Tag: jazz

Traveler: Your Guide to New Orleans

Posted on by Editor

I’ve got a soft spot for New Orleans. No matter how many times I visit, I always find more to love. Tourism is the heart of New Orleans’ economy. In 2014, nearly 10 million people visited bringing in nearly $7 billion dollars. Everywhere you go, there is a celebration of New Orleans’ rich history — usually accompanied by lots of drinks and revelry. Needless to say, this town will show you a good time.

Getting There

For many travelers, getting to the destination is half the fun. Others prefer being there. If you are the latter, New Orleans is home to Louisiana’s largest airport. All major airlines fly to it. If you are the former, take the legendary Highway 61 — the Blues Highway. Be sure to stop in Clarksdale, Mississippi, which is home to juke joints and good eats. Also, take a photo at the crossroads where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul.

Accommodations


Hotel Saint Pierre. Photo credit: Numinosity (Gary J Wood) via Foter.com / CC BY-SA.

The fantastic Hotel Saint Pierre is not one building, but several historic buildings occupying both sides of an entire block nestled between the Tremé and the French Quarter. The Garden District House is another good choice, if you’re looking for an affordable, uptown hostel in the Garden District, a gorgeous neighborhood that is home to New Orleans’ elite where mansions and former plantations intermingle with upscale restaurants and cemeteries. Best of all, it is near the streetcars for quick access to downtown and the French Quarter.

If money is not an issue, class it up at the Roosevelt Hotel, a centrally located picture of luxury which houses some of New Orleans’ best restaurants and classiest bars. Even if you do not stay here, swing by for a drink and check out the lobby. (More on the Roosevelt further down.)

The business district is another solid choice that is easy on the pocketbook and within walking distance to the French Quarter. There are some great stays, like the Whitney Hotel. It is a former bank, has good rates, and offers a unique New Orleans experience.

Food


Boiled crawfish. Photo credit: kittenfc via Foter.com / CC BY.

In New Orleans, it is not where you eat, but what you eat. You need to get some crawfish. The Original French Market Restaurant is a good place to start. I recommend the crawfish boat — it comes with potatoes, sausage, and corn boiled with two pounds of crawfish to create a flavor assault on your mouth.

You also have to get a po’ boy. NOLA Poboys is a good spot in the French Quarter, but there are hundreds of others to choose from.

You need to get a beignet and it might as well be at Café De Monde, which is a New Orleans landmark dating back to 1862. Today, Café Du Monde is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week — only closed on Christmas Day and during the occasional hurricane. All the world’s beignets are judged against theirs, as they set the benchmark.

You should also eat a muffuletta. Central Deli and Grocery originally concocted this beast of a sandwich that consists of olive salad, mortadella, salami, mozzarella, ham, and provolone on a Sicilian bun. It is intense. Central Deli and Grocery is still operating, so swing by their Decatur Street location. You may want to split the sandwich.

When you are ready for a healthy meal, head down by the Warehouse Arts District to eat at Seed. It is a vegan restaurant, but your tastebuds won’t know it. Seed offers a variety of fresh juices and smoothies to help with hangovers, and their menu is a healthy version of classic New Orleans dishes for a good change of pace after all the po’ boys and muffulettas.

Drink


Sazeracs. Photo credit: susanna bolle via Foter.com / CC BY.

There is no shortage of bars in New Orleans. You must walk down Bourbon Street — get a to-go beer and have a nice stroll. Stop at Marie Laveau’s Voodoo Shop for souvenirs, and try to avoid tripping over the passed out frat boys. There’s a lot of fun amidst the chaos.

The sazerac was the first cocktail invented by Antoine Amédée Peychaud in 1838. When he died in 1893, the Grunewald Hotel acquired the rights. In 2009, the former Grunewald reopened as the Roosevelt. Swing by their Sazerac Room and enjoy this New Orleans cocktail.

If you love dive bars, check out Molly’s in the French Quarter. They have a great jukebox and cheap drinks. You can get a beer and a shot for $5. For outdoor seating, go to Pat O’Brien’s next to the Preservation Hall. Perfect for warm Southern nights, the cobblestoned patio tables are nestled amongst fountains and flora, while pianos duel inside.

Coffee


Café’ au lait and beignets. Photo credit: kaige via Foter.com / CC BY-ND.

