Jazz Fest is kicking off next weekend. Thanks for all the love, NOLA!
NOLA.COM
Keyboard player Nigel Hall has been part of the jam/jazz/funk army of musicians that descends on New Orleans during The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell to play nighttime gigs in Rubik's Cube-like variety of configurations. In 2013, he moved from New York City to New Orleans and released his solo debut album, "Ladies & Gentlemen ... Nigel Hall" last year. The combination of covers and original material is as solidly funky as you'd expect given his pedigree, but he's also up to the more precise challenges of song-oriented R&B as well. His voice is fragile and vulnerable on the ballads, in charge on the uptempo "Gimme a Sign," and credible in the shadow of soul singers Latimore and Ann Peebles when he covers "Let's Straighten it Out" and "I Can't Stand the Rain" respectively.
THE VINYL DISTRICT
Nigel Hall has had an incredible year. After bowing out of the funk band, the Nth Power, the longtime sideman released his first solo album to great acclaim and went off on his first solo tour. This year, he has a prime slot opening the Acura stage at 11:30 AM.
BEST OF NEW ORLEANS
Washington, D.C. native Nigel Hall moved to New Orleans in 2013. The keyboardist showcases original compositions on his second studio album, Ladies and Gentlemen... Nigel Hall. The album spans genres from feel-good funk to upbeat blues to R&B-laced pop, all featuring Hall's signature vocals and keys, an instrument he's been playing since before kindergarten. He has built studio credentials by recording with the Soul Rebels and Warren Haynes, and he also has put his distinct take on classics like the Isley Brothers' "Lay Away."