Jazz Clubs And Lounges Add To Port Orleans’ Social Diversity!
It was a music born of pure artistic need. It had its origins in the fields of the delta and the streets of Port Orleans. Based on improvisational techniques, jazz could not have originated anywhere else. It defined the city, and it made Port Orleans dance.
By the time most people had come to accept the unique flavor of Creole cuisine, along came a music that defied classification. Played mostly on street corners and honkey-tonk shacks, jazz was formed by untrained musicians playing crudely fashioned instruments. But the music they made was completely new and thrived in this city that made diversity a cultural trait.
Eventually, the music moved from the street and into the city’s nightclubs. Several bands were formally organized and started appearing regularly. A few musicians became noted for their particular innovations and they became headliners, drawing large crowds to hear their unique style.
Bands usually consisted of a horn section, that included a trumpet, trombone and clarinet. The rythym section included a stand up bass and a full drum kit was always an essential. Throw in a banjo and you had the perfect jazz combo.
The spirit of this music is still very much alive and kicking throughout the Port and can be heard in places like the infamous Scat Cat’s Club, where memorabilia from the best known jazzmen can be seen.
