May 2025 (Jazz Fest Bible)
Cover Story
- Irma Thomas: Audience With the Queen
The moment was triumphant—Mick Jagger inviting Irma Thomas onstage with the Rolling Stones last April at Jazz Fest and then joining…
BackTalk
- Lila Downs Talks Back
Lila Downs, one of Mexico’s most vibrant musical stars for a few decades now and a global ambassador of the nation’s…
Features
- Jazz Fest A to Z
This guide should help in choosing from the panoply of cultures, rhythms and sounds available at Jazz Fest to ensure your… - Jon Cleary
Jon Cleary talks about his album The Bywater Sessions. The night Jon Cleary arrived in New Orleans as a teenager, he… - Sweet Crude: Drums and Voices
There are two phrases that Sweet Crude try their hardest to avoid when talking about their upcoming project: One is “back… - Carolyn Wonderland: Let’s Play a Game
The last time Texas guitar virtuoso Carolyn Wonderland played at Jazz Fest in 2018 was an especially memorable one: It was… - The Fabulous Thunderbirds
The Fabulous Thunderbirds: An interview with Kim Wilson Of all the acts headlining the Blues Tent this year, there won’t be… - 007: 25th Anniversary Reunion
Don't Sweat the Rocksteady, 007: 25th Anniversary Reunion. “The whole thing is a happy accident,” says Jeffrey Clemens, mastermind of the… - Gal Holiday: Three Chords, but still the truth
Vanessa Niemann, alias Gal Holiday, didn’t grow up on country music, and didn’t fully embrace it until she’d left her Maryland… - Jesse Lége: Memories in my Heart
When Jesse Lége says it’s about time, you better believe it. It’s been 15 years since the powerhouse Cajun accordionist’s last… - Karl Denson: King of Jazz Fest Late Night
When Karl Denson played at the Jazz Fest a year ago, he was on the main stage with the Rolling Stones.… - Branford Marsalis is back home in New Orleans
Saxophonist, composer, bandleader and Grammy-winner Branford Marsalis moved back to his hometown of New Orleans in January 2024. The oldest son… - Alejandro Escovedo: Echo Dancing
Alejandro Escovedo a unique path. Over the past six decades, Alejandro Escovedo has forged a unique genre-busting path through the American… - Calypso Head: Charlie and the Tropicales
Trombonist Charlie Halloran is best known around town as a first-call traditional jazz musician. But that may change as more and… - Mireya Ramos. Performing with Charlie and the Tropicales
The hyper-talented violinist and singer-songwriter Mireya Ramos will be a guest of Charlie and the Tropicales. Ramos is best known for… - Moonage Daydream: La Santa Cecilia
Miguel “Oso” Ramirez and Alex Bendana, the percussionist and bassist of the Los Angeles band La Santa Cecilia, respectively, are discussing… - Big Tuba: The Hot 8 Brass Band sizzles
The Hot 8 Brass Band is just that. The Grammy-winning and -nominated eight-member ensemble is sizzling, having just released a new… - Little Freddie King
Little Freddie King: Monarch of New Orleans Blues Little Freddie King is the undisputed monarch of New Orleans blues, whose down-home,… - Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars: Winning Over A Crowd
If NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest handed out medals like at the Olympics, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars would have taken home the… - Seun Kuti: King of the hard-hitting jazz-funk
Seun Kuti is pacing around a London flat as he chats on a video call, taking his laptop with him as… - Organic: The River Benders’ quirky Americana vibe
What better birthplace could there be for a Louisiana roots music band than the parking lot of a seafood restaurant? That’s… - LVVRS: Do You Wanna Rock and Roll?
