40-7 p.m. Sunday, Congo Square Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s something magical about swaying to Earth, Wind & Fire\u2019s<\/a> laidback soul grooves, soft-yet-lavish orchestration and falsetto-spiked vocal harmonies beneath the first strands of sunset over the Congo Square Stage. The iconic group\u2019s hits include the smooth chart-topper \u201cSeptember,\u201d the synthed-out funk jam \u201cLet\u2019s Groove\u201d and the endlessly sampled \u201cShining Star.\u201d The current lineup\u2019s longtime EWF members include bassist Verdine White, singer and percussionist Ralph Johnson and Phillip Bailey, whose gospel-ready falsetto has been central to their sound since 1972. \u2014 JENNIFER ODELL<\/p>\n

Herbie Hancock<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:40-7 p.m., WWOZ Jazz Tent<\/em><\/p>\n

One constant running through Herbie Hancock\u2019s<\/a> astounding musical output since the 1960s has been the elastic nature of his creative genius. The pioneering pianist and composer behind crossover hits like \u201cChameleon\u201d and new jazz standards like \u201cMaiden Voyage\u201d and \u201cWatermelon Man\u201d has long touted his appetite for new ideas as a key to the unexpected directions he routinely builds into his work. Fans of Hancock\u2019s modal jazz masterpieces, for example, maybe didn\u2019t see \u201cRockit\u201d coming from a former member of Miles Davis\u2019 Second Great Quintet. Speaking of Davis, Hancock\u2019s band at the fest includes trumpeter Terence Blanchard, whose current tour honors the work of Davis\u2019 First Great Quintet. \u2014 JENNIFER ODELL<\/p>\n

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Steve Earle feat. Anders Osborne<\/strong><\/p>\n

5:40-7 p.m. Sunday, Fais Do-Do Stage<\/em><\/p>\n

Before kicking off a solo acoustic tour later this month, billed as \u201c51 Years of Songs and Stories,\u201d Steve Earle<\/a> returns to Jazz Fest along with hotshot New Orleans guitar player Anders Osborne. Earle gained a following for his outlaw-country songwriting with hits like \u201cCopperhead Road\u201d and gained a reputation for outlaw antics that ended with stints in jail and rehab in the mid-1990s. With a deep back catalog and plenty of stories to go with it, expect the always outspoken Earle to hold court at the Fais Do-Do stage. Earle also will be interviewed by Mark Guarino at 3 p.m. Sunday on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. \u2014 BRAD RHINES<\/p>\n

Mavis Staples<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Vocalist Mavis Staples<\/a> has had nothing short of a legendary career, from her start in the 1950s as part of The Staple Stingers, her family\u2019s gospel and soul group, to her more recent features on songs by Hozier, Gorillaz and Jon Batiste. She once even turned down a marriage proposal from Bob Dylan. An icon in R&B, blues and gospel, Staples last year released her 14th solo full-length, \u201cSad and Beautiful World,\u201d a touching and powerful album of mostly covers, including songs by Curtis Mayfield, Tom Waits, Frank Ocean, Gillian Welch and Leonard Cohen. \u2014 JAKE CLAPP<\/p>\n\n

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Capturing family traditions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n

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