George Porter Jr. is an award-winning bassist, songwriter and vocalist. He is a founding member of New Orleans’ seminal funk band, The Meters and widely recognized as one of the greatest bass players of all time. Formed alongside Art "Poppa Funk" Neville, Leo Nocentelli and Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste, the pioneering R&B funk outfit hit the scene on the streets of the Crescent City in the 1960s, to ultimately become one of the progenitors of the funk music genre. The groundbreaking collective carved out syncopated polyrhythms and grooves inherited from New Orleans’ deep African musical roots. Porter’s heavy pocket and fat notes formed the rubbery bass lines behind funk classics like their signature “Cissy Strut,” the now classic 1969 funk instrumental released as a single from their eponymous debut album, which reached No. 4 on the R&B chart and No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. While the group rarely enjoyed massive mainstream success, they are widely heralded alongside James Brown, Sly Stone, and George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic as the founding fathers of funk. The Meters have been nominated four times for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (most recently in 2017), and were presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018. At the outset of his young career, Porter developed his signature style on sessions in his hometown New Orleans, with early musical pioneers Johnny Adams, Irma Thomas, Snooks Eaglin, Eddie Bo and The Lastie Brothers. While Porter developed his pedigree, The Meters were gaining notoriety, soon becoming the house band for Allen Toussaint’s recording label, backing classic records from Dr. John, Lee Dorsey and Earl King, while later supplying the musical foundation for classic hit albums and singles from modern artists Robert Palmer, Paul McCartney, Tori Amos, Taj Mahal, not to mention Patti Labelle’s No. 1 R&B hit “Lady Marmalade.” George and The Meters toured with the Rolling Stones in '75, were embraced by Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, and became primary influences to modern artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys. Porter’s rhythmic work with drummer Modeliste also became the building block behind primary samples used by the most relevant hip-hop artists of the 1980’s and 1990’s, including A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC, N.W.A. and Queen Latifah. Porter has accompanied the stage as a band member or special guest with the likes of David Byrne, Dead & Company, Jimmy Buffet, Warren Haynes, Widespread Panic, Tedeschi Trucks Band, John Scofield, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and various members of Phish, to name a few. He continues to be the bandleader of current projects, George Porter Jr. and Runnin' Pardners and George Porter Jr. Trio; with both incarnations still playing often locally, and touring prolifically, garnering respect not only as quintessential New Orleans' bands, but also as major national attractions within the jam band and festival scene. On special occasions, Porter still anchors Foundation of Funk, a current Meters "reinvention" with original drummer Zigaboo Modeliste, boasting a rotating line-up which has featured members of Widespread Panic, Medeski Martin & Wood, Dumpstaphunk and 2018's now infamous Lockn Festival sit-in by Bob Weir, John Mayer and Grateful Dead drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, the latter of whom George played with in the popular side project, The 7 Walkers. Currently, Porter still maintains a healthy touring schedule with his trio and Runnin’ Pardners projects with a cast of seasoned and talented musicians including long-time collaborator Michael Lemmler (keyboards), Terrence Houston (drums) and Chris Adkins (guitar). George and his Runnin' Pardners recently released their highly acclaimed first new studio album in six years, Crying For Hope in March 2021. The album garnered national coverage with Billboard, Tidal, MOJO, Premier Guitar and Bass Player, along with Porter's hometown publication, Offbeat, which declared: "While the title cut harkens back to the social commentary lyricism of some of the best Meters songs and references the déjà-vu all-over-again experiences of Black America in these fraught times, the rest of the album remains emotionally upbeat and hopeful. For a band that is known for its stop-on-a-dime tightness when performing live, this album proves over and over that with the right musical ingredients the magic can actually be bottled." During the course of his career spanning more than four decades, Porter has made a deep impression as an elite player; acknowledged as one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s 50 Greatest Bassist of All Time. At 74 years young, George Porter Jr. plans to keep a smile on his face and often says, "I feel like I am working towards something that will be remembered."

