Pianist River Eckert, 14, brings taste of New Orleans to Gadsden

There'll be a taste of New Orleans in Gadsden on May 31 when the Hardin Center hosts a concert by pianist and singer River Eckert.

The concert, part of the Cultural Arts Presents series, is set for 7:30 p.m., according to a news release from the Gadsden Cultural Arts Foundation.

Eckert is only 14, but is described as following in the footsteps of artists like James Booker, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Huey “Piano” Smith and Allen Toussaint.

A native of New Orleans, Eckert took up the piano at age 3, according to the release. He comes from a musical background: His father, Jake Eckert, is a Grammy-winning engineer and producer; a veteran musician as lead guitarist with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the New Orleans Suspects; and an adjunct professor of recording studio techniques at Loyola New Orleans.

River Eckert began studying classical music, but his teachers saw how quickly he picked up blues and jazz styles and urged him to follow that path.

He now performs in both solo (which he'll be doing on the Hardin Center's 9-foot concert grand piano, as a video camera flashes a view of the keyboard onto a large screen for the crowd) and full-band settings.

Eckert has played with musicians like Jeff Albert, Eddie Christmas, Toni Dagradi, Tracy Griffin, Terrence Higgins, Kirk Joseph, Roger Lewis, Jason Mingledorff, Stanton Moore, George Porter Jr., Reggie Scanlan and David Torkanowsky, according to the release; and in venues like Bayou Boogaloo, Chickie Wah Wah, the French Quarter Festival, the Maple Leaf, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, NOLA Funk Fest, the Oak Street PoBoy Festival, Tipitina's, on the WWL Morning Show and on WWOZ Radio.

“I first heard River at a Fats Domino tribute show at Tipitina’s in New Orleans last fall,” Cultural Arts Director Tom Banks said. “I was blown away by his talents for a piano player of any age, but it’s particularly remarkable to see this kind of talent in someone who is only 14 years old. I knew right away that we needed to bring River to Gadsden. This will be an evening that everyone will enjoy.”

Tickets are $10 each and are available at culturalarts.org and at the Hardin Center box office. Tables of four or eight seats are available, but must be bought in advance. Individual tickets can be purchased the night of the show; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Coolers will be permitted, according to the release, as will food from adjacent restaurants.

Email info@culturalarts.org or call 256-543-2787 for more information.

Eckert's website is https://www.rivereckert.com. His official YouTube channel, with samples of his music, is https://www.youtube.com/@rivereckertmusic.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Teenage piano prodigy will perform at Hardin Center in Gadsden