Charlie Gabriel is New Orleans – many would say world-wide – jazz royalty. Born in 1932, the clarinetist and saxophonist began playing professionally with the Eureka Brass Band when he was just 11 years old, and hasn’t stopped since. In his younger days, Gabriel, a fourth-generation musician, played with early New Orleans jazz icons like Kid Humphrey and Kid Sheik. When his family moved to Detroit, Gabriel began making his mark on a more global stage, playing with Motown artists, with icons like Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennet, Frankie Avalon, Mary Wells, and Ella Fitzgerald. He also spent nine years in a group led by J.C. Heard, the drummer for Cab Calloway.

In 2006, Gabriel returned home to New Orleans and joined the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, where he also serves as the Preservation Hall Foundation’s musical director. In 2022, as  he approached his ninth decade, Gabriel released the much-heralded 89, his first-ever solo album, which includes the singles “I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You)’” and “The Darker It Gets.” The always-courtly Gabriel holds a shelf-load of accolades, including a 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from Offbeat.