“Since I was eight years old, I’ve wanted to make people happy with music. New Orleans music is some of the happiest-sounding music on the planet. You could be singing about a Mardi Gras parade, a butcher shooting down his wife’s lover, or celebrating a departed loved one on their journey to the afterlife—it all sounds joyful. People want to be a part of it, and I want to be in dat number.”

John "Papa" Gros: The Music of GIANTS

Renowned New Orleans-based funk-blues pianist/vocalist John “Papa” Gros announces the released his new album, GIANTS (2026) on Funky Krewe Records. John “Papa” Gros has spent more than three decades at the heart of New Orleans music, earning a reputation as one of the city’s most authentic and accomplished keyboardists, bandleaders, and songwriters. After years performing alongside artists including George Porter Jr., Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Anders Osborne, and Better Than Ezra, Gros turns his focus to the music that forged his musical identity on GIANTS—a deeply personal tribute to Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, The Meters, Levon Helm, and Billy Preston. Rather than simply recreating familiar recordings, Gros and his band reinterpret these songs through the lens of a lifetime immersed in the New Orleans groove tradition, balancing reverence with spontaneity, soulful expression, and fearless musicianship. Recorded live at Silent S Recording Studio in New Orleans with support from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation and the Threadhead Cultural Foundation, GIANTS honors the artists who defined Gros’ musical DNA not by preserving their work in amber, but by bringing it vividly to life through deep grooves, electrifying performances, and the unmistakable sound of New Orleans.

(John "Papa" Gros / Photo by Miles Jordan)

Joining Gros on GIANTS is his core ensemble of New Orleans musicians: Alex Mallet (guitar), Matt Booth (bass), Russ Broussard (drums), Ian Bowman (saxophone), and Michael Christie (trumpet), with additional contributions from Terrance Taplin (trombone), Danny Abel (guitar), Yolanda Robinson, and Kiki Chapman (backing vocals). Today, John “Papa” Gros stands as a bridge between generations: a masterful keyboardist, seasoned songwriter, and powerful live performer who honors the past by making it move in the now—loudly, joyfully, and in real time.

Interview by Michael Limnios                Archive: John “Papa” Gros, 2023 Interview

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

As a musician who has been playing professionally for 40 years, it is my purpose that has changed. Hurricane Katrina changed me from a musician into a New Orleans cultural ambassador. I represented the music. At 60, I want my music to represent my family, my city, my culture, and most importantly, me.

I learned during the pandemic that my musician survival mode was “The Process.” I enjoy writing, arranging, and recording music, which gives me something to practice and perform. Then I can book a show, rehearse the band, set the stage, and perform to the best of my ability. This is the same process I’ve been following for 40 years. I’m just doing it better and enjoying it more now.

What keeps a musician passionate over the years after in Soul, Blues, Jazz music? How does your hometown that affect your music?

New Orleans is inspiring in and of itself. The pride and history of our culture are in our people. We share our love for New Orleans music, culture, and community with anyone who wants a taste. The list of role models is endless: Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Dr. John, Pete Fountain, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Prudhomme, Frank Brigtsen, Leah Chase, etc.

Through the inspiration and example of our forebears and elders, the younger generation is encouraged and challenged not only to be a part of the lineage, but to actually add to it and develop it further. It’s this passed-down tradition that keeps New Orleans culture evolving.

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

I am incorporating lessons learned firsthand from the masters—Allen Toussaint, Art Neville, Dr. John, and George Porter Jr.—to tell my New Orleans story through writing, recording, and performing my own songs, as well as songs from the vast catalogs to which they contributed so much.

“As a musician who has been playing professionally for 40 years, it is my purpose that has changed. Hurricane Katrina changed me from a musician into a New Orleans cultural ambassador. I represented the music. At 60, I want my music to represent my family, my city, my culture, and most importantly, me.” (John "Papa" Gros, New Orleans-based funk-blues pianist/vocalist / Photo by Miles Jordan)

GIANTS is a personal tribute to icons like Dr. John and Allen Toussaint, whom you’ve played with. How did you balance respect for their legacy with your own musical identity?

With each song, Allen and Dr. John both encouraged me to make the music my own. They heard the love I had for the musical tradition in my performances and challenged me to add my own musical experiences to the repertoire by simply being myself.

So, in making Giants, I wasn’t concerned with ruining their songs or arrangements because I knew I had their blessing to make these songs my own. Obviously, their influence can be heard throughout, but I was free to add my own emotion and direction to each song.

Instead of just copying the originals, you recorded live to capture the New Orleans groove. How did that studio chemistry with your band bring these tracks to life?

This was the easiest part. As a band, we get along extremely well both on and off the stage. We had been playing these songs and arrangements live for a few years. We had finessed them as a band, so it was a lot of fun playing them in the studio, almost as if we were on a live stage.

Having spent over three decades at the heart of the New Orleans music scene, why did you feel that this specific moment was the perfect time to look back at your roots and release an album like GIANTS?

I had wanted to document the live band and the new arrangements after the pandemic. The band and the live arrangements had grown and developed dramatically since we resumed touring in 2022. The live show was in a good place, especially with the addition of the horn section.

Then Hurricane Ida delivered a tree through my house and rehearsal space. Although I had the finances saved to begin working on the “next” record, those funds were quickly diverted to rebuilding my rehearsal space into a recording studio. I decided I would record my next record in my own studio.

It took nine or ten months to build the studio and acquire enough gear, microphones, and preamps to actually record something. Since I was doing it myself, I chose to record music the band already knew and was familiar with so I could allocate my time to learning how to record music instead of creating new music. Climb one mountain at a time, if you will.

It took two years to learn and acquire the skills needed to complete Giants, but now I’m in a position to record and release more music faster and less expensively than ever before.

“New Orleans is inspiring in and of itself. The pride and history of our culture are in our people. We share our love for New Orleans music, culture, and community with anyone who wants a taste. The list of role models is endless: Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Dr. John, Pete Fountain, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Prudhomme, Frank Brigtsen, Leah Chase, etc.” (John "Papa" Gros, a bridge between generations: a masterful keyboardist, seasoned songwriter, and powerful live performer who honors the past by making it move in the now—loudly, joyfully, and in real time | The Iridium, NYC 2026 / Photo by Arnie Goodman)

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

Music has been devalued by big business, not by musicians. I would love to see the music industry work for the artists and musicians instead of musicians working for the industry.

If this were the case, artists would make an affordable wage from digital streaming, and AI would be a tool instead of a replacement for human creativity. I also believe this would encourage and grow the personal connection and emotional investment between the listener and the artist.

Corporate business has minimized the emotional investment in music by turning it into a commodity, like Coca-Cola.

What is the impact of music and NOLA culture/heritage on the socio-cultural implications? How do you want the music to affect people?

Since I was eight years old, I’ve wanted to make people happy with music. New Orleans music is some of the happiest-sounding music on the planet.

You could be singing about a Mardi Gras parade, a butcher shooting down his wife’s lover, or celebrating a departed loved one on their journey to the afterlife—it all sounds joyful. People want to be a part of it, and I want to be in dat number.

John "Papa" Gros - Home

(John "Papa" Gros Performs at The Iridium in NYC July 2026 / Photo by Arnie Goodman)