TAUK gathered friends from Doom Flamingo, Cool Cool Cool, and more for a very special, funk-filled celebration of soul legend Stevie Wonder and funk institution Tower of Power at the Tower of Wonder tribute in New Orleans.
Hosted at Toulouse Theatre as part of Live For Live Music‘s Fest By Nite late-night series, the soul-cleansing collaboration kept the vibes high following the first Saturday of Jazz Fest and, in true NOLA spirit, brought a number of stellar players together for the first time. In addition to TAUK’s Matt Jalbert, Charlie Dolan, and Isaac Teel, the lineup featured vocalists Lyle Divinsky and Doom Flamingo’s Kanika Moore, as well as Cool Cool Cool’s Chris Brouwers and Greg Sanderson, also known as The Horn Section, and organist/keyboardist Wil Blades, who jetted over from a gig with The Headhunters at Music Box Village just prior to fill in for TAUK’s Alric “A.C.” Carter at the last minute.
Between the powerhouse vocals of Lyle, Kanika, and Isaac, Blades’ churched up organ playing, and Isaac’s intricate recreations of funky David Garibaldi drum grooves, the show lived up to the name “Tower of Wonder” with an impressive mix of musicianship and soul. Classic tunes like “Superstition”, “Higher Ground”, and “What Is Hip?” took on new life in the hands of TAUK and company, and the energy in the room was electric both on stage and off from the opening “Soul With a Capital S”.
The ensemble left the crowd danced out yet still hungry for more, which came as no surprise given the members’ history of fruitful collaborations. TAUK previously collaborated with Kanika Moore on a full-length album and mounted a run of tour dates as TAUK Moore, and The Horn Section recently sat in with TAUK Moore on a searing “Spanish Moon” during Jam Cruise 20.
Check out a couple clips of “Superstition” from TAUK’s Tower of Wonder Stevie Wonder/Tower of Power tribute featuring Kanika Moore, Lyle Divinsky, The Horn Section, and Wil Blades below. An audio recording of the entire show is available to stream via nugs.
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Live For Live Music and GMP Live’s 2024 Fest by Nite series continues with a packed schedule of late-night jams and special performances during Jazz Fest. Programming includes:
- Frequinauts ft. Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr., Stanton Moore, & more – Toulouse Theatre – Monday, 4/29 [tickets]
- Andy Frasco & The U.N. w/ Special Guests – House of Blues New Orleans – Tuesday, 4/30 [tickets]
- The Daze Between Band ft. Chuck Leavell, John Scofield, George Porter Jr., & more – Tipitina’s – Wednesday, 5/1 [SOLD OUT]
- John “Papa” Gros’ Papa Plays The Nite Tripper – Toulouse Theatre – Wednesday, 5/1 [tickets]
- Tank and the Bangas – A Special Three-Day Event / Jam Cruise 21 Lineup Announcement Party – Toulouse Theatre – Thursday, 5/2 [tickets]
- Stanton Moore & Friends ft. Robert Walter, Big Sam, Skerik, & more / Jam Cruise 21 Lineup Announcement Party – Thursday, 5/2 (technically early-a.m. 5/3) [tickets]
- Lettuce: Rage Fest – The Joy Theater – Friday, 5/3 [tickets]
- Tank and the Bangas – A Special Three-Day Event – Toulouse Theatre – Friday, 5/3 [tickets]
- Joe Russo’s Selcouth Quartet – Toulouse Theatre – Friday, 5/3 (technically early-a.m. 5/4) [tickets]
- Tank and the Bangas – A Special Three-Day Event – Toulouse Theatre – Saturday, 5/4 [tickets]
- Crescent City Classics: A Celebration of New Orleans Funk ft. members of The Meters, Lettuce, Dumpstaphunk, & more – The Joy Theater – Saturday, 5/4 [tickets]
- Break Science – Toulouse Theatre – Saturday, 5/4 (technically early-a.m. 5/5) [tickets]
- Purple Party: A Tribute to the Music of Prince ft. members of Cool Cool Cool, The Nth Power, Doom Flamingo, Magic Beans, & more – Toulouse Theatre – Sunday, 5/5 [tickets]
The post TAUK Celebrates Stevie Wonder, Tower Of Power With ‘Tower Of Wonder’ Tribute Ft. Kanika Moore, Wil Blades, More appeared first on L4LM.
