French Quarter Festival Recap 2025
Great weather and fun crowds all four days
When I first saw the French Quarter Fest schedule, there were a couple of debut performances I was excited to see. But first an old favorite, the Panorama Jazz Band (pictured above), opened the Jack Daniels stage on Thursday morning on the newly renovated Spanish Plaza. With Charlie Halloran on trombone, Aurora Nealand on sax, Simon Moushabeck on accordion and the leader, Ben Schenk on clarinet, the group gave listeners a tour of the world via music; touching down on both Northern and Southern Mexican composers, Yiddish tunes and one song from the Brazilian choro master Pixinguinha.
Tuba Skinny (pictured above and below) graduated to one of the main stages in Jackson Square and attracted a massive crowd. They played classics from the trad jazz canon, a couple of originals in the same style and even the Eddie Bo R&B chestnut, “Tell It Like It Is,” which is not to be confused with the Aaron Neville cut of the same title.
Friday morning, I got out there early to see Malevitus (pictured above and below) make their FQF debut. The band features Rob Cambre on guitar and Tatiana Hex on vocals and hand percussion. This band rock; providing a welcome dose of a style that doesn’t get much love. With a bassist and drummer, the musicians formed a tight trio and even covered David Bowie’s “D.J.”
Anders Osborne (pictured above and below) closed out the Abita stage on Friday evening with a searing set of guitar-based original songs. Saxophonist Brad Walker was a welcome special guest for the whole performance. The two traded licks and locked in tight on newer songs like “Dark Decatur Love” and classics like “Burnin’.”
The other act I wanted to see make their FQF debut was Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars. The group was booked on one of the smaller stages on Royal Street and by the end of their ebullient performance, the crowd stretched out both ways up and down the street and dancers completely blocked any passage in front of the stage. Sal Geloso (pictured below) is a great vocalist and a compelling frontman who had the crowd in thrall from the get-go. They will definitely need to be on a bigger stage next year.
