The Music of Port Orleans
Background Music Loops
The evocative dixieland jazz music which plays all around the common areas of both resorts (in the lobbies, pool areas, etc) is a big part of the whole Port Orleans experience and atmosphere.
The main background area music usually plays from two commercial CDs:
New Orleans, Vol. 1 (by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
- Tiger Rag (Instrumental) — 7:45
- Amen (Instrumental) — 3:22
- Over In Gloryland (Instrumental) — 7:10
- Good Blues (Instrumental) — 7:26
- Bill Bailey (Won’t You Please Come Home) (Instrumental) — 4:00
- Joe Avery (Instrumental) — 6:43
- His Eye Is On The Sparrow (Instrumental) — 5:04
- Memories (Instrumental) — 7:37
- Panama (Instrumental) — 9:54
- The Munson Street Breakdown (1992 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 3:18
- I’ve Found a New Baby (1992 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 2:54
- I Can’t Get Started (1992 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 2:57
- Flamenco Soul (1993 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 6:08
- Hot Club of Madrid Serenade (1993 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 4:15
- Tenderly (1993 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 7:05
- Dinah (1992 Remastered - Take 1) Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra; Benny Carter; Coleman Hawkins — 2:48
- Tempo and Swing (1992 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 3:23
- Jack the Bellboy (1992 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 2:52
- Toledo Blade (1993 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 4:15
- Bop City Flamenco (1993 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 6:10
- Blue Because of You (1992 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 2:59
- Jivin’ With Jarvis (1992 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 2:42
- Central Avenue Breakdown (1992 Remastered) Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra — 3:07
Over the Christmas holiday period (normally starting around mid-November) the mix changes to:
Dixieland Christmas (by Jack Jezzro and Sam Levine)- It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas — 3:49
- Home For The Holidays — 4:08
- Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer — 3:39
- Go Tell It On The Mountain — 3:24
- Jingle Bells — 2:41
- Winter Wonderland — 3:50
- Deck The Halls — 3:14
- Up On The Housetop — 4:00
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen — 3:24
- The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year — 3:15
- O Christmas Tree — 3:41
- Frosty The Snowman — 3:33
- Go Tell It on the Mountain
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
- It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
- Jingle Bell Rock
- Jingle Bells
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
- Merry Christmas, Baby
- O Holy Night
- Please Come Home for Christmas
- Christmas Song
- White Christmas
For more details, or to buy CDs, please use the following links:
Many thanks for the diligent hard work of Jay and Horizons over at magicmusic.net who identified the specific CDs which play at the resort — please click on the following links to read the threads discussing their work in tracking down the general background music and the holiday background music.
Regular visitor Darcy Hogan also emailed with some of her own French Quarter Christmas musical memories, saying that she and her daughter fondly recall the following tracks:
- Papa Saint Nick — Beausoleil
- Louisiana Santa — Wayne Toups
- Shakana Santa Shake It — Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias
- Christmas Gumbo — Art Neville
Riverboat Background Music Loop (Riverside/French Quarter segment)
Also of interest is another magicmusic.net thread discussing the Sassagoula Water Taxi background music, which includes some tracks that are also used on the resort bus service — most notably Please Baby by Reverend Gary Davis. If you want to buy any of this music, please use the links below, as they are affiliated to magicmusic.net, who after all did all the hard work!

By Monty Sunshine Jazz Band
On The Sunshine of Your Blues




By Etta Baker
On One-Dime Blues




By Reverend Gary Davis
On The Guitar and Banjo of Reverend Gary Davis




By Louis Armstrong
On Disney Songs the Satchmo Way




By Henry Red Allen
On Quadromania: Henry Red Allen [Box Set]




By Etta Baker
On One-Dime Blues



“Ye Haa” Bob Jackson
Of course it wouldn’t be right to discuss the music of Port Orleans without mentioning Riverside’s very own “Ye Haa” Bob Jackson, the talented and energetic entertainer who plays at the River Roost Lounge four nights a week. His live show CD, along with several others, can be ordered directly from his own website, www.yehaabob.com.

Elliot Dyson
French Quarter’s resident New Orleans jazz musician until 4 May 2013, Elliot Dyson is an awesome saxophonist, poignant and rocking vocalist, bluesy guitar player with some steel drums added into the mix. He has a web site giving more information on his other work at www.elliotdyson.com. He was replaced as Scat Cat’s resident musician on 19 July 2013 by Tom Casey.
