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I'm considering a short trip to New Orleans in the spring. Other than a passing funeral parade, where are the best places to hear local New Orleans jazz bands?

The un-official headquarters of many newer New Orleans brass bands has been Donna's http://www.donnasbarandgrill.com/ for many years. It is on the edge of the Quarter and I have always had a good time there... lots of funky Sousaphone!

It is near Funky Butt, by the way.

Another area you can hear a lot of newer kinds of jazz, brass, world-crossover etc. is the Frenchman Street / Chartres area (Faubourg Marigny) just across Esplanade, outside the Quarter. It is nothing like Bourