Even with eight Grammys under his belt and having toured all over the world (as a solo act, with the Free Nationals, and as half of the critically lauded duo Silk Sonic, with Bruno Mars), Anderson .Paak still says headlining this year’s Jazz Fest was like a rite of passage.
While most of the country’s buzzy music festivals lean toward lineups with a heavy pop focus, the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has always had a global point of view. It’s a place where acts like local hip-hop legend Juvenile, country superstar Chris Stapleton, and even the Rolling Stones can all share space.
“Maurice, our trumpet player, has been talking about Jazz Fest for years. We've tried to come out here a couple of times, whether it’s to do a full set or a jam session,” .Paak tells Harper’s Bazaar in an exclusive interview a few days before the band’s headlining set on Sunday, April 28, closing out the festival’s first of two weekends in 2024. “Sometimes we’ve thought, ‘Damn, I wish we knew about this when we were broke playing in L.A. and no one gave a shit.’ You don’t have to have a penny to your name here, and people will still come out and support—it’s amazing. It’s why I love this city so much.”
Like many who venture to the Crescent City for Jazz Fest (around half a million tourists come over the dual weekends year after year), .Paak feels a certain magic when he’s in New Orleans.
“You can feel it as soon as soon as you touch down here—there’s something different,” he says. “And as for the fest, it’s one of the best lineups I’ve been a part of—period. To be able to be in the midst of all these legendary acts and up-and-coming acts and local acts, it means a lot to us. We really put a lot into this set to make it special for the fans and for everyone out here.”
A global perspective is also what .Paak had in mind when teaming up with Expedia (the festival’s official travel sponsor) to curate its first Global Jam event on Friday, to kick off the weekend. At the revered Joy Theater, the artist was joined onstage by Tank and the Bangas and Colombian group Bomba Estéreo for a celebration of the sounds that shape not only New Orleans, but also the rest of the world. Anderson .Paak’s musical alter ego, DJ Pee Wee, made an appearance too that evening, blessing the crowd with a late-night, ’70s-centric vinyl set—and yes, his famous silk press was present and on point.
“I’ve never done anything like [Global Jam]—at least not to this extent—and Expedia was great when it came to just letting me put together a jam session with people that I like and have wanted to collaborate with,” he says just before the event. “We have Rhae Khalil, who is an artist I’ve signed also from L.A., and it will be her first time playing here. We have Bomba Estéreo, who are so dope, and I love being able to bring their flavor here. And [Free Nationals and I] haven’t done a show since last December, and so we’re just excited to be performing again.”
The event, which turned out to feature surprise guests like Grammy and Oscar winner—and the current reigning king of New Orleans—Jon Batiste, felt more like a family reunion for .Paak and the band than just another gig. It was a necessary reminder that they do all this for a reason.
“It all feels like what we used to do—you know, just jamming,” he says. “Sometimes [with success] you get so far removed from that, and it becomes about something else. It’s good to have these things that bring you back to the foundation of why you started and [why] you fall in love with what you do.”
