Tonight, the 3rd and final show featuring artists that performed at this year’s Jazz Fest, the 2026 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.  Artists include a tribute to Marcia Ball (who’s stopped performing due to illness), Jesse Royal, New Breed Brass Band, Leela James, Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, The Black Keys, Little Feat, Susan Cowsil, Robin Barnes, Kermit Ruffins, Earth, Wind & Fire, AND Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Listen 

Tonight is the 2nd of 3 shows  featuring select artists scheduled to perform at this year’s, the 56th year, of Jazz Fest. Featured artists include: Cedric Watson et Bijou Creole, John “Papa” Gros, Rickie Lee Jones, Widespread Panic, Treme Brass and Indian Band, John Mahoney Little Big Band, Anders Osborne, Jekalyn Carr, Mike Zito, Dianne Reeves, Ziggy Marley, The Eagles, and Herbie Hancock. Listen 

Ah, Jazz Fest. . . The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, most commonly referred to as Jazz Fest, is the annual festival celebrating the music, art, culture and heritage of New Orleans, as well as, featuring artists from all over the world and across multiple genres. 

This is the 1st of 3 shows featuring select artists performing at this year’s Jazz Fest, and as I have done on past NORMS Jazz Fest shows, we’ll use “the Cubes” as our guide, the graphic that lays out all the performers, times, and stages, we’ll go from stage to stage to take a listen to select artists, share a little history about the Fest, and some personal insights and experiences being at Jazz Fest

Featured artists tonight include: Brother Tyrone, Jelly Joseph, Lena Prima, The Blind Boys of Alabama,  

Irma Thomas, Dr. Michael White, Big 6 Brass Band, The Revivalist, Charlie Musselwhite, Stephen Marley, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, AND Jon Batiste. Listen 

And on tonight’s show, select artists performing at this year’s French Quarter Festival! Including: Leroy Jones, Mahmoud Chouk, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, Big Chief Juan Pardo’s Tribal Gold, The Soul Rebels, Irma Thomas, Kelly Love Jones, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters with Zydeco Boogaloo, John Boutte, and PJ Morton. Listen  

Tonight we open with two from Louis Armstrong, followed by two from Bunk Johnson, then it’s Bunk with Sidney Bechet. In Set #2, it’s James Booker, Johnny Adams, Irma Thomas, Fats Domino, and Luther Kent. Set #3:  Alvin Batiste, Donald Harrison Jr., Wynton Marsalis, and Nicholas Payton. Listen 

  Opening tonight’s show, Celestin’s Original Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra, followed by Jelly Roll Morton, then it’s Jimmie Noone, Louis Armstrong, and Sidney Bechet. In Set #2, it’s Henry Butler, The Kings (Earl King, Lee Allen, and Huey Piano Smith), Lee Dorsey, and Eddie Bo. Set #3 features: Select artists that performed at this year’s Congo Square Rhythm Festival, including The New Breed Brass Band, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Cha Wa, Charmaine Neville Band, and Tonya Boyd-Cannon. Listen 

 Opening tonight’s show are two from Louis Armstrong, followed by Henry Red Allen Jr., George Lewis, and an encore for Henry Red Allen Jr. Set #2 features James Booker, Irma Thomas, and Johnny Adams. In Set #3, it’s Ingrid Lucia, Robin Barnes, and Stephanie Jordon. Listen  

Opening tonight’s show are two from Joe King Oliver, followed by Kid Ory, and Louis Armstrong. In Set #2, it’s Smiley Lewis, The Meters, and Henry Butler. Set #3: A salute to the 2025 Grammy Award winners with strong ties to New Orleans and southwest Louisiana, featuring select tracks from the Best Regional Roots category, the album A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, and two tracks from the Grammy Award-winning Best Gospel Album, Heart of Mine, with Darrell Walls and PJ Morton. Listen 

We open tonight’s show with Jelly Roll Morton, then it’s George Lewis, Freddie Keppard, Israel Gorman, and Louis Armstrong. Set # 2 features Fats Domino, Tuts Washington, Professor Longhair, Marva Wright andWalter “Wolfman” Washington. In Set #3 it’s Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Dumpstaphunk, Galactic, and 

Donald Harrison Jr., along with Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah (now Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah). Listen

Opening tonight’s show is A.J. Piron, followed by Jimmie Noone, then it’s Sidney Bechet, Ernest “Punch” Miller, and Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. In our 2nd set: Luther Kent, Alvin Batiste, Allen Toussaint, and Dr. John. Set #3 features Jon Batiste and Idris Muhammad. Listen

Mahalia Jackson opens tonight’s show, followed by Louis Armstrong, Emma Barrett, and Lonnie Johnson. Then in Set #2, it’s Edgar Big Boy Miles, Huey Piano Smith, Walter Wolfman Washington, Dr. John, and Allen Toussaint. And in Set #3: Dumpstaphunk, The Rumble, James Andrews, Dr. John, and Donald Harrison Jr., and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Listen