All That Jazz..and a rumored Vampire or two.
Of course there are a few other things that have influenced New Orleans in the more modern era. The government, notably during the early 20th century has been famously corrupt and bribe oriented. Today, some say, just like the chicory in the coffee, the french in the cuisine and the party atmosphere, things come to this city and take up roost, and not much has changed during these hundred years. This looseness of political office morals has had the city deep in prostitutes, party times, bootlegging, and the requisit music that accompanies it. The New Orleans style jazz bands, often young, hungry and wildly talented, can be heard throughout the city, as well as many a man and lady singing the blues.
Traditionally, the New Orleans style of jazz, with Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Sidney Bichet among its ranking founders, is a music to be danced to, with a swinging, syncopated, harmonic rhythm. The band consists of a trumpet, a clarinet and a trombone, as well as some sort of rhythm section, often just a string base or these days, a base guitar. It is very distinct from, and frankly a lot more fun and catchy than, Chicago land style and New York City style jazz forms, which were all coming about during the same part of the early 20th century. New Orleans claims itself to be the birthplace of jazz, and who knows, with its awesome roster of homegrown talent, maybe it is. It definitely was one of the first cities to allow black populations to congregate and play music (as well as be educated), so the immigrant Haitian, Creole, and the freed black population had a huge influence very early on in the cities life, playing in what is now Louis Armstrong Park.
Anyhow, I can’t tell you how cool it is to be just walking around and hear music coming out of radios people, which doesn’t sound like the same old alt-rock, I-am-a-depressed-young-man (with the exact same sound as everyone else) tunes or THUMP THUMP THUMP brain numbing rap numbers. People LIKE jazz, they like blues, they grew up on zydeco and delta tunes. And youngsters learn how to play instruments, beyond 8th grade band class. There is something amazing about watching a skinny kid, maybe 17, producing a haunting perfect melody on a horn. Believe me, its more impressive than rhyming to a base beat any day.
Personally, my favorite place to hear some local jazz is at the Spotted Cat, located on Frenchman street, running just outside the backside of the quarter in the Fauberg Marigny neighborhood. That street has another of my favorites too, Snug Harbor. Both have live jazz nightly.
I got there early, for the first set at the Spotted Cat this evening, around 6:45pm, and its me and the oldtimers hanging on the bar. I have a date with a Vampire tour (I couldn’t resist one super touristy thing) starting at 8:30 (nightfall – cue the organ music), so given that I passed out last night before actually making it out, tonight it was now or never.
An hour and half, and a few Abita Strawberries later, I walk lighthearted and quickly through the now dimly lit streets of the back of the quarter, with my to-go cup in hand racing to meet as many vampires as possible.
“There are two types of vampires” a theatrical young man says to his vampire audience “fictional, and mythical… those are NOT the same.” What can I say, it was fun, the tour focused on neighborhood history, ghost stories, vampire myths and legends, and true accounts of some crazy new orleans souls drinking blood from captives held tied in a second story apartment, one of those with the lovely balconies, right there on Royal Street. Another account is of a gentleman, who by all accounts, seemed to have been on record as living more than 200 years, and with still no record of his death. Sounds like a familiar Twilight Zone episode right?
One of the more New Orleans things about the tour was the bar stops along the way, include Jean Lafitte’s (the most famous pirate, or technically privateer, in New Orleans history), which made it sort of like a wandering, historical, slightly spooky bring your drink along cocktail hour, or three.
Things I did (it was a busy night):
The Spotted Cat, 623 Frenchman St, Right past Esplanade. Live, real, NO style jazz, nightly. Cheap beer too. Like 2 dollars each.
Haunted History Vampire Tour, meets in Jackson Square, nightly. Can be booked online, or I think you can just show up at 8:30, $20 dollars in hand.
Pirates Alley Cafe. Pirates Alley, right on the sidestreet beside St. Louis Cathedral. Not a cafe, but a really pleasant small homey bar.
Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Bar, 941 Bourbon St, the oldest bar in the city, the oldest structure in the city, and the guy was a pirate of almost Johnny Depp proportions. And the 2 bartenders managed to serve up our entire group of tourists, who all came in exact same second, in less than about 3 minutes.
Abita Strawberry Harvest Ale, I’ve been doing this everywhere on the Deep South tour, and, if you are in Louisiana or Mississippi during the time when this seasonal brew is available (now), it is a must try. I, as a rule, don’t like fruity beer. To this I make a single exception, it is unusual, light, definitely a strawberry smell, and if I could import them to my apartment it would be my downfall.
Tags: Deep South, Deep South USA, French Quarter, Frenchman St., Jazz, Louisiana, New Orleans, Road trip, Roadtrip, USA, Vampires, Tag Index
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