Jon Cleary’s love and affinity for New Orleans music goes back to the rural British village of Cranbrook, Kent, where he was raised in a musical family.  Cleary’s maternal grandparents performed in London in the 1940s, under the respective stage names Sweet Dolly Daydream and Frank Neville, The Little Fellow With The Educated Feet  – she as a singer, and he as a crooner and tap dancer.   As a teen Cleary grew increasingly interested in funk-infused music and discovered that three such songs that he particularly admired – LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade,” Robert Palmer’s version of “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley,” and Frankie Miller’s rendition of “Brickyard Blues”  – were attributed to Allen Toussaint as either the songwriter, the producer, or both. Cleary’s knowledge of Toussaint’s work expanded significantly when his uncle returned home to the U.K., after a two-year sojourn in New Orleans, with a copy of a Toussaint LP and two suitcases full of New Orleans R&B 45s. In 1981 Cleary flew to New Orleans for an initial pilgrimage and took a cab straight from the airport to the Maple Leaf Bar, a storied venue which then featured such great blues-rooted eclectic pianists as Roosevelt Sykes and James Booker.  Cleary first worked at the Maple Leaf as a painter, but soon graduated to playing piano there – even though his first instrument was the guitar, which he still plays and has recently reintroduced into his live performances.  As word of Cleary’s burgeoning talent began to spread around town, he was hired by such New Orleans R&B legends as Snooks Eaglin, Earl “Trick Bag” King, Johnny Adams, and Jessie “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” Hill, while also gaining the respect of the great Crescent City pianists Dr. John and the late Allen Toussaint. Years later, in 2012, Cleary recorded a critically acclaimed album of all-Toussaint songs entitled Occapella. Today, Cleary’s work pays obvious homage to the classic Crescent City keyboard repertoire created by such icons as Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Art Neville, Dr. John, and James Booker – while also using it as a launching pad for a style that incorporates such other diverse influences as ’70s soul and R&B, gospel music, funk, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Cuban rhythms, and much more. Deciding to stay in New Orleans, Cleary recorded his first album of nine, to date, in 1989.  His ever-elevating profile led to global touring work in the bands of Taj Mahal, John Scofield, Dr. John, and Bonnie Raitt.  Cleary has led his own group, the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, for over two decades now, but he still collaborates frequently with these old friends.  At the 2018 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, for instance, Cleary performed alongside Raitt in a heartfelt tribute to Fats Domino.

Tony Hall is an American bassist, guitarist and vocalist from New Orleans. He is a founding member of Dumpstaphunk. His work includes affiliation with New Orleans artists Harry Connick Jr., Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, Aaron Neville, Jean Knight, June Yamagishi, Shannon McNally and the Meters.

Stanton Moore is a GRAMMY award-winning drummer, educator and performer born and raised in New Orleans. He is especially connected to his hometown city, its culture and collaborative spirit. In the early ‘90s, Moore helped found the New Orleans-based essential funk band Galactic who continue to amass a worldwide audience via recording and touring globally. The band has averaged 100 shows a year for the last 25 years. In 2018, Moore and his bandmates in Galactic pooled their resources to purchase the internationally renowned music venue Tipitina’s. Moore launched his solo career in 1998. He has 8 records under his own name with the most current being "With You In Mind: The Songs of Allen Toussaint". Throughout his 25 year career, Moore has played and or recorded with a diverse group of artists including Maceo Parker, Joss Stone, Irma Thomas, Leo Nocentelli and George Porter (of the Meters),Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine), Corrosion of Conformity, Donald Harrison Jr., Nicholas Payton, Trombone Shorty, Skerik, Charlie Hunter, Robert Walter, Will Bernard, Ivan Neville, Anders Osborne and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He has also appeared numerous times on the Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'brien and Seth Meyers late night TV night shows. With a bachelor’s degree in music and business from Loyola University, Moore stays involved in education by constantly presenting clinics and teaching master classes and private lessons all over the world. He has released two books and three video projects. His book Groove Alchemy was picked by Modern Drummer as one of the top 25 instructional drum books of all time. To continue with his passion for teaching and to become more closely connected with his students, he recently launched his own online drum academy, StantonMooreDrumAcademy.com.

From neworleans.com:Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph is one of the more versatile, powerful singers and entertainers on the scene today, particularly after the smash success of her hit song “Fya” along with HaSizzle. Joseph came late to the table, but has made a meal out of the entertainment business in just a few short years. She grew up in New Orleans with artists like Irma Thomas as role models. After making her performance debut with “O Holy Night” in 12th grade, she soon jumped to Bourbon Street clubs to cut her chops, appeared on “American Idol,” then partnered with friend Tarriona “Tank” Ball in the eclectic, Grammy-nominated upstart band Tank and the Bangas as backing vocalist. Joseph is now commanding audiences around the world as a solo artist, in partnership with HaSizzle and other bounce artists, and, most notably, as lead singer with the funk jazz jam band Galactic. And to celebrate her genre-bending skills, Joseph can also be found singing with the Original Pinettes, the all-female New Orleans brass band. Lately Joseph has been focusing on her solo career, collaborating with on hits like “Getcha Sum” and “Fya” with HaSizzle. Other collaborators include G-Eazy, with whom she co-penned “Get Right or Get Left,” and Cha Wa, with whom she performs the charming, bouncy “Love in Your Heart.”

