At the 16th annual Bayou Rendezvous down in New Orleans this year, George Porter, bassist of the iconic funk band The Meters, gathered a number of his friends in the Crescent City to help the New Orleans Musicians Clinic. With help from keyboard wizard Ivan Neville and guitarist Ian Neville of Dumpstaphunk, drummer Stanton Moore of Galactic, guitarist Eric Krasno of Soulive and Lettuce, legendary drummer Johnny Vidacovich, and guitarist Eric McFadden, the group, dubbed the NOLA All-Stars, offered up ninety minutes of pure soul-filled funk. All these stars have someone in their extended musical circles who have been helped by this wonderful charity, and it was clear that they were on the stage to play from the heart.

As is often the case with these super jams, there wasn’t much planning or things like setlists—at best, George called out to his stellar friends on percussion to give him a beat. But the cadre of musical killers he had assembled was more than capable of delivering a stellar show of improvised and repurposed funk classics that had the audience moving and grooving into the wee hours. The guitar fireworks by Kras, Neville, and McFadden were spectacular against the rock-solid pocket provided by Moore and Vidacovich. As always, Porter served as both the heart and the soul of each jam and let his sweet tone and canyon-deep fills do the talking.

We’ve put together a pair of exclusive clips for your enjoyment featuring the twenty-plus minutes of the show’s opening and closing jams, which were chock full of the inspiration that comes from playing for a cause. The New Orleans Musicians Clinic provides much needed medical assistance to the players who fill New Orleans’ days and nights with song. After you’ve finished checking out the clips below check out the fine work the Clinic does here and give any help you can. Enjoy!

“Opener”

 

“Closer”