715. New Orleans' Music Scene

Where: New Orleans, Lousiana
When: May 7-10, 2011
With: Dave

The city of New Orleans and music are so entwined, they are inseparable. It is not simply known for its live music, but music is one of the most important threads in the colorful fabric that is the New Orleans culture. Combine the words "music" and "New Orleans" and I dare you not to imagine a brass band dancing down Bourbon Street playing "When the Saint Go Marching In". The city gave birth to several styles of music we know well today. And as such, the music scene in this city has a justifiable place in The Book that we explored well during our time there.

For our first full day in New Orleans, we got tickets to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, or Jazz Fest for short. This week long music festival is held just outside the French Quarter and is a celebration of music and the culture that surrounds it. A massive fairground (usually the city's race track) is covered in tents that feature artists from all genres of music: jazz (of course), gospel, blues, mainstream, bluegrass...you name it, they probably have it. 

We arrived at the entrance with a very extensive line-up and a map and just started wandering and exploring. Right from the start, there was a great energy as music was coming from stages in all corners of the fairgrounds and people were generally excited to be there. 

Yup, this image is pretty much what comes to mind when I think of New Orleans and music. 

This band played what was considered "Cajun" music. The sign above the stage says "fais do do", which is the name of a Cajun dance party. 

Jon Batiste is a jazz musician who played away on his piano. 

A lady and her keyboard. Didn't catch her name, but definitely a wide breadth of musical styles and performers here.  

The headliner of the day was Jimmy Buffet. While he may not be a jazz musician, his Margaritaville followers were lining up hours before he came on, just trying to get a good seat. 

In the middle of the day, a parade began right through the center of the fairgrounds. The costumes were incredibly bright and colorful and I couldn't stop taking photos. It was hypnotizing to watch.

By midday, it was getting hot, and we decided to seek out some of the enclosed tents to escape the sun and listen to some different styles of music. First, we entered the Gospel Tent, which featured large choirs singing enthusiastically.

This lead singer had so much energy, she was mesmerizing to watch. She had a fantastic voice and danced around that stage like she was 20 years old. It was a blast!

Next, we headed to the blues tent. I could have stayed in here all day, this was so great. 

This guy was killing it on the sax. 

After all that music, it was time for some food. And the food stalls at this festival are just as unique to New Orleans as everything else has been at this festival. Not your typical carnival food, oh no, but gumbo, jambalaya and other New Orleans classics were available. A feast just as good as if we were at a restaurant in the city. 

At this point, it was time to get some margaritas and get ready for a couple of songs by Jimmy Buffett. 

While we enjoyed his music, it was just as fun to watch his fans, tossing around beach balls, and bringing a beach vibe to this festival. 

After that, we were ready to head back into the city. As we were leaving, we caught a glance of one of my favorite artists from 1999, Lauryn Hill. 

The next evening, we got to experience another New Orleans musical staple: a concert at Preservation Hall. Created in the 1960s to preserve New Orleans jazz music, this old, unassuming building is packed to the hilt every night with guests enjoying performances by famed jazz musicians or their in-house band, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

The line for this place wrapped around the block (it's the dark and dirty looking building to the right). While we all had tickets, there's no real seating, so it's first come first serve to get a good spot.  

We actually ended up sitting on the floor, but with second row seats so we were excited.

The old room felt like stepping back in time to the 1920s. There was no sheen or shine anywhere in the room, everything just looked old. It felt like I was in my uncle's old garage that he had never cleaned out and was filled with all kinds of old treasures.

This adorable old man came out to talk to us and give a little introduction. I thought he was just the curator of this place, until he sat and started wailing on the piano. Suddenly, all those old years melted away and he seemed as spry as anyone performing at Jazz Fest. 

The rest of the Preservation Hall Band continued to impress. While the members were mostly older gentleman that otherwise looked like accountants, these guys knew how to wail away on their instruments. They were all amazing, and as each one took on a solo, it was easy to see the passion they had for their music and to float away with them as they played. 

 The one young'un in the group, but equally as awesome on the bass.

To complete the trifecta of musical experiences in New Orleans, on our last night we headed to Frenchman Street, famous for its concentration of live music venues in the city. Our first stop was at the Spotted Cat, a bar famous for its live music. When we got there, a jam band was just going at it in the small corner of this bar. I don't even think they were the main event for the evening, but they were so good.

This guy on the trumpet absolutely made the show. It was amazing how a great band doesn't even need a vocalist to entertain. 

Dave practically had to drag me out of the place I loved it so much. A glance back at the unassuming exterior, though the band can be seen squished in the front window. 

The reason we had to leave was that we had tickets to another musical staple of the city, Snug Harbor. This was a bit more fancy, with formal seats and tables serving cocktails. The headline singer that came out was yet another exuberant older woman whose energy was infectious and was so much fun to watch. 

In this city, I learned quickly that it's hard to see a bad performance. The live music is so addictive, I could see myself wanting to go out and watch performances every night if I lived here. It's also amazing to experience a culture that has grown simultaneously with its music, using it to transcend across all the people of this city and unite them in one heritage.