River Eckert (b. Oct. 9, 2009) is a 14 year old piano player born and raised in New Orleans, LA. From a very young age, River has been surrounded by music. Immersed in the styles of Professor Longhair, James Booker, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Fats Domino, Art Neville among others, River is passionate and dedicated to “carrying the torch” of the New Orleans Piano tradition. Coming from a musical family, River started playing piano at the age of 3 years old. He began studying classical music and his teachers urged him to start playing blues and jazz based on his natural ability to quickly grasp those styles. Now at the young age of 14, he sings and plays both in a solo piano and full band setting. He is quickly gaining local and national popularity. River recently began recording his first studio album, he is joined by George Porter Jr.,Terence Higgins and John Fohl in the rhythm section and it is expected to be released in early 2025. Recently, he was also a featured artist on three upcoming “Playing for Change” video recordings.  River has been fortunate enough to have performed with George Porter Jr., Stanton Moore, Luther Dickinson, Terence Higgins, Roger Lewis, Fred Wesley, Kirk Joseph, Donald Harrison Jr., David Torkanowsky, Brad Walker, and many others. He has had the honor of performing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Tipitina’s, Maple Leaf Bar, Chickie Wah Wah, French Quarter Festival, NOLA Funk Fest, Oak St. PoBoy Festival, WWL Morning Show, WWOZ Radio, and Fox 8 News…

Raised in New Orleans, with the name of her family’s musical legacy, Amelia Neville has been writing music since she was in high school. As a growing musician, she developed her own alternative sound, unlike that of her father, brother, and the rest of her family. Regardless of her sound straying away from the likes of funk and the classic New Orleans influences, however, her father’s beaming pride at any sort of self-expression never wavered. Amelia continues to write, record, and co-produce original music while performing at venues locally. Amelia Neville’s sound can be described as indie rock with hints of dream-pop taking inspiration from artists like Alvvays, Faye Webster, and Julia Jacklin.

Dave Jordan is a New Orleans based singer/songwriter/bassist and guitar player. Over the course of nearly 20 years and 3 bands, he has produced or co-produced 6 albums, played nearly 2000 shows nationwide and performed or recorded with some of the most esteemed musicians in New Orleans and across the country; including recording with Art Neville, Anders Osborne, Joe Krown, Bill Summers and more; and performances with such bands as the Meters, Little Feat, Widespread Panic, Bob Weir's RatDog, Los Lobos and many more. His work as founder and frontman of the long running funk/roots band, Juice, landed the band a Best of the Beat award for Best Emerging Funk/Soul/R&B Band and nominations for Best Roots Rock Band and  Best Roots Rock Album  for 2000's Anders Osborne produced, All Lit Up. His song  Biggest Little Shrimp In Town- the title track of an award winning short film- was re-recorded by Art Neville and the Beverly Hills Short Film Festival created an award for Best Song to recognize their collaboration. His most recent work, as a solo artist, has quickly become one of the most talked about roots rock acts in New Orleans and his critically acclaimed solo debut, These Old Boots, was named a Top 10 Local Release of 2010 by the Times Picayune and nola.com. After the release of These Old Boots, and without a band, Jordan started a two year, weekly gig at his neighborhood, corner bar, the Banks Street Bar. A rotating group of some of the best roots rock, funk, country and blues musicians in New Orleans would sit in, eventually leading to the formation of his current band, the Neighborhood Improvement Association. Described as "Southern roots rock with Louisiana soul', in just over 3 years the NIA has done multiple performances at the world famous Tipitina's; a monthly residency at the equally esteemed Maple Leaf Bar; San Francisco's Boom Boom Room; French Quarter Festival; LA Seafood Festival; multiple performances at Tab Benoit's Voice of the Wetlands Festival; headlined at New Orleans' esteemed Wednesday At The Square series; the New Orleans Museum of Art; Ogden Museum of Southern Art; as well as regular gigs at such stalwart New Orleans clubs DBA, the Rusty Nail, Le Bon Temps Roule, Rivershack Tavern and many more. Dave has also spent considerable time touring the Gulf Coast, including the Pensacola Beach Songwriter's Festival, as wells branching out as far as New Mexico and Colorado and Washington, DC and New York. The band has shared the bill with Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All Stars and Black Crowes), funk pioneer Bernie Worrell, Anders Osborne, drivin n cryin, Honey Island Swamp Band, New Orleans Suspects, Raw Oyster Cult and more. In April 2013, Dave released Bring Back Red Raspberry- his first with the NIA- further blurring the lines of the rootsy Americana of These Old Boots, and the organic, greasy New Orleans funk he plied for 15 years with Juice. Every record has a story and Bring Back Red Raspberry is no exception. Consisting of 12 original songs- all written or co-written by Jordan- it shows Jordan's transformation from funk bass player, to acoustic songsmith, to his rock and roll roots. Recorded at New Orleans Oak Street Studios, it comes across as a sort of Dr. John meets Tom Petty meets John Prine affair. It has been featured in multiple local, regional and national publications, including NPR; as well as various television, radio and internet media sites. After many fits, starts and delays with funding, Jordan turned to kickstarter and raised over $12,000 to complete the album. The support from his national fanbase, but particularly his friends and fans in south Louisiana was tremendous, as only 20% of kickstarter music projects with that level of funding goals are successful.

