Jazz Fest 2025 Recap- Part 3
The second Thursday and Friday
After really digging the performances by Mixanteña de Santa Cecilia last weekend, I was even more intrigued to check out La Santa Cecilia—a totally different Mexican band with a very similar name. Their set featured the charismatic frontwoman “La Marisoul.” (pictured above and below) She dug deep on the vocals even covering “Strawberry Fields Forever,” sung in both English and Spanish, and she played the requinto, a traditional stringed instrument, on a couple of songs. The band was solid whether they were playing traditional sounds with the accordion or rocking out on electric guitar.
Several friends I ran into at the Loose Cattle performance were surprised I had never seen the local band before. With guitarist and vocalist Michael Cerveris and ace singer Kimberly Kaye out front, they delivered a very dynamic set with witty songs and great interplay with their musicians including fiddle player and vocalist Rurik Nunan (pictured below with bassist Rene Coman, drummer Doug Garrison and organ player CR Gruver). Jay Gonzalez from the Drive-By Truckers sat in on electric guitar the entire set.
Another fabulous Mexican band that made multiple appearances was Pasatono Orquesta. The group mixed up old and new styles with three violinists, horns, guitars and impassioned singers. One of the singers explained that they sometimes played for the circus: “But no animals and no tents—just people.”
I always recommend arriving early to catch the Mardi Gras Indians who usually open the Jazz and Heritage stage. Festers who took my advice on Friday were in for a treat. Big Chief Kevin Goodman and the Flaming Arrows had legendary guitarist June Victory providing fiery riffs to accompanying the classic songs of the Black Indian canon. He even sang lead on a version of the Allman Brothers’ “One Way Out.” Victory was the guitarist for the Bayou Renegades, one of the first bands to put electric instrumentation behind the Indians. You can read more about him and his tenure with Big Chief Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias in my book, Up Front and Center: New Orleans Music at the End of the 20th Century.
The manic, Mexican punk cumbia band Son Rompe Para returned to the Fairgrounds after their spellbinding sets two years ago with even more energy. This time around they featured the virtuoso Mexican guitarist Gil Gutierrez, who didn’t quite match their frenzied pace—perhaps due to the age difference—but clearly balanced them musically. Later in the day, I saw the end of their second set at the Jazz and Heritage stage and was delighted to find the horn players from Mixanteña de Santa Cecilia were still in town from last weekend. They joined in, creating an sing-a-long with a boisterous crowd.
