When Earl King strummed and sang ‘Ain’t No City Like New Orleans’, it was his homage to the shimmering city called the Big Easy. This is where jazz was born in the 19th century, where the drum set was invented by jazz musicians, where words such as “cool” and “hip” were born.
To say New Orleans is a city of music is overstating the obvious. But just how overarching music is does come as a surprise. Take Jackson Square in the heart of the colourful French Quarter; there’s hardly any time of the day it is silent. From lone buskers and mime artistes performing to recorded music to five-piece brass bands in the streets, there’s always music in the air here.
Many of the bars in the French Quarter and the jazz clubs have live music. On Frenchman Street, every building houses a jazz club or bar. It’s not even necessary to go in; the music pours forth and wraps everybody in its magic.
Ask locals about New Orleans’ jazz tradition and it’s unlikely that any two people will agree on how it evolved. One explanation is that in the late 18th century, slaves from Senegal and Gambia—who had a strong tradition of community—would gather on Sundays for music and dance. The styles merged and a new kind of music emerged, but alarmed by the sense of harmony and fearing unrest, the ruling French banned gatherings with one exception. They could meet in a park (later to be named Louis Armstrong park) at the end of the French Quarter.
While the rest of the US was pre-occupied with military marches and war, New Orleans was marching to a beat of its own. The music continued to evolve, taking elements from ragtime and blues, but the first known recording of jazz was done in the early 20th century. Incidentally, jazz was originally a sporting term and came to be applied to this genre of music because it was peppy and energetic. Relying heavily but not exclusively on the brass band tradition, it is a curious amalgamation of rhythm, improvisation, swing and a variety of other elements, and hence defies definition. From New Orleans, jazz spread outwards, and what was a predominantly
African-American music transcended race and colour, but Big Easy is where the real thing is.
Jazz is a religion here and the city is peppered with references, especially to its famous son Louis Armstrong. But there are others too, such as Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton and Sidney Bechet. On Rampart Street are three dilapidated structures, which are associated with New Orleans’ jazz history: Eagle Saloon where Buddy Bolden played, a tailor shop where Armstrong was employed, and Iroquois Theatre where Armstrong won a competition as a young lad.
The best place for a good jazz listen is the iconic Preservation Hall on St Peter Street, which was created to preserve the New Orleans’ style of jazz.
As evening turns into night, the French Quarter reverberates to an energising and mesmerising jazz tempo. And so, among all the nicknames (it has many) the one that sits most aptly is ‘America’s Most Interesting City’.