Take Me to the River: NOLA LIVE!

Take Me to the River NOLA LIVE! is packed with three generations of legendary Crescent City Talent—featuring both individual and collaborative performances from George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, and Big Chief Bo Dolis Jr.

Take Me to the River—NOLA LIVE! gathers some of the most influential figures of modern New Orleans funk, R&B, soul, and jazz together on the same stage for a night of unforgettable music.

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 is acknowledged as one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s 50 Greatest Bassist 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.

British-born musician Jon Cleary moved to New Orleans in 1981 to become immersed in the city’s funk and R&B scenes. He worked with New Orleans R&B legends like 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. Today, Cleary’s work pays homage to the classic Crescent City keyboard repertoire while 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.