Café Istanbul has revealed the initial lineup for its annual Café Istanbul Nightfest series taking place during New Orleans Jazz Fest 2024.
Set to kick off April 26th, the series will begin with two consecutive nights of Melvin Seals & JGB featuring John Kadlecik, Jean-Paul McLean, Jeremy Hoenig, and special guest Ron Holloway. Seals and JGB made their NOLA debut last year as part of the Nightfest and will return to the intimate Café Istanbul this year to honor the musical legacy of the Jerry Garcia Band, of which Seals was a longtime member, on April 26th and 27th.
The fun will continue on May 2nd with Beyond The Wall, an immersive exploration of the music of Pink Floyd featuring Scott Page (sax: Pink Floyd, Toto, Supertramp), Stephen Perkins (drums: Jane’s Addiction, Porno For Pyros), Norwood Fisher (bass: Fishbone, Trulio Disgracias), Kenny Olson (guitar: Experience Hendrix), Roberta Freeman (vocals: Pink Floyd, Guns N’ Roses), Will Champlin (keys/vocals: The Voice, Kill Will), and Derek Day (guitar/vocals: Classless Act), plus “a surprise you won’t want to miss.”
Then on May 3rd and 4th, Café Istanbul will host the annual two-night AXIAL TILT Grateful Dead celebration, which this year features most of Dark Star Orchestra, including guitarists Jeff Mattson and Rob Eaton, vocalist Lisa Mackey, bassist Skip Vangelas, and drummer Dino English, plus keyboardist Mitch Stein (Gatorators, Cryptical), percussionist Wally Ingram (David Lindley, Timbuk3), and some surprise special guests. Each night will included one acoustic set and two electric sets, totaling five hours of live Grateful Dead music per night with no repeats.
Mad Alchemy will create world-class light shows for both Beyond The Wall and AXIAL TILT, and BONERAMA, a beloved NOLA-based trombone-fronted brass rock band, will once again close out the Nightfest with an end-of-fest blowout bash on Sunday, May 5th.
Tickets for these Café Istanbul Nightfest shows are on sale now, with more events to be added to the Nightfest schedule. For additional information and to purchase tickets, head here.