NEW ORLEANS— The return of The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival brings with it a host of events for music lovers.

One of those events is WWOZ’s Piano night, designed with two simple goals: (1) honor and celebrate New Orleans piano traditions and (2) raise funds to benefit WWOZ 90.7FM. Piano Night delivers five hours of piano from eighteen pianists, playing a range of styles from boogie-woogie to trad jazz, modern jazz to R&B, stride to gospel, and so much more in between.

This year’s lineup includes Marcia Ball, Joe Krown, Oscar Rossignoli, Lilli Lewis, Jesse McBride, Mari Watanabe, Kyle Roussel, Josh Paxton, Larry Sieberth, Dr. Courtney Bryan, John “Papa” Gros, Eden Brent, Yoshitaka Tsuji  (Z2), Matt Lemmler, Tom McDermott, Tom Worrell, David Boeddinghaus, and Michael O’Hara!

WGNO spoke with OZ’s Melanie Merz about this year’s big night.

Piano Night is Monday May 1st at House of Blues.

Here’s a performance from Marcia Ball at a previous Piano Night

Music Hall – Piano Night Main Stage – $60 ticket
The main event! Pianists will reign supreme on the stage from 6 – 11pm. The Music Hall has two floors, with a main floor and a 2nd floor balcony. 

Ebony & Ivory Bistro in The House of Blues Restaurant – $150 ticket
In the House of Blues Restaurant, the Bistro offers a full dinner buffet from 5:00-7:30pm, with a pared-back meal offering after 7:30. The bistro will remain open all evening with a video feed coming from the main stage, offering a place for Bistro guests to sit without missing any of the show.

Byrd’s Nest VIP Lounge in The Parish – $600 ticket
Patron Party includes an intimate Piano Night showcase in The Parish, a gorgeous room adjacent to the Main Stage Music Hall balcony. The Byrd’s Nest will have an open bar, food, and the opportunity to see your favorite main stage performers on an entirely different scale. This exclusive experience is named after the godfather of New Orleans boogie-woogie piano and the beneficiary of the very first Piano Night: Mr. Henry Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair.

Tickets and additional information are available at WWOZ.org/PianoNight