#7: Hear All That Jazz on Frenchmen St.
Kirk, the New Orleans drummer, told me about this “Frenchman Street.” But I didn’t realize how musically influential and magical this place would really be. Turns out, it’s extraordinary. Removed from the glitzy neon lights and overrated Bourbon Street, this compact musical neighborhood is the epicenter of jazz music, nightlife and deep southern cajun culture. No over-the-top dance raging clubs. Only hole-in-the-wall dives. No half-ass singing. Only amazingly talented musicians playing for pennies on street corners. No neon…
#3: Ode To Jazz And Treme.
You might want to sit down for this. It’s about my one-week crazy-filled stay in Treme, New Orleans. Yes, that same infamous neighborhood from the HBO TV series. Yes, the ethnically diverse hood of New Orleans. Yes, that same neighborhood raddled and devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but somehow still hanging on. … Slowly waking up to a jazz tune in the distance, I lay still for a minute trying to make sense of this new place. The…