BIO

River Eckert (b. Oct. 9, 2009) is a 16-year-old piano player born and raised in New Orleans, LA. From a very young age, River has been surrounded by music. Immersed in the styles of legends such as Professor Longhair, James Booker, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Fats Domino, Art Neville among others, he is passionate and dedicated to “carrying the torch” of the New Orleans piano tradition.

Coming from a musical family, River began playing piano at the age of 3. Initially studying classical music, his teachers eventually encouraged him to explore blues and jazz, recognizing his natural ability to quickly grasp those styles. Now, River sings and plays in both a solo piano and full band setting. He is rapidly gaining local, national, and international popularity. River recently completed his debut studio album which is to be released in April 2026. Collaborators on this project include George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, Terence Higgins, Cornell Williams, Raymond Weber, John Fohl, and others. His debut single, Pass That Torch (feat. Ivan Neville), was released in October 2024, followed by his second single, Hey Hey Hey (Fi Nah Nay), in February 2025 and third, Painting Pictures, in April 2025. He was also featured in several Playing for Change video recordings, and has been involved in helping score a documentary film about New Orleans. Recently, River and Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews performed together as a duo for the inauguration of New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno. River’s live performance schedule continues to stay busy and he just confirmed his first performances in Europe for summer 2026.

At the ripe age of 16, River has already had the privilege to perform and/or record with many notable artists including Taj Mahal, Trombone Shorty, Oteil Burbridge, George Porter Jr., Cyril Neville, Irma Thomas, Ivan Neville, Stanton Moore, Pedrito Martínez, Eric Krasno, Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith (Dawes), Anders Osborne, Luther Dickinson, Cory Henry, Nikki Glaspie, Fred Wesley, Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr., The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Adam Deitch, Raymond Weber, Terence Higgins, Tony Hall, Jennifer Hartswick, Big Sam Williams, Craig Robinson all the way to Bill Murray and many more. Additionally, he has performed at many prestigious venues and events including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Jam Cruise, French Quarter Festival, NOLA Funk Festival, Hogs for the Cause, WWOZ Piano Night, Park City Song Summit, Brooklyn Bowl, Tipitina’s, Garcia’s Chicago, Maple Leaf Bar, Saenger Theatre, Orpheum Theatre, Civic Theatre, Joy Theater, House Of Blues, WWL Morning Show, WWOZ Radio, and Fox 8 News.