You are already going to Café Du Monde for beignets, so you might as well get some of their famous chicory coffee. Though chicory was a coffee substitute during the Civil War, today, the coffee and chicory are mixed to create a wonderful earthy flavor with a hint of chocolate.

Mister Gregory’s on Rampart Street is another great coffee shop. It is a French casual café in a great location — far enough off the beaten path that you can sit for awhile, but not so far that your feet will get sore walking to it.

Live Music


Preservation Hall. Photo credit: Phil Roeder via Foter.com / CC BY.

The French Quarter is still home to some great live music. Fritzel’s European Jazz Bar on Bourbon Street is fantastic. On Sunday afternoons, they have stride piano and, every night, they have top-notch, live jazz. If you need convincing, check out Fritzel’s New Orleans Jazz Band on Spotify. There is never a cover, although there is a drink minimum.

Preservation Hall’s history, alone, is worth the admission, and the music makes it one of the best deals in town. Get there about 30 minutes early, as the room is small and sells out.

Frenchman Street is also home to a bustling live music scene. The Maison has some great jazz and funk in a large room with room to dance. I highly recommend visiting d.b.a on Monday nights. When he’s not on tour, Luke Winslow-King plays every Monday at 7 p.m. His last album, Everlasting Arms, was one of my favorites from 2014. Right down the street is the Spotted Cat Music Club. It is home to some of New Orleans’ best traditional jazz, though most of the bands are younger and many have an Americana Twist.

Local Flavor


Jackson Square. Photo credit: christian.senger via Foter.com / CC BY.

There is more to New Orleans than just drinking and music. Take a riverboat cruise. You’re on the Mississippi River, after all. Enjoy it! There are three riverboat cruise companies. I recommend the Creole Queen. Their paddleboat is the nicest, their crew is the best, and the bar has live music. The cruise stops at Chalmette Battlefield, where the Battle of New Orleans was fought. Most historians consider it the last great fight in the War of 1812.

I also recommend checking out a burlesque show by Fleur De Tease at One Eyed Jacks. One Eyed Jacks makes some of the best cocktails in town. The show is wonderful. Be warned, it sells out fast. Get your tickets early.

Designated by Congress as America’s official museum about World War II, the National World War II Museum is ranked by TripAdvisor as the #1 attraction in New Orleans. USA Today also named it the best place in the U.S. to learn military history, so it is a must-see for history buffs.

If you prefer serial killers and vampires to military history, take a haunted tour to learn about New Orleans’ seedy past while sipping hurricanes. It is informative, fun, and a great way to explore the town.

I also recommend visiting Congo Square at Armstrong Park. It is the birthplace of jazz. In the 18th century, enslaved African vendors gathered there. On Sundays, they sang, danced, and traded. The cultural expressions developed into the Mardis Gras Indian traditions, the Second Line, and, finally, New Orleans jazz. It is one of the most important squares in the United States. Armstrong Park is also home to an amazing sculpture garden.

On the way to Armstrong Park, check out the Washing Cycle. Located kitty-corner from the park, it formerly housed J & M Studios. Early rock pioneers like Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Dave Bartholomew first recorded here. J & M Studios was integral to the development of early rock ‘n’ roll, though it is now a laundromat.

Lede image: Bourbon Street. Photo credit: Eric K Gross via Foter.com / CC BY.

Squared Roots: Jill Andrews on the Heart and Mind of Joni Mitchell

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Pretty much every singer/songwriter today counts Joni Mitchell among their heroes. If they don't, they should. From her 1968 debut to her 2007 finale, Mitchell's talent has been both steadfast and elusive — remaining constant even as it evolved. Her early records (Blue, Clouds, Ladies of the Canyon, Court & Spark) showcased a craft so fully formed and so emotionally mature that they continue to stand as high marks in her career … if not in music as a whole.

By the mid-'70s, Mitchell needed more than acoustic music could offer and she branched out into jazz alongside Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, and other legends of the form. Having issued 10 studio albums in 11 years, Mitchell's output slowed in the '80s and '90s, with only six releases spread across those 20 years, including the Grammy-winning Turbulent Indigo in 1994. At the turn of the century, Mitchell won another Grammy for Both Sides Now, the concept album that follows the arc of a relationship as told through jazz songs performed by Mitchell with an orchestra. Two years later, Travelogue paired her own songs with an orchestra and, in 2007, Shine shone as her last-released collection of original material prior to her retirement from music.

As one of the singer/songwriters who count Mitchell as a hero, Jill Andrews found inspiration in her early acoustic albums. That influence wasn't exactly obvious on Andrews' first band project, the everybodyfields, or even on her solo sets, including her latest release, The War Inside. But it's in there, in her DNA, just as it is in all the other singer/songwriters who have come along over the past 45 years.

So that I know who I'm dealing with here … what's your favorite Joni record? This is going to determine a lot.

Blue. I feel like that's the most obvious one, but … There are several that I hadn't really listened to, so I've been listening to them. And, still, that's my favorite … by far, I would say. But I think Ladies of the Canyon is really good, too. What about you?

Early on, in my early 20s, I was all about Clouds . I mean, Blue is fantastic. No question. But, like you said, it's the obvious one. Then Court & Spark got me, particularly after … I'm guessing you've seen the wonderful documentary about her on Netflix.

No, I haven't, actually.

Oh my goodness. It's called Woman of Heart and Mind. I watched that a couple of years ago and listened to Court & Spark for about two weeks straight … nothing else.

Oh, nice! Is it a documentary about her whole life of just that era?

Her whole life. What's fascinating to me about her is that the music industry never knew quite what to do with her … and that's true of most artists who color outside the lines. It's amazing that their art ever gets documented and distributed.

Yeah. And she did so well, record sale-wise, for a really long time. The ones, to me, that weren't the most obvious still sold so well. And it's interesting to think that, if she were trying to do what she did in the '70s now, I wonder how different of an experience that would be for her.

Starting in 1968, when she was 24, she made nine albums in 11 years.

That is insane!

Clouds at 25 and Blue at 27. Today, artists that age are sitting naked on wrecking balls to get attention.

When you think about that, that is so true! [Laughs] Have you seen the live BBC videos she did in 1970?

Yeah, some of them.

She's wearing this pink dress and her skin is the most flawless skin I've ever seen in my life. I can't even believe how flawless it is. You know there was nothing making her look better, except maybe a little makeup … but she barely had any makeup on. She was just singing and playing guitar. She didn't need a single other thing. It was just her doing that and it was so good. It was songs from Ladies of the Canyon and some songs from Blue. It's just so simple.

It's tempting to wonder where the Joni Mitchell of this or that generation is, but really, the original is perfect and timeless. Do we need another one?

I mean … not really, but at the same time … I'm interested in the simplicity of all of that. It's actually caused me to think a lot because I've been thinking about what my next record is going to be. I'm so over the moon about this new one that came out, but I finished it a while back, so I've been thinking about my next one for a while. I've been working on a couple of things at home and a lot of it is pretty simple … a lot of my vocals stacked up, one on top of another, used as another instrument. I don't know … it's not necessarily as simplistic as just a guitar and vocal, but it's definitely more simple for me.

Well, the setting that she used was simple, but her phrasing, melodies, lyrics … all of that was very complex. That kind of talent can't really be learned, but have you spent time really studying the craft of her songs?

In high school, I definitely listened to a lot of her stuff. That was before I was a musician, really. I didn't play an instrument. I remember, specifically, when I was dreaming about being a musician, that I wanted to be like her. The reason I wanted to be like her was that I wanted to be able to play an instrument really well. I wanted to be able to sing really well. And I wanted to be able to write my own songs. That was the triad for me.

So you might as well aim for the absolute highest! [Laughs]

[Laughs] Yeah. Exactly. I guess I haven't really studied her craft, necessarily. But I have listened to her stuff a lot and just been a big fan. Her lyrics are so interesting. In general, they're all slice-of-life lyrics. You can see her in the story, almost every time — standing on a street corner in “For Free.” You can see her in so many of the songs. I just love that. The imagery is so beautiful.

Not that she ever made pure folk music, but that's just too small of a genre to contain her, so it's no wonder she gravitated toward the complexity of jazz. Are you a fan of that phase, as well?

I've listened to some of that stuff, but I wasn't as drawn to it, to be honest. I've listened to Court & Spark. I've listened to Hissing of Summer Lawns. I wasn't particularly drawn to either of those records, but I do really like Hejira.

Interesting …

Yeah. I don't know what it is. I think the melodies drew me in more, on Hejira. I love “Coyote” so much. That song is amazing.