Music, New Orleans

• Jazz Parlor at Storyville: 125 Bourbon St. (at Iberville St.), 410-1000, every night.
• Funky Pirate: 727 Bourbon St; 523-1960. Check out Big Al Carson (Blues). He is as big as your desk, if you have a big desk!
• Fritzel’s: 733 Bourbon St; 561-0432. European Jazz Club. Most nights. 8pm.
• Preservation Hall: 726 St. Peter St. (between Bourbon and Royal St.), 523-8939; traditional Dixieland jazz; 8:30pm until midnight; $5 cover.
• Bombay Club: 830 Conti St; 586-0972.

Dress Code: casual

New Orleans is of course, a music Mecca. It’s here that jazz was born and also Dixieland and Zydeco, this music typically “Cajun” . Cajun is the name that the Americans gave to the Acadians, descednat of French who were deported by the British in the 17th Century. You just have to walk around town to hear those style of music and more (blues is also quite popular)! New Orleans has a plethora of music clubs but if you’re on a tight budget, the spectacle is in the streets!

New Orleans is the birth place of Jazz. While nowadays besides jazz, you can find all kinds of live musician and very good musican in this town. Here I come across this duel piano bar, these 2 ladies were fantastic!

Sure, it is a bit of a tourist trap but take a stroll down through the French Quarter, especially in the evening. It is fun to watch all the goings-on and listen to the music! There are all sorts of different kinds of people and places, music on the street, etc. Both of my evenings were in part spent in this area of the city.

Walk down Bourbon St. at night and you will experience every type of music genre imaginable. One bar will be featuring a live zydeco band, and you step next door into a heavy metal scene. New Orleans caters to people from all walks of life......young and old. Even the 'trancers' have a spot to rave! One of the first stops we made was to Pat O'Briens. This is usually the first stop to make before heading down the strip. They claim to have the best 'Hurricane' that side of the Mississippi! That is the drink of choice at Pat O's! They have a nice outdoor dining and seating area where you can enjoy cocktails and conversation while trying to cool off from the humid nights.

Another stop to make is to the Gold Mine. It's a smaller bar in the French Quarter, kinda off the main street. They have a DJ and tiny dancefloor, but the bartender makes one mean Flaming Dr. Pepper. (They claim to be the originators of that concoction)

Dress Code: Dress code year round is cool and casual. Dress code during Mardi Gras is LESS is BETTER!

Besides the incredible cuisine, music has to be one of the biggest draws to New Orleans. The music is the pulse of the city. It doesn't matter if you can't tell the difference between Miles and Coltraine, the New Orleans scene caters to all genres of music!

Clubs stay open 'til dawn and you can club hop along Bourbon Street to places like Oz, and 735 Nightclub. Good music everywhere and always an enthusiastic crowd!

Dress Code: If you're totally addicted to bass like me, you'll sweat it out on the dancefloor, so wear comfortable shoes and attire!

New Orleans is ready for indulgence when you are, be it 4 PM or 4 AM. Music is continually in and on the air, pouring out from street ensembles, nightclubs, local radio stations, and riverboat calliopes: jazz, brass bands, marches, Cajun music, zydeco, rhythm and blues, alternative, country, Latin, and gospel. Music aside, just plain drinking is a prime pastime; teetotalers can get their kicks from abundant cappuccino and latte. Theater and dance companies offer an impressive variety of fare.
For current listings, consult the daily calendar in the Times-Picayune and its 'Lagniappe' Friday entertainment section. OffBeat, Where, and Gambit are free publications that also have up-to-date entertainment news.

The heaviest concentration of live music is in the French Quarter. French Quarter clubs with Dixieland or traditional jazz get rolling early in the evening, usually by 8 PM; several present music in the afternoons as well, especially on weekends. The first set at most neighborhood clubs usually begins about 10 PM; unless a club has wee-hours music on a regular basis, the last set usually ends around 2 AM. Remember that in a city with no closing time there is also no compulsion to start punctually, no matter what you are told over the phone.

The bars/clubs on Bourbon Street are constantly thumping out great music, jazz, blues and rock and roll. Just a wonderful experience.
You can come and go with or without your purchased drinks. I did find some of the bars would not allow you to take a drink in and requested that you finish it before you came in. There was always a garbage can right there at the door to allow for your empty cup.

Dress Code: Casual with some brief moments of nudity.