Need a Recharge? Get Thee To New Orleans
The birthplace of jazz is still a-borning itself
There’s nothing more New Orleans than watching a wedding second line parade from a hotel balcony in the French Quarter (8495Jazz photo)
(Editor’s foreword: It is impossible to capture New Orleans properly, to convey even a small amount of all its grit and grace, in a column this size, but even a tiny description may help jazz fans to know it just a little better)
The entire 8495Jazz staff was sitting at the bar at Cafe Beignet on Decatur Street in the French Quarter about 10 AM on a recent Sunday, waiting for our breakfast to arrive. The specifics of how the bartender (yes, you can buy a drink in New Orleans any time of day, though we did not) came upon telling us where he was originally from escape me now, but not the town – Potsdam, NY, way up near the Canadian border. He’d been a New Orleanian about 20 years now.
“It sucks you in,” he said of the Crescent City, before jovially reminding a bunch of obviously underage kids on a school spring break trip they couldn’t sit at the bar unless they were 21.
Indeed it does suck one in, whether one ends up there for life or just for a three-day recharge of the batteries that remind us of the paramount importance of good food, music, and that particular Gulf Coast version of joie d’vivre.
It’s easy from a distance for jazz fans to kind of stop time when thinking of “New Orleans jazz” as the time-tested sound of Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, and latter-day practitioners of trad jazz like Tuba Skinny. But, like adventurous improvisers who take inspiration from wherever they find it, the spirit of New Orleans keeps re-inventing itself through thick and thin. It keeps itself fresh and in turn gives us the same boost.
Yeah, the old ways still thrive – we saw no fewer than five wedding second lines behind white-shirted and -hatted brass bands the first two days we were there – but the most striking sounds of the street came from wildly fitted out motorized tricycles blaring funk and 80’s hits and young men pounding our ears with hip-hop from profoundly jacked-up pickup trucks one would logically expect country music from instead. Juxtaposed from those thoroughly modern manifestations of the aural arts, though, we came upon a solitary bagpiper on the steps of the Riverwalk early one morning. Yet somehow it all fits.
Bagpipes in New Orleans? But of course. (8495Jazz photo)
Conventional travel advice directs one to think beyond the Quarter, and if we had been there longer than three days, we probably would have ventured out toward the Garden District on a streetcar, or taken in Audubon Park or a cemetery tour. But over the course of just a few days, the Quarter offers more than enough, enough sound, enough sights, enough smells. It is endlessly fascinating and completely walkable and was exactly what we needed. If you’re of a mind to go, here’s a little pocket guide to some of the highlights. If you’re not of a mind to go, you’d best get that way.
The music
Put a bunch of small bills in your pocket and hit those streets. Busking is ubiquitous and runs the gamut from random street corner ragamuffins on guitar and fiddles (often accompanied by a sleeping dog for sympathy or empathy) to absolutely top-shelf talent. Last Sunday afternoon, we were treated to sets by the bands of Doreen Ketchens, the instantly-recognizable clarinetist (who studied classical clarinet at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School, BTW), on Royal Street and trumpeter and Grammy winner Derrick Shezbie of Rebirth Brass Band renown at Jackson Square.
Doreen Ketchens, who studied classical clarinet at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music, is a nationally-recognized trad jazz player. She jams regularly on Royal Street in the heart of the French Quarter (8495Jazz photo)
If you’re looking for an inside club experience, the row of bars on Frenchmen Street adjacent to the Quarter is the hot spot. We took in trombonist Charlie Halloran and the Tropicales Sunday night at Snug Harbor and a St. Patrick’s Day matinee at the Spotted Cat across the street. Both these clubs, as well as DBA, are linchpins in the Frenchmen Street epicenter of the city’s working jazz musicians, who often also have neighborhood gigs elsewhere. There’s also Preservation Hall (get tickets early there) as well as Fritzel’s on Bourbon Street (for the most part, though, Bourbon Street is mainly Disneyland for drunks), Buffa’s on Esplanade, and numerous hotel and restaurant music rooms. The New Orleans Jazz Museum also has regular concerts. You’ll run out of time before you run out of music.
The food
Like any other tourist mecca, the quality of food in the Quarter runs the gamut. One rule of thumb – a lot of places don’t take reservations and you can expect to stand in line a while. Our experiences ranged from profoundly average (shrimp platter at Original Pierre Maspero’s), bona fide old New Orleans (etouffee at Gumbo Shop, where the tables are so close you become fast friends with your neighbors), to a superbly signature New Orleans dinner at Brigtsens outside the Quarter. Best breakfast by far was at Cafe Fleur de Lis on Chartres Street (monumentally good grits). In terms of the famous beignets, we preferred those at Cafe Beignet to Cafe du Monde. They’re bigger, for one thing, though it’s hard to dislike any fried dough bedecked with sugar.
