Way back on the first night of Jazz Fest 2024, a funky group of New Orleans players and a powerful quartet of vocalists saluted the storied catalog of the “Queen of Funk” herself, Chaka Khan, at NOLA’s Toulouse Theatre with Tell Me Something Good: A Tribute to Chaka Khan.
Chaka Khan, born Yvette Marie Stevens, first became well-known as the lead singer of Chicago funk band Rufus and has gone on to build a storied career and an iconic image as a symbol of empowered femininity over the course of half a century. Between her work with Rufus and her extensive solo catalog, Khan has won ten Grammy Awards, churned out numerous smash hits, and worked with a who’s who of influential artists spanning several generations—from Steve Winwood to Ray Charles, Gladys Knight to Quincy Jones, De La Soul to Ariana Grande. Her work has also been extensively sampled in popular hip-hop, spreading her influence into new stylistic spaces. In 2023, the 70-year-old icon was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.
For Tell Me Something Good, guitarist/musical director Ari Teitel (The Rumble) gathered a backing band of his fellow New Orleans regulars—including Tony Hall (bass/vocals, Dumpstaphunk), Alex Wasily (trombone, Dumpstaphunk), Terence Higgins (drums, Dirty Dozen Brass Band), Aurélien Barnes (trumpet, The Rumble), Andriu Yanovski (keys, The Rumble), and Brad Walker (saxophone)—to play the role of Rufus for the evening. Meanwhile, four beloved singers—Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), Shira Elias (Cool Cool Cool), Erica Falls, and Jelly Joseph (Tank and the Bangas/Galactic)—shared time in the Chaka Khan spotlight on lead vocals.
The four contemporary funk queens each brought their own unique flare to the material as the band cycled through Chaka hits and deeper cuts spanning multiple decades. Joseph was steadfast and unassailable as the focal point of 1974’s “I’m A Woman, I’m A Backbone”. Elias tackled tracks like ’81 solo tune “I Know You, I Live You” with engaging dynamics and alluring attitude. Hartswick brought towering stage presence to upbeat favorites like “What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me” (1981) and slow-burns like “Through The Fire” (1984), while Falls’ brand of smooth, laid-back soul shined on easygoing classics like “Sweet Thing” (1975). Each rendition was elevated further as the remaining three singers filtered in and out to provide backing vocals or let a given soloist shine.
The most engaging parts of the show, however, were when all four singers shared the stage, like during a mid-show “I’m Every Woman” (Chaka’s first solo hit from 1978, which went on to become an even bigger hit for Whitney Houston in 1992), a set-closing “I Feel For You” (the Prince-penned dance track that earned both Chaka and Prince Grammy Awards when the Queen of Funk recorded it in 1984), or an encore rendition of “Ain’t Nobody” (rated as one of the top 500 songs of all time by Rolling Stone in 2021) that rounded out the night.
“Last night’s Chaka Khan tribute was one for the books,” Ari Teitel wrote in an Instagram post following the show. “The singers [Jelly Joseph, Shira Elias, Jennifer Hartswick and Erica Falls] brought the 🔥. To have 4 awesome singers/artists work together without any ego bulls— was incredible to see, and I think the crowd felt that. They got the whole crowd singing and dancing along all night.”
“The horns [Brad Walker] and [Alex Wasily] crushed it, as well as [Aurélien Barnes] who not only nailed the trumpet parts but played some mean percussion,” he continued. “My bro [Andriu Yanovski] got all the keyboard and string parts down pat (which is a 2 or 3 person job). My uncs [Terence Higgins] and [Tony Hall]… s—.. you already know they were funky and showed us how seasoned veterans play this music.”
“I have so much gratitude for everyone involved and especially for the fans who turned tf out and turned tf up,” Teitel added. “This might be the craziest thing I’ve pulled off and I couldn’t have done it without all these bad motherf—ers. To be continued.”
Below, watch clips of the first-ever edition of Tell Me Something Good: A Tribute to Chaka Khan at Toulouse Theatre as part of Live For Live Music and GMP Live’s Fest by Nite series during Jazz Fest 2024.
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Setlist: Tell Me Something Good: A Tribute to Chaka Khan | Toulouse Theatre | New Orleans, LA | 4/25/24
Set: You Got The Love, Once You Get Started, What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me, Ooh I Like Your Loving, We Got Each Other, Hollywood, I’m A Woman (I’m A Backbone), Tell Me Something Good (Stevie Wonder), Do You Love What You Feel, Stay, Dance Wit Me, I Know You, I Live You, Sweet Thing, I’m Every Woman, Through The Fire, I Feel For You (Prince)
Encore: Ain’t Nobody
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