Live For Live Music‘s Fest by Nite series during Jazz Fest was jam-packed with all-star collaborations and late-night superjams—from the star-studded Daze Between Band to the heartfelt A Dream We Dreamed: A New Orleans Tribute to Phil Lesh—but one of the most striking new additions to this year’s lineup came on the first Sunday of Jazz Fest, when Nate Smith joined forces with CARRTOONS, Kiefer, and special guest Eric Gales at the Toulouse Theatre.
The augmented instrumental power trio brought a groove-heavy, genre-blurring sound that captivated the late-night crowd, with Nate Smith steering the ship from his drum throne. Known for his deep-pocket grooves and virtuosic chops, the Fearless Flyers drummer played his usual stripped-down setup, with just kick, snare, and hi-hat, plus a couple extra cymbals and floor toms. He was flanked by two rising stars of modern beat-driven jazz: CARRTOONS on bass and Kiefer on keys, both celebrated for their minimalistic yet soulful approach to music production.
Midway through their ten-show spring tour, the trio had already honed its sound, drawing from their individual catalogs to build a set filled with R&B-tinged jazz and heavy funk grooves. But the energy kicked up a notch when blues guitar virtuoso Eric Gales joined in, adding searing solos and superhuman shredding that elevated the set to another level entirely.
Together, the quartet delivered an impressive fusion of jazz, funk, soul, and blues, each player pushing the others with adventurous solos and instinctive chemistry. In a city known for musical spontaneity, this collaboration embodied the spirit of Jazz Fest—an explosive convergence of talent, groove, and joyful exploration that left the late-night audience wanting more.
Check out video clips and a gallery of photos from Nate Smith with Kiefer, CARRTOONS, and Eric Gales courtesy of photographer Jay Strausser.
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