LVVRS are going to the top. As a great philosopher once said, it’s a long way to the top if you… - Samantha Fish: Slash and Burn
To see Samantha Fish perform live is to not forget her — it takes just once for her electrified live set… - Woodenhead: Celebrating 50 Years
Back in 2003 Woodenhead released a CD called Perseverance—a title that celebrated their playing proudly non-commercial music, out of love and… - Were You in the Audience When…
There’s just something special about a musical walk down memory lane especially at this time of the year. Taking time to… - Trombone Shorty: Pays It Forward and Back
A conversation with Trombone Shorty. Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is a rock star of rhythm and as solid a person you… - Bill Frisell: Guitar Hero
To some, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell is known for tastefulness and restraint. New Orleans is … not. “Yeah,” he acknowledges with,… - Louis Armstrong Tribute: A conversation with Armstrong House Museum’s Ricky Riccardi
In 1925, Louis Armstrong made his recording debut as a bandleader and vocalist with his first Louis Armstrong and His Hot… - Snappy: The Tin Men could only be from New Orleans
The epigram “this band could only be from New Orleans,” though applicable to bands as varied as the Meters to Egg… - The King of Zydeco: Clifton Chenier Centennial
December 1987 still brings grief to zydeco musicians and fans. On December 12, Clifton Chenier, the beloved King of Zydeco, died… - Chloé Marie: Shiny As Gold
Chloé Marie is a singer and songwriter to behold, with her beautifully somber tone and soaring phrasing. She also has quite… - Bonsoir, Catin: A conversation with Christine Balfa
Joe and Cleoma Falcon, a husband-and-wife duo, recorded “Allons à Lafayette,” Cajun music’s first commercial hit, in 1928. Ever since, women… - Going Back to Coolsville: Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones was no stranger to New Orleans when she flew in from California to play Jazz Fest in 1992.… - Defying Labels: Mr. Sipp is not one dimensional
Castro Coleman’s contributions to the Count Basie Orchestra’s 2024 album, Basie Swings the Blues, earned the charismatic Mississippian his first Grammy… - River Eckert, A Piano Prodigy, is putting good energy into the world
River Eckert made his Jazz Fest debut in 2024 at 14-years-old. A singer, pianist, composer and arranger, he’s a New Orleans… - Gladney: High Vibrations and Deep Meditations
Gladney’s been playing Jazz Fest since the seventh grade, but this year’s fest is his first gig as a bandleader. He’s… - Johnny Allan: Promised Land
Johnny Allan performs with Gregg Martinez and the Delta Kings. In the 1960s and ’70s, fans jitterbugged and two stepped while… - Kyle Roussel: Refreshing and Intellectual
Pianist Kyle Roussel kicked off 2025 with a bang in the form of a landmark new album, “Church of New Orleans,”… - Youssou N’Dour: The Voice of Senegal
About 20 years ago singer Youssou N’Dour, who stands at the top of modern Senegalese music, visited the island of Gorée… - Pete Fountain: Every Note Has a Smile
Along with Louis Armstrong and Al Hirt, Pete Fountain is among the most famous jazz musicians from New Orleans. A brilliant… - A conversation with Odd the Artist
Whatever you do, don’t pigeonhole Odd The Artist. The young rapper, singer, DJ, and producer is equal parts hip-hop and rock… - Sarah Quintana: Baby Don't
Sarah Quintana is all about innovating some serious fun. “Making feel-good music is harder than I thought thanks to pandemics, hurricanes,… - Loose Cattle: Soulful Harmonies
Loose Cattle is Southern roots rock, Americana and definitely alt-country. In New Orleans, the Laissez Faire Laissez/Les Bon Temps Roule vibe… - Guitar Slim Jr.: Trouble Don't Last
The blues singer and guitarist Guitar Slim Jr., the son of Eddie “Guitar Slim” Jones, has been a New Orleans mainstay… - Wendell Brunious
Wendell Brunious: Pass It On Wendell Brunious is Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s musical director. When you enter Preservation Hall, it’s like… - Dwayne Dopsie
Dwayne Dopsie remembers his 2024 performance with the Rolling Stones. With broad shoulders, big biceps and a boyish face, Dwayne Dopsie… - The Creole String Beans
The Creole String Beans. Despite the changes in the world and the local culture, the indigenous 20th century music of South…
Mojo Mouth
- Mojo Mouth: Last Will and Testament
We are proud and happy to honor Irma Thomas as our “Forever Soul Queen” on this year’s Jazz Fest Bible™ cover.…
