The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sunday, May 3, 2026: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival with performing artist Big Sam's Funky Nations, George Porter Jr & The Running Partners, Jason Marsalis, Deacon John, Galactic featuring Jelly Joseph, Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Lila Ike, James Andrews & The Crescent City Allstars, Mariachi Jalisco, The Radiators, Robin Barnes & The Fiyabirds, Tedeschi Truck Band, Earth Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock with special Appearance Terrance Blanchard, and Teddy Swims at Jazz Fest on Sunday, May 3, 2026. #JazzandHeritageFestival2026, #JazzandHeritageFestival, #JazzFest2026 #… #louisianaHeritage2026, nojf2026, #nola
The Last Day of Jazz Fest 2026
I
spent most of Sunday in the Jazz Tent both because my guest and I love jazz and
because it quickly became obvious that straying too far meant losing the chance
of having a seat. John Mahoney's Little Band started things off with a
lively set featuring Meryl Zimmerman scatting along Ella Fitzgerald-style, her
hair dyed the same electric blue as her shimmering dress.
Jason Marsalis played a strong set
with a crack quartet featuring the superb pianist Oscar Rossignoli, who swapped
riffs with Marsalis' vibraphones, always a delightful instrument for jazz. The
set remarkably featured many Beach Boys covers creatively culled from lesser-known
records such as "Smiley Smile," "Love You," and "Wild Honey." Rearranging the song "Mrs.
O'Leary's Cow," recreating the great Chicago fire, was a whirlwind of chords and
clashing notes which the musicians clearly relished playing.
Next up was Trumpet Mafia, a
musical organization with roots in house party jam sessions and emphasizing
mentorship for young players, putting the full force of at least a few dozen
brass players on stage. This year marks the centennial of the legendary
"sorcerer" and of his longtime comrade John Coltrane, and the players didn't
forget it. Each took enthusiastic turns soloing on cuts from epochal records such as "Milestones," "Kind of Blue," and "Bitches Brew."
At this point, I commenced to
ramble. The Pocket Aces Brass Band on the Jazz & Heritage stage made
waiting for Miss Linda's YaKa-Mein much more fun. The earthy, salty, meaty broth
of Miss Linda's magic elixir never lets me down. It made standing off on the
sunny side of the very crowded path to the Gentilly stage easier as the
Radiators blended Allman Brothers-esque bluesy grit with NOLA funk.
Back by the Jazz Tent, a meatball and pork banh mi from Ba Mien went down easy, especially with the Miller Lights floating around. Tip generously, apparently the vendors who apparently only get 90 cents commission per beer. I caught the end of the Allen Touissant jazz tribute, gratifying to hear the maestro's classic work given a jazzier twist.
As exciting as it was to see such a
huge turnout, especially since the weather cleared up, there were certainly drawbacks.
Many people kept fruitlessly hunting in the aisles for a seat only to end up back
with the rest of the unlucky crowd, standing sweaty shoulder to shoulder on the
concrete or in the sun. It would be great if there was more covered seating
outside the tent or maybe some extra benches outside. We waited for nearly an
hour like that until Herbie Hancock finally took the stage.
An appreciative crowd greeted the
living legend, whose 84 years of age didn't hinder him from alternating between
a piano, a keyboard, and standing up to don a giant keytar. He was supported by
a group featuring local hero Terrence Blanchard on trumpet and bassist James
Genus, a former student of NOLA jazz patriarch Ellis Marsalis and current SNL
band member. Hancock finished the set jamming a medley hard on the keytar, merrily
hopping side to side with Genus.
After streaming along with the
hundreds of other festers through the gates and down the revelry filled streets,
it sure felt good to finally take a load off. A married couple living at Ponce
de Leon and Sauvage have been selling custom Jello shots off their porch for
the past few years, unintentionally carrying the previous owners' tradition. Along
the way, they've apparently paid for both their honeymoon and their dog's
surgery. It's a pretty good deal: top shelf vodka incased in chewy gelatin for
two bucks a shot. The street was still filled with well-lubricated revelers
when I left, bopping and undulating to the music of the streets, loath to let
the curtain on this year's Jazz Fest finally drop.