Brad Walker is one of the most active and sought-after performers in the city of New Orleans. Perhaps best known for his “soaring” (Rolling Stone), “energetic” (NPR), and “tasteful” (Relix) solos on Saturday Night Live, the Grammys, and the Tonight Show with Nashville mega-star Sturgill Simpson, Brad Walker is an active and compelling artist in his own right, with five full-length releases under his own name and a decade of music- making in the Crescent City under his belt. His 2014 debut, ‘Quintet’, received a 4-**** review in DownBeat magazine, and his playing has received praise in Variety, OffBeat Magazine, Gambit Weekly, Dig!, and many others. Since 2009 Walker has performed or recorded with such luminaries as Bernard Purdie, Peter Erskine, John Riley, George Porter, Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste, Anders Osborne, Marcia Ball, Rickie Lee Jones, Valerie June, Better than Ezra, and countless others, and has led the horn sections for Grammy-winner Sturgille Simpson, Blues Award-winner Ana Popovic and OffBeat Award winners Eric Lindell, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, Honey Island Swamp Band, and Colin Lake. In 2019/2020, Walker was nominated for two ‘Best of the Beat’ Awards (OffBeat Magazine), in the ‘Contemporary Jazz’ category as ‘Best Artist’ and for ‘Best Record’, alongside such international stars as Nicholas Payton, Jon Batiste, Herlin Riley, Christian Scott, and Terence Blanchard. He was also nominated by the ‘Big Easy Awards’ (Gambit Magazine) for ‘Best Contemporary Jazz Artist’. These two award ceremonies are considered among the highest achievements in the New Orleans music community. Brad holds a Bachelor of Music degree in classical saxophone performance (2006) and Master of Music degree in jazz studies (2011), both from Louisiana State University.

Jeff Albert is a musician, music technologist, and educator. He was named a Rising Star Trombonist in the Downbeat Critics Polls each year from 2011-2019, and performs regularly in the New Orleans area, and throughout the US and Europe. Jeff wrote the horn parts and played trombone on Bobby Rush’s album Porcupine Meat, which won the 2017 Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album, and was the horn arranger and trombonist for The Meters from 2015 until their final performance in 2017. Albert performed on Pretty Lights Grammy Nominated 2013 album Color Map of The Sun. In 2013, the Paris based record label Rogue Art released his CD, The Tree on the Mound, which features Kidd Jordan, Hamid Drake, and Joshua Abrams. In addition to leading his band Unanimous Sources, Jeff is a member of Hamid Drake’s Bindu-Reggaeology band, and co-led the Lucky 7s with fellow trombonist Jeb Bishop. In addition to his work with world renowned improvisers, he has been a member of the bands of New Orleans greats George Porter and Wardell Querzergue, backed artists like Stevie Wonder and Bonnie Raitt, and performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New Orleans Opera. Jeff is an Associate Professor, and Director of the School of Music Industry and the School of Music & Theatre Arts, in the College of Music and Media at Loyola University New Orleans, and in May of 2013, he became the first graduate of the PhD program in Experimental Music and Digital Media at Louisiana State University, where his teachers included Stephen David Beck and Jesse Allison. He also holds degrees from Loyola University – New Orleans, and the University of New Orleans, and has served on the faculty of Xavier University of Louisiana and the University of New Orleans. Jeff’s areas of research include improvisation, performance paradigms for live computer music, and audio pedagogy. Jeff has given presentations at the conferences of the Society for ElectroAcoustic Music in the United States, the Symposium for Laptop Ensembles and Orchestras, the International Society for Improvised Music, the Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium, and the inaugural Symposium on Integrated Composition Improvisation and Technology. His article “Improvisation as Tool and Intention: Organizational Approaches in Laptop Orchestras and Their Effect on Personal Musical Practices” was published December of 2012 in Critical Studies in Improvisation/Études critiques en improvisation.

Jolynda "Kiki" Chapman has also made her own place in the jazz scene, as well as notable performances with musical theater giants like Harry Shearer, Melissa Etheridge, and Stanton Moore. Summoning her deep roots in gospel, combined with her rhythm & blues skills, Jolynda has the ability to create a musical environment unlike anyone else's.