Gotta keep your strength up if you’re going to be walking the French Quarter all day. The 8495Jazz staff prefers the beignets from Cafe Beignet to these from the better-known Cafe du Monde, but really, it’s all delicious easy-to-pull-apart warm fried dough and sugar (8495Jazz photo)
The attractions
If you like structure, there is plenty to guide you in the Quarter. There are historical walking tours, walking ghost tours, walking food tours, mule-drawn carriage tours, and steamboat cruises on the Mississippi. Jazz fans might especially be interested in the jazz tours conducted by Sal “Sally Baby” Geloso, who is making a big mark on the national scene as well as locally with the Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars band. The 8495Jazz staff thought about a steamboat cruise but a cold front that temporarily made New Orleans colder than Connecticut convinced us that just strolling the Quarter on our own would lead to more than enough discoveries.
The accommodations
Without trying to dive too deeply into budgets or tastes, well, the Quarter has a lot of everything. Our own preferred lodging is the Bourbon Orleans Hotel on Orleans Street behind St. Louis Cathedral. We lucked out with a balcony room overlooking St. Ann Street this time around.
And all this happens when it’s “just regular” life. Imagine what it’s like during the festivals. I hope we’ve whetted your whistle here, because a jazz fan who hasn’t visited New Orleans at least once is missing out.
Old New Orleans: In the compelling HBO series Treme, one of the show’s protagonists, trombonist Antoine Batiste, played by Wendell Pierce, plays a funeral second line with the Treme Brass Band, founded by Benny Jones, Sr. The 8495Jazz staff met Benny on our recent trip to New Orleans at DBA on Frenchmen Street. What a treat that was.
New New Orleans: One of the more striking sights (and sounds) we saw was this tricked-out trike, which made regular forays through the French Quarter, emblematic of the ever-changing dynamics of the city.
Out and About with 8495Jazz
These listings are a curated sampling of shows in the region. As an independent resource for jazz news, 8495Jazz does not receive any consideration, free tickets, or affiliate fees for these listings. Please confirm events are still happening directly with the venue.
8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week
Frederick Gunn School, Washington, CT
Litchfield Jazz All-Stars, Friday, April 3, 7 pm. Free (registration link here).
Featuring Don Braden and Albert Rivera (saxophones), Jen Allen (piano), Ryan Berg (bass), Richie Barshay (drums), Peter McEachern (trombone), and Mike Godette (guitar). In the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center’s Tisch Family Auditorium.
8495Jazz Spur of the Moment Gig TODAY
Pump House Music Works, Wakefield, RI
Gray Sargent Trio (guitar, combo), 6 pm. GA $23.18 including service fee.
Other Upcoming Shows
Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT
Diana Krall (piano, vocals), Friday, April 3, 8 pm (low ticket alert). GA $90 - $141 including service fee.
Hartford Public Library Baby Grand Jazz, Hartford, CT
Ben Bilello Quartet (drums, combo), today, 3 pm. Free.
Firehouse 12, New Haven, CT
Sun of Goldfinger (eclectic combo), Friday, April 3, 8:30 and 10 pm. GA $20 for the 8:30 show, $15 for 10 pm show.
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
Melissa Newman (vocals, combo), Thursday, April 2, 7:30 and 8:45 pm. GA $20.76, student/vet $15.76 for 7:30 show, GA $10.76 for 8:45 show.
Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA
Alexa Tarantino and the Cape Ann Jazz Workshop Showcase (saxophone, combo), Tuesday, March 31, 7 pm. Free (registration required).
Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA
Nicole Zuraitis (vocals), Wednesday, April 1, 7:30 pm. GA $40 including service fee.
The Mad Monkfish, Cambridge, MA
Jared Sims and the Catalyst (sax, combo), Thursday, April 2, 7 pm. GA $10 plus $25 minimum.
The Barn, S. Egremont, MA
The Rejuvenators feat. Wanda Houston (New Orleans jazz, funk, R&B), Friday, April 3, 7:30 pm. GA $18.34 including service fee.
Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY
Gary Smulyan@70! (sax, combo), Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4, 7 and 9:30 pm. GA $37.75, students $32.50 including service fee.
The Side Door, Old Lyme, CT
The Makanda Project (13-piece band), Friday, April 3, 8 pm. GA $59.75, students $27.98 including service fee.
Elicit Brewing Co., Manchester, CT
Hartford Jazz Orchestra, Monday, March 30, 7:30 pm. Free.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Carmine’s, East Hartford, CT
Paisley’s All Star Memorial Jam, various Tuesdays, click link for dates, 7:30 pm. House band set followed by jam. Free.
Mahoney’s, Poughkeepsie, NY
Poughkeepsie Jazz Project, every Tuesday, 7 pm. Free.
Park City Music Hall, Bridgeport, CT
Scott Cushman and Friends followed by jam, first Wednesday of the month.
The Parlour, Providence, RI
First Sunday Jam (first Sunday of the month) with Ben Shaw Quartet followed by jam, music starts at 6. Jammers $5, audience $10.
Groton Hill Music Center, Groton, MA
Jams every second Tuesday of the month through June, 7 pm. $10 at the door, no advance sales.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Jazz Fridays at Three Sheets New Haven 1st/3rd Fridays from 6-9pm
Jazz Thursdays at The Cannon New Haven every other Thurs from 7-9pm.
8495Jazz takes its name from the two Interstate highways that cross our region, I-84 and I-95. Within short driving distances from either, you can find incredible entertainment, from local jams to world-famous festivals in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 8495Jazz: From Newburgh to Newport!
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Such a fun read. Loved it!