Last Leaf

Born in New Orleans, John Papa Gros has spent more than a quarter-century championing the music of the Big Easy. He's played it all - New Orleans funk, rock & roll, jazz, blues, Americana, pop/rock - and he swirls those styles into a genre-bending gumbo that pays tribute to his influences while still pushing ahead into new territory. Like Allen Toussaint and Dr. John, Gros is a proud local who carries on the tradition of New Orleans music, both honoring it's past and helping to shape it's future. After kicking off his career as an organist and pianist, for George Porter Jr.'s Runnin' Pardners, during the 1990s, Gros formed the funk group Papa Grows Funk in 2000. The band held down a weekly performance at the famous Maple Leaf Bar for 13 years, mixing the smooth sophistication of a jazz quintet with the wild, anything-goes spirit of Mardi Gras. Fans and tourists crowded the bar every Monday night, looking for Papa Grows Funk to dish out a greasy, groove-heavy serving of Big Easy funk. The band delivered, releasing six critically-acclaimed albums - including Needle in the Groove, which was co-produced by Nola legend Allen Toussaint, and a this live record that captured Papa Grows Funk's last Monday night at the Maple Leaf Bar. Personnel