WWOZ Piano Night Happens April 29

Join us for WWOZ Piano Night, our flagship fund raiser and celebration of the New Orleans piano tradition, on April 29 (the Monday night between Jazz Fest weekends). This year we'll have six hours of piano music on the Music Hall main stage at the House of Blues, with a line up of nearly 30 piano players, including Bill Payne of Little Feat, Marcia Ball, Jon Cleary, Terrance Simien with Danny Williams, Joe Krown, Lilli Lewis, Courtney Bryan, Kyle Roussel, Keiko Komaki, Oscar Rossignoli, Tom McDermott, & many, many more. Can't be at Piano Night? Get the Piano Night Live Video Stream!

» Get Piano Night Tickets

» Piano Night Live Video Stream

Louisiana's Broadcaster of the Year: Beth Arroyo Utterback!

Congratulations to WWOZ General Manager Beth Arroyo Utterback, selected by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters as their Broadcaster of the Year. This important honor goes to someone who has provided significant contributions and service to the broadcast industry, and who has displayed the most outstanding record of civic achievement and public service. Beth is "thrilled and honored to receive this recognition. Many thanks to the LAB and the judges. Thanks also to our incredible staff, Show Hosts, Volunteers, and Guardians of the Groove around the world who support WWOZ! I am inspired by this award to not only Guard the Groove but also Grow the Groove as we step into our future!"

» Broadcaster of the Year: Beth Arroyo Utterback

Listen: Jazz Fest Live Broadcast

Speaking of LAB awards, last year's Jazz Fest live broadcast won a Prestige Award from the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters for Best Live On-Site Remote Broadcast. You can hear us again this year from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, starting a week from Thursday (can't wait!) on April 25 and running through May 5. If you’re not able to make it this year, or if you can't be there every day, we'll be broadcasting live sets from the WWOZ Jazz Tent, the Blues Tent, Economy Hall, Jazz & Heritage Stage, and the Gospel Tent. Once the broadcast schedule is finalized, we'll post all the info on wwoz.org.

» Jazz Fest Live Broadcast

Brass Pass Pickup

If you bought a Brass Pass for Jazz Fest 2024 and did not select the FedEx shipping option, you can pick it up during NOON-5pm April 18-19 and April 23-24 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation on North Rampart. After that, you can pickup your Brass Pass at the Sauvage Street entrance to the Fair Grounds, starting the first day of the festival. We'll be there in our Will-Call booth all eight days of Jazz Fest. When you pick up your Brass Pass, please bring a picture ID.

» Brass Pickup

International Accordion Kings

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation and Steve Riley Productions present International Accordion Kings on Saturday, April 20, 2024, a live concert featuring Steve Riley, Josh Baca, Alex Meixner, Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes, Cedric Watson, and Glenn Hartman, at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center (1225 N. Rampart Street). Doors open at 7pm and the concert begins promptly at 8pm. Tickets are $10. Seating is general admission and limited, so please register in advance. The show will be streamed live on our Facebook page and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation's YouTube channel.

» International Accordion Kings

Johnny Jackson Jr. Gospel Is Alive! Celebration

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s Johnny Jackson Jr. Gospel Is Alive! Celebration will be held on Monday, April 29, 2024 from 9:00am to 11:00am at the original Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, 2515 Franklin Avenue. Talent for this year’s celebration features the Anointed Jackson Sisters, Isabel Davis and the Council on Aging Gospel Choir. The concert is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Learn more on gospelisalive.com

» Gospel Is Alive! Celebration

In Memoriam: Clarence "Frogman" Henry

We're sad to report the passing of New Orleans R&B legend Clarence "Frogman" Henry at the age of 87. His famous voice of a croaking "lonely frog" propelled him to fame with the 1956 hit "Ain't Got No Home." His chameleon-like vocal abilities lent themselves well to the the influential New Orleans R&B style of the 1950s and 1960s. Following tours of the United States and Europe in support of his early hits, he settled into gigging on Bourbon Street for nearly twenty years. Throughout his career, Henry shared the stage with some of the greatest artists of the 20th century, including Professor Longhair, Dr. John, Tina Turner, James Brown, and Little Richard.

» In Memoriam: Clarence "Frogman" Henry

In Memoriam: Valerie "The Problem Child" Kacprzak

We are heartbroken to share the news that longtime WWOZ show host Valerie "The Problem Child" Kacprzak died on the morning of Saturday, March 30. She passed peacefully, surrounded by her family. On behalf of the entire WWOZ family, our thoughts and best wishes go out to her family and her many friends. Valerie first went on the air in December of 2003, and became a WWOZ fixture on Friday afternoons from 2-4 pm, with her "Blues Breakdown" show, specializing in Southern regional blues, often with a gothic or spooky twist. Her show was a favorite of WWOZ listeners. Valerie's final on-air shift at WWOZ was July 7, 2023. She'll be missed, on the air and in our lives.

» Full Problem Child "In Memoriam" profile

In Memoriam: John Sinclair

Legendary counterculture figure John Sinclair died earlier this month at the age of 82. Among his many claims to fame, he was a major fixture at WWOZ between 1992 and 2003, both on and off the air. He hosted the New Orleans Music Show on Wednesdays from 11am-2pm as well as a late Saturday night show. He was instrumental in the earliest WWOZ live broadcasts from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and in producing WWOZ's series of live music CDs. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to all who knew him, in New Orleans and around the world.

» In Memoriam: John Sinclair

Recipe: Chocolate Crémeux Tart

The difference between chocolate mousse and the filling of this crémeux (trans. creamy) tart is that the latter doesn't contain whipped egg whites or whipped cream, and so has a denser, less airy consistency. Which makes it an excellent filling for a tart shell. The crust here is a French pâte sucrée from scratch, but you could simplify the recipe significantly by purchasing a pre-made shell.

» Recipe: Chocolate Crémeux Tart