The New Orleans Jazz Museum present a live hour of piano music.
This program takes place inside our third floor Performance Center, listening room. Admission is free and open to the public, seating is limited and offered first come, first serve.
Enjoy Jazz Music from home with the New Orleans Jazz Museum! Join the Jazz Museum online for our daily Live-Stream Concert Series, in which dynamic musicians perform live from the Jazz Museum! Tune in at 2pm on facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum/live to watch for free.
Luciano Leães
Luciano Leães, a Brazilian pianist and composer, boasts a prolific career spanning over three decades. His music, a distinctive blend of New Orleans R&B/Jazz and South American rhythms, has garnered international recognition and his latest single Festa Brasilis - a tribute to Professor Longhair - had his world premiere at New Orleans Music Show with Missy Bowen at WWOZ, in New
Orleans.
Throughout his illustrious journey, Leães has graced stages alongside luminaries such as Carey Bell, Hubert Sumlin, Alfred Uganda, Jesse Harris, Tony Coleman, and James "Boogaloo" Bolden. He has also captivated audiences at renowned music festivals worldwide, including the Montreal Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz Fest, the Tremblanc Blues Festival, and the Lucerne Blues Fest. Notably, Leães received a memorable invitation to open for Elton John at São José Stadium in Porto Alegre in 2013, performing solo to a crowd of over 15,000 people.
Reggie Scanlan, Bassist for Radiators, James Booker, and Professor Longhair, remarked, "I absolutely love playing with this guy! Luciano Leães is the real deal. His swinging, funky groove is too deep to measure. I’ve played with some of the best (Prof. Longhair, James C. Booker), and I can tell you he brings all of the passion and chops to his performances that they did."
Leães's compositions have been orchestrated by esteemed brazilian orchestras like OSPA, the São Pedro Theatre Orchestra, and the Unisinos Orchestra. His exceptional talent has earned him the Açorianos award, both as a musician and a music producer. While his reverence for the legends of New Orleans piano is evident, Leães's genuine artistic identity infuses South American nuances and rhythms into his playing. Renowned pianist and music producer Ron Levy once
pondered, "What's the perfect blend between New Orleans R&B and Brazilian soul? Luciano Leães & The Big Chiefs!"
In addition, the renowned blues magazine Blues Matters Magazine featured a two-page interview with Leães, dubbing him "The Brazilian Professor" in reference to Professor Longhair. Furthermore, in 2023, Leães made history as the first Brazilian pianist to perform at the New Orleans Jazz Museum Piano Hour.