Jazz Fest 2026 Day 1, Thursday, April 23, 2026.
Contributors: Brett Milano, John Radanovich and Michael Allen Zell.
Sometimes it really pays to ditch the big names and follow a lead. After braving a slick, ballad-heavy and downright soul-less opening stretch by Kings of Leon, I fled to the Fais Do Do stage for the friend-recommended Austin, Texas bandleader and band Shinyribs. As if on cue, that set opened with a song called “I Don’t Want to Hang Out With Anyone That Listens to Shitty Music.” Shinyribs, a.k.a. Kevin Russell, is the real deal: his band has that seamless mix of Tex-Mex, R&B and garage rock that was the defining Austin sound in Doug Sahm’s time (and his previous band, the Gourds, was a favorite of Sahm’s). He can be winningly witty and can open his heart for a love ballad or do both at once (introducing the love song “Sweet Potato” he said, “I call this one my yam jam”). And his Allen Toussaint cover was a great one that you absolutely will never hear: “Let’s Live,” covered in the mid-’60s by Aaron Neville. He fit in so well and is a Shreveport native, so you had to wonder why he seldom plays here—though the song “Take Me to St. Charles,” about losing his license to drive in Louisiana, may have told the answer.
Cowboy Mouth. Photo courtesy of Cowboy Mouth.
Cowboy Mouth has been recording up a storm lately: Last year they did a kick of a covers album (Cover Yo Azz), and this year they’ve been dropping a new original tune online at the end of every month. They did a bit of both at the Fest this year: The Who song “The Real Me” had John Thomas Griffith shredding his throat in classic Roger Daltrey style, and the band hit a different groove with a new Fred LeBlanc song, “Patty With the Rose Tattoo,” a bittersweet one about sexual initiation. The band looked different as well, with their first three-guitar lineup (bassist Brian Broussard has moved to guitar and a new bassist has come in). The rest of their set was heavy on familiar crowd pleasers, and it must be said that they have scads of good songs that they never play live anymore. Fortunately, the mix still includes the ballad “Take Me Back to New Orleans,” one of LeBlanc’s very best; along with the eternal finale “Jenny Says.” As always there were plenty of pronouncements from LeBlanc about embracing this city, this community and this life. LeBlanc’s skills as a rebel-rouser have been well noted, less so the big ol’ heart behind it all.
Life may bring all sorts of changes, but it’s still a good chance that the first thing you hear at the Fair Grounds will be a Meters song. Or a medley of them, as Omari Neville & the Fuel segued “Message From the Meters” into “Hey Pocky Way,” finishing the suite with Dr. John’s “Walk on Gilded Splinters.” This band is very much in the New Orleans funk tradition, enough so that they’re the regular backing band for drummer Omari’s father Cyril Neville. And just when you were wondering what they bring of their own to the mix, Neville brought out Michael Mullins and River Eckert, his bandmates in the second-ten supergroup New Orleans Legacy Coalition, to do their current single “Brand New Day.” And that showed what you can add to a time-honored groove, namely youthful energy and optimism.
Karma and the Killjoys, photo by Emma Reynolds
Looks like the Lagniappe Stage may be the regular stop for people who complain that there aren’t any fresher kinds of sounds at Jazz Fest. Case in point: Karma & the Killjoys, a Baton Rouge band that thrives on smart songwriting, theatrical overtones, and the vocal blend of frontwomen Sydni Myers and Rain Scott-Catoire (the latter also on piano) they feature on separate songs, but each can handle both the sweeter and the more intense side of things. They’re based in pop but aren’t afraid to add some dark allure to the mix; some of the songs about sexual politics hint at fury beneath the surface—they charm you first and then get you thinking. The set rocked considerably harder than they did when I last saw them a year ago; time is right for some wider recognition.
—Brett Milano
After a delay from a power outage, jazz veteran and Kingston born Monty Alexander took the stage in the jazz tent with his band Jamericana, and charmed the audience with wit, swing, and a double rhythm section, plus trombone. With his shock of white hair and easy humor, he stood up from his piano to relate stories like meeting Louis Armstrong at age 17 and the historic bonds between Jamaican and New Orleans music. While at the bench, he often twisted his body fully toward his main drummer and urged him on with single percussive notes. His wistful sound used simple chording, mixing bebop, rock steady, and standard jazz on “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory,” the theme from 007, and his “Hurricane Come and Gone,” the latter dedicated to the suffering caused by Katrina. Drummer Herlin Riley took the stage with a vocal for “Teeny Weeny Bit of Your Love,” by Rosco Gordon, whom Alexander thanked for influencing early Jamaican ska.
—John Radanovich
On the sidewalk, outside the Fair Grounds’ gates to Jazz Fest, conversations were as strong about food choices as much as maneuvering the music cubes. My personal way is to hit that day’s priority food choice first before the lines stretch. That had me beginning the day with a Walker’s Southern Style BBQ Cochon de Lait Po Boy, WWOZ Mango Freeze, and a Tap NOLA Tangerine Mocktail.
Mango Freeze and BBQ Cochon de Lait Po Boy. Photo by Michael Allen Zell
Jamaica is the featured country this year, and that includes cultural visitors. One of them is Cleark “Nurse” James, a renowned sign artist for the past 30 years who hails from Negril. His distinct hand-painted signs are known for advertising a range of community and cultural events. He said, “Respect to the Jazz Fest family. I was called upon. I’m very happy to be here. When they say ‘Jamaica,’ I am Jamaican.”
Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars set the tone for the festival with a plaintive cry that carried well beyond the Gentilly Stage—“Down in New Orleans, I want to go home.”
Yusa showed on the Lagniappe Stage why she is internationally celebrated. Her strong band, including drummer Jafet Perez and trumpet player David Navarro, was versatile, exuberant, and up for anything. Any musical permutation Yusa offers is worth joining her on the ride.
Britti. Photo by Michael Allen Zell
Britti had a keen exuberant crowd in the Lagniappe Tent. Songs from her first album such as “Keep Running” and “Reach Out” found welcome ears. The intimate tent is a great singer/songwriter spot, but I’d love to hear Britti and band perform on a next-tier stage.
Overheard in passing and recommend were Mason Trail and Zydeco Rhythm, Nidia Gongora, and High Steppers Brass Band. I wish I could’ve heard more, but there were only so many hours in the day.
Catching Kyle Roussel at the WWOZ Jazz Tent was without question. Roussel’s Grammy-nominated “Church of New Orleans” was such a giant step forward to ensure that any lover of good music tunes in. The lean-mean group, including drummer Peter Varnado, were the elixir the packed house was seeking. Erica Falls joined for an elevating “Nothing Is Impossible” and grooving “Come Together.”
Deezle, Donald Harrison and Chief Adjuah photo by Michael Allen Zell
Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. is a man made for festivals. He entertains and educates, soothes and grooves, all the while showing a wide musical range. Example on point was the wondrous bounce version of “What You Won’t Do For Love,” including Deezle on beat, a horn section of Harrison Jr. and Chief Adjuah, percussionist Bill Summers, and bassist Chris Severin. Add Mardi Gras Indians, and whether the group played “Hey Pocky A-Way,” a rap song, or some serious jazz, it was clearly next level in its qualities.
Let it not be overlooked that the three-person horn section of Katy Cacao (saxophone), Hilaria Cacao (trombone), and Fabio White Chocolate (trumpet) put major funk into Cimafunk with their high-energy and sharp musicianship on the Congo Square stage. The latter is also the musical director of Primera Linea, the young band playing Jazz Fest on Sunday. That is not to say that Cima—the front man and nom du plume of Cimafunk—is anything but A1 at making the stage his clear home in ways both direct, slinky, and directly slinky. If you like your funk fresh, this is the band for you.
Headliner Stephen Marley bounded onstage to rousing applause and sparked a steady burn with a rousing version of the Bob Marley classic “Iron Lion Zion.” The crowd was there to honor, enjoy, and sing-along. Marley was joyous and beaming through “Medication,” “Three Little Birds,” and much more. Though the energy of the day was exhilarating, the slower-paced, community-based, and soulful-graced tone of Marley’s set was the perfect setting sun for the day.
—Michael Allen Zell
Stephen Marley. Photo by Michael Allen Zell
