Starting this Thursday, City Park will once again be home to a lineup of some of the best musicians the city of New Orleans has to offer. The Thursdays at Twilight series has been extended through November, and the performers this fall season will offer a wide range of music styles found in New Orleans. Concerts are held inside the Pavilion of the Two Sisters at the New Orleans Botanical Garden. Gates open at 5 p.m. and concerts begin at 6 p.m. Admission is $15. Cocktails, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food are available for purchase. No outside food, drink or pets allowed.
The following acts will be performing for Thursdays at Twilight:
August 25 | Little Freddie King
A hard-living character who has been playing the rural electric blues of his native Mississippi for decades, King and his band have a penchant for hard-hitting, minimalist chords and lyrics, delivered by a cracked, heavily lived-in voice. Much of King’s material has an old-style blues feel, but he is at his most charming when he strips it down to just his guitar and howling vocals.
September 1 | NOLA String Kings
The NOLA String Kings is a jazz string trio that lives up to its name. With John Rankin on guitar, Don Vappie on guitar and tenor banjo, and Matt Rhody on violin and mandolin, the royalty of the Big Easy string world is represented. All three musicians sing as well as play, and together they balance virtuosity with humor and the easy feel that typifies the best of New Orleans music.
September 8 | New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra
The New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra is an American revival orchestra that performs authentic orchestrations of vintage American popular music from the 1890s through the early 1930s. The orchestra plays particular attention to the music of New Orleans, where it is based, including works by Jelly Roll Morton and Fletcher Henderson, but often overlooked musicians as well, such as Larry Buck and Paul Sarebresole.
September 15 | Wanda Rouzan and A Taste of New Orleans
Critical acclaim says that Ms. Rouzan is not just a “taste of New Orleans, but a whole meal.” Rouzan, the Sweetheart of New Orleans and one of the Crescent City’s premier musical ambassadors, leads her own band, A Taste of New Orleans, performing all over the world.
September 22 | New Orleans Mystics (SOLD OUT)
Songs from the Temptations, O’Jays, Marvin Gaye, and Otis Redding will all be part of this soulful tribute to some of the greatest music from the 1970s.
September 29 | The Yat Pack
The Yat Pack is a New Orleans-based band that brings back the swing era with an added Las Vegas flair. From the big band classic sounds of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bobby Darin, and the New Orleans swing of Louis Prima and Louis Armstrong, to contemporary artists like Michael Bublé, Billy Joel, and Harry Connick Jr., the Yat Pack delivers diversity, style and a whole lot of class.
October 6 | Creole String Beans
Creole String Beans are a classic New Orleans, swamp pop and R&B powerhouse sextet. With exceptional taste in song selection and a repertoire that ranges far and wide, the Beans are able to take their devoted dance fans to dangerous altitudes of twistin’ and shoutin’ ecstasy with high energy and melodic finesse.
October 13 | Julio and Cesar
Originally from Guatemala, guitar playing brothers Julio and Cesar Herrera have been in New Orleans for more than 30 years. They describe their music as constantly evolving, attributing this in part to their exposure from an early age to many cultures.
October 20 | Bon Operatit
Bon Operatit consists of New Orleans opera singers Lauren Mouney Gisclair, Mary Akin, Joseph Akin and Jacob Penick. From La Traviata to Phantom of the Opera, they perform a perfect pairing of opera and musical theater hits that are sure to invigorate the senses.
October 27 | Paul Soniat with Special Guests The New Mystics
The Botanical Garden’s own singer-songwriter Paul Soniat will perform his original songs. A self-taught musician, Soniat was born on Soniat Street in New Orleans and he began performing in 2004. Paul’s songs convey the special insights into New Orleans known only to a native New Orleanian.
November 3 | Raphael Bas and Harmonouche
Harmonouche plays music loaded with charisma and international flavor. This New Orleans gypsy jazz band combines world class musicianship and a good dose of humor to deliver a unique sound orchestrated with jazz guitar, diatonic harmonica, singing, whistling, accordion, piano, clarinet and saxophone.
November 10 | Bruce Daigrepont
The Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band plays Cajun and zydeco music sung in Louisiana Cajun French. The band is made up of seasoned, experienced musicians and has toured throughout North America, Europe and South America.
November 17 | Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue
Gal Holiday is a country swing band from New Orleans that incorporates original material with the best of country, rockabilly and western swing classics. Singer Vanessa Niemann, who started the band in 2004, began her career when she was three years old, playing tambourine on stage in the rural mountains of Maryland. Those mountain roots are still evident in her lively stage performances.
For more information on Thursdays at Twilight and to purchase tickets, visit here.