Gambit's picks for the final day of Jazz Fest 2024.
Wimberly Family Gospel Singers
11:15-11:55 a.m. Sunday
Gospel Tent
Start the day off right with some high energy holy spirit praise, courtesy of the Wimberly Family Gospel Singers. Founded in New Orleans in 1976, the band has been a regular presence at Jazz Fest, bringing their classic funky, soulful gospel music to the masses for literal generations. The current lineup of the band is led by Eneal Wimberly, who will undoubtedly have the aisles full of dancers Sunday morning.
Conjunto Tierra Linda
11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m. Sunday
Jazz and Heritage Stage
Founded in 2019 by bassist and singer Gabriel Case, Conjunto Tierra Lindo have become a regular on the local music circuit, playing a mix of salsa, popular Cuban music, mambo and Latin Jazz classics, as well as originals.
The band has become one of the standouts in New Orleans’ growing Latin music scene, putting on fun, energetic shows that always have the dance floor packed.
La Tran-K Band
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Sunday
Cultural Exchange Pavilion
New Orleans’ La Tran-K Band is made up of members from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The band plays a variety of Afro-Carribean styles including cumbia, salsa, bachata and merengue. They’ve become a regular sight in the city’s music scene over the years, playing festivals in and around New Orleans as well as regular shows, including several last year with popular DJ C’est Funk at the Rabbit Hole.
Dwayne Dopsie
1:15-2 p.m. Sunday
Rhythmporium
Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers
4:05-5 p.m. Sunday
Fais Do-Do Stage
The youngest of zydeco legend Rockin’ Dopsie’s eight children, Dwayne stands on his own two feet as a towering figure in zydeco music — both in terms of his musical ability and sheer size. Physically, Dopsie is so big he makes a full-size accordion look like a child’s toy, an impressive feat only outdone by his even more massive stage presence. During his sets, Dopsie never seems to stay still, stalking across the stage — and often through the crowd — with the energy of a tornado. Combined with his infectious crowd work and gregarious nature, Dopsie is a must-see.
Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys will perform Sunday at Jazz Fest.
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
1:35-2:35 p.m. Sunday
Fais Do-Do Stage
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys return to Jazz Fest Sunday in what is sure to be a one of this year’s standout Cajun music performances. A staple of the south Louisiana music scene for decades, the band has produced 10 records over its decades long career, producing a mix of traditional numbers and originals, largely in Cajun French.
Irma Thomas
1:55-3 p.m. Sunday
Festival Stage
The Soul Queen of New Orleans may have turned 83 this year, but she’s still putting on a gem of a performance, as her recent French Quarter Fest set proved. Her voice is as strong as ever, and while she may have slowed down just a touch or two over the years, her magnetic presence and swagger is still captivating audiences more than 60 years into her storied career.
Thomas has already had a busy year, recently finishing work on not one but two new records: the first a gospel record of her own and a second soon-to-be-released album with Galactic.
Honestly, what more is there to say than it’s Irma freakin’ Thomas, so ya know it’s going to be dynamite.
Grupo Niche
2:05-3:05 p.m. Sunday
Congo Square Stage
Based in Bogota, Grupo Niche is a mainstay of the salsa scene, and they’re also a great introduction to the genre for anyone who hasn’t dipped their toes into this Latin style before. Founded in 1978, Grupo Niche plays a classic mix of high energy, upbeat and slower, more romantic styles of salsa, which will definitely keep the crowd moving.
Mariachi Jalisco
3:10-3:30 p.m. Sunday
Cultural Exchange Pavilion
4:25-5:20 p.m. Sunday
Jazz & Heritage Stage
New Orleans’ Mariachi Jalisco bring the classic mariachi style of Mexican music to Jazz Fest Sunday afternoon. With roots in Indigenous and traditional Spanish music, mariachi music remains popular throughout much of Mexico and parts of the United States, and Mariachi Jalisco’s six-piece brand of the genre is as great as an introduction for beginners as it is a treat for fans of mariachi music alike.
