An all-star contingency of musicians from Snarky Puppy, Lotus, The Nth Power, and more gathered at The Howlin’ Wolf in the wee morning hours on Friday to pay tribute to the music of Steely Dan. The late-night performance featured a dozen musicians from myriad acts across the live music spectrum.
The show began at nearly 2:30 a.m. after a thunderstorm briefly knocked out power for all of Frenchman Street earlier that morning. Attendees stumbled into The Howlin’ Wolf wet and ready to rock, greeted by an array of familiar faces. This latest edition of the long-running Live For Live Music late-night tradition during Jazz Fest marked something of a reunion for the former Turkuaz members who made up a bulk of the band. Vocalists Shira Elias and Sammi Garett took center stage, backed up by Mikey Carubba on drums, Craig Broadhead, and The Horn Section comprised of Josh Schwartz (bari sax), Greg Sanderson (sax), and Chris Brouwers (trumpet).
These musicians shared the stage with an extensive lineup of other artists that included vocalist Lyle Divinsky, keyboardist Joey Porter (The Motet), guitarist Tim Palmieri (Lotus), bassist Nate Edgar (The Nth Power), and percussionist Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy/Ghost-Note). Together, this deep bench tackled an array of Steely Dan classics including “Do It Again”, a funky, jammed out “Kid Charlemagne”, and a grandiose “Reelin’ In The Years” encore finale.
Thursday’s Steely Dan tribute was part of Live For Live Music’s ongoing Fest By Nite late-night concert series. The run of shows throughout New Orleans continues tonight, May 6th, with Star Kitchen at The Maison featuring special guests The Horn Section and Shira Elias. Aron Magner (The Disco Biscuits) will open the show with the world premiere of Honeypot, an all-star collaboration with George Gekas (The Revivalists), Alvin Ford Jr. (Pretty Lights Live Band), and Tim Palmieri.
Check out a pair of galleries from the Steely Dan tribute at The Howlin’ Wolf courtesy of photographers Courtney Scout and Dave Vann, and scroll down for a full list of Fest By Nite concerts.
