New Orleans never sleeps, but even the Crescent City does a double‑take when Roland Guerin suddenly shows up onstage. The globetrotting bassist, singer‑songwriter, and producer has just landed from Switzerland and will slip into George Porter Jr.’s storied Monday night slot at the Maple Leaf Bar on July 21. It’s a rare hometown sighting for the man whose bass lines have powered Dr. John’s tours (as music director) and anchored Allen Toussaint’s later concerts, and it promises to be one of the heaviest grooves of the summer.
Guerin’s recent EP, PROG:FUNK (Louisiana Red Hot Records), turned heads well beyond Frenchmen Street: it cracked Tidal’s “50 Most Out‑There Jazz Releases,” landed on Apple Music’s “New in Rock” in 2024, and captured Burl Audio’s Song of the Year for the shape‑shifting single “28 Days.” Live, he pushes that adventurous spirit even further—expect harmonically rich, hard‑hitting bass excursions punctuated by his sly, soulful vocals.
The Maple Leaf hit comes in the middle of a whirlwind recording schedule that began in New Orleans, continued in Canada, and will wrap back in Switzerland later this year. One track already making insider chatter features trombone titan Corey Henry, fresh off his own triumphant set at Jazz Ascona. Henry returns to hold court—per usual—at Vaughn’s Lounge this Thursday and is still riding momentum from his latest slab of deep‑fried funk, Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet Live at Vaughn’s (also on Louisiana Red Hot Records).
Translation: the city’s groove merchants are in full flight, and Monday night’s Maple Leaf throw‑down is the most immediate way to hear where the journey is headed next. Doors swing open early; grab a sweaty spot on that legendary dance floor and let Roland Guerin remind you why New Orleans remains the world capital of spontaneous musical magic.