The New Orleans Klezmer Allstars
4:10-5 p.m. Sunday
Lagniappe Stage
Formed in 1991, the Klezmer Allstars are something of a supergroup made up of a rotating cast of some of New Orleans’ best musicians. Their recently released record, “Tipish,” features longtime players Ben Ellman, Glenn Hartman, Jonathan Freilich, Aurora Nealand, Doug Garrison, Joe Cabral and Dan Oestreicher, while Stanton Moore and others have also played with the band over the years.
The Allstars fuse classic New Orleans funk and jazz with traditional European Jewish folk music for a unique, high energy unique sound that will have you clapping along, dancing and grinning like a happy fool before you know it.
The Wallflowers
5:30-7 p.m.
Fais Do-Do Stage
Nepo babies may get a bad name on occasion, but especially in the music business it’s not always been particularly easy for the children of superstars to find their own footing out from under the shadow of their parents.
However, that hasn’t been the case for The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan, whose dad Bob is also a singer songwriter you might have heard of.
Launched in 1989, the band has undergone a number of lineup changes, but always with Dylan at its heart. Over its 35-year history, The Wallflowers have carved out an impressive career in indie rock, producing seven full-length studio albums, including their classic sophomore record, “Bringing Down the Horse.” The quadruple platinum record included their iconic “One Headlight,” which took home multiple Grammy awards.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will perform Sunday at Jazz Fest.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
5:35-7 p.m. Sunday
Festival Stage
Troy Andrews, aka Trombone Shorty, is once again back on the Festival Stage Sunday to officially close out this year’s festivities. Andrews, along with his band Orleans Avenue, have been headlining the last day of Jazz Fest for more than a decade, providing a high energy, emphatic exclamation point to two weeks of fun.
Raised in Treme, Andrews began playing trombone practically before he could walk — and even performed at Jazz Fest at the ripe old age of four with blues legend Bo Didley. Since then, he’s been a massive figure in the city’s music scene, starting with his work in iconic brass bands, as the frontman of Orleans Avenue and as a featured artist with Jon Batiste, Juvenile and more.
Earth, Wind and Fire
5:40-7 p.m. Sunday
Congo Square Stage
Chicago’s Earth, Wind and Fire return to a familiar spot closing out the Congo Square Stage. Founded in 1969 in Chicago, Earth, Wind and Fire’s eclectic mix of soul, funk, R&B, disco and other styles has made them one of the most recognizable bands in the world.
The six-time Grammy-winning band came into their own just as disco began, and throughout much of the ’70s and ’80s you couldn’t find a dance floor or roller rink where hits like "Shining Star,” “Boogie Wonderland” and “Fantasy” weren’t in heavy rotation. But it’s their 1978 No. 1 single “September” which the band is perhaps best known for, and for good reason. The upbeat, beautiful disco anthem quickly came to define the band, and in 2018 it was entered into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for its historical, cultural and aesthetic importance. The band itself, meanwhile, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
George Thorogood and The Destroyers
5:40 - 7 p.m. Sunday
Blues Tent
Combining the Chicago blues and straightforward classic rock styles, George Thorogood has been rocking bar rooms, concert halls and festival stages for five decades. He and the Destroyers came to prominence in the ’80s — and defined what it meant to go drinking for a generation — with their renditions of classic blues songs like “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” and “Who Do You Love,” along with originals like “I Drink Alone” and “Bad to the Bone,” Thorogood’s take on Muddy Waters’ iconic “Mannish Boy.”
Over his career, Thorogood has produced more than a dozen records and become an icon of rock 'n' roll. He will be interviewed at 2:15 p.m. at the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage.
Gambit previews the second weekend of Jazz Fest 2024.
The Rolling Stones headline Thursday at Jazz Fest, and there's plenty of other acts leading up to their show.
Gambit's picks for Jazz Fest's second Friday.
Gambit's picks for the second Saturday out at Jazz Fest.
Here is a map of the Jazz Fest grounds and daily schedules for both weekends.
Information about going cashless, transportation, the Food Heritage Stage and more.
Keep up with the latest at calendar.gambitweekly.com.