River Eckert (b. Oct. 9, 2009) is a 15-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, at just 15-years-old, River sings and plays in both a solo piano and full band setting. He is rapidly gaining local and national popularity and has recently started recording his first studio album. 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, was released in October 2024, and the full album is expected in early 2025. River was also recently featured in three upcoming Playing for Change video recordings.
River has had the privilege of performing and recording with notable artists such as George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, Stanton Moore, Anders Osborne, Luther Dickinson, Fred Wesley, Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr., Big Chief Juan Pardo, Raymond Weber, Terence Higgins, Cornell Williams, Roger Lewis, Kirk Joseph, Lionel Batiste Jr., and many more. He has performed at prestigious venues and events including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Tipitina’s, Maple Leaf Bar, Civic Theatre, Chickie Wah Wah, French Quarter Festival, NOLA Funk Festival, Oak Street Po-Boy Festival, WWL Morning Show, WWOZ Radio, and Fox 8 News.
