By Corinne Osnos | February 28, 2023
Playing at Greenwich Village institution Blue Note Jazz Club for the first time, the American jam band, Galactic, brought their traditional blend of New Orleans funk to New York City as part of a five night residency to kick off the new year. As evidenced in their discography and the newly released Tchompitoulas EP, which features a bevy of collaborators including trombonist and singer Glen David Andrews and rapper Eric Biddines, Galactic welcomes collaboration with open arms.
Unsurprisingly, the band prepared an impressive roster of special guests to join each leg of their NYC tour. For their final evening, acclaimed trumpeter Nicholas Payton and Galactic regular/singer Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph joined the quintet onstage. From his first blow, Payton’s concentration was unwavering. His trumpet produced a hypnotic sound. Jelly dazzled on stage, wearing a white 1920s-style flapper dress and periodically reaching for a glass of red wine chaperoned by the couple sitting up front. She noted that last time she was at Blue Note, she was singing backup. “Never underestimate what you can do,” she preached to the crowd, before launching into a rendition of “Do That Shit” on the stage where so many legends have before her.
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