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Civic & GMP Live Present
Poppa Funk & The Night Tripper – A Tribute To Art Neville & Dr. John
May 5, 2023 //
Band: Ivan Neville (keys, vocals), George Porter Jr. (bass, vocals), Ian Neville (guitar), Jon Cleary (keys, vocals), Nick Daniels (bass, vocals), Alvin Ford Jr. (drums), Ryan Zoidis (saxophones), Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet), and more TBA
An all-star krewe of musicians from the Big Easy and beyond will come together during Jazz Fest 2023 for another running of Poppa Funk & The Night Tripper, a loving tribute to two NOLA music giants who passed away in 2019, Art Neville and Dr. John, on Friday, May 5th at Civic Theatre.
George Porter Jr., Art Neville’s longtime friend and collaborator in The Meters, as well as Art’s son, guitarist Ian Neville (Dumpstaphunk), and his nephew, Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk), will all be in the band on Friday, May 5th. A number of other notable New Orleans music disciples round out the roster, including keyboardist/vocalist Jon Cleary, bassist/vocalist Nick Daniels (Dumpstaphunk), and the Lettuce horn section of Ryan Zoidis (saxophones) and Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet). A supporting band will be announced at a later date.
Both Art Neville (also known as “Poppa Funk”) and Dr. John (whose full-billed performer name was “Dr. John The Night Tripper”) were incredibly influential musicians that left indelible marks on music fans in the Big Easy and beyond.
Art Neville, a three-time Grammy award winner, was the founding member of the quintessential New Orleans funk band, The Meters, and was a co-founder of The Neville Brothers and the later-career Meters spin-off, The funky Meters. He was a foundational player in New Orleans who went on to record with many of the top rock, pop, and soul artists of his era.
Six-time Grammy winner Malcolm “Mac” John Rebennack Jr., a.k.a. Dr. John, is one of the most recognizable characters to ever emerge from the New Orleans music scene. Heavily influenced by the theatrics and aesthetic of his early mentor, Professor Longhair, Rebennack adopted a flamboyant style on stage that stuck with him for the entirety of his career. Following a stint in Los Angeles as a member of the famed studio band known as the “Wrecking Crew,” Rebennack returned to New Orleans where he took on the “Dr. John The Night Tripper” persona and launched a legendary solo career centered around the combination of New Orleans funk, psychedelic rock, and jazz.
With this incredible lineup of New Orleans music royalty on deck and countless other musicians in town for Jazz Fest and its surrounding festivities, the 2023 edition of Poppa Funk & The Night Tripper at The Civic Theatre on Friday, May 5th promises to be a Big Easy blowout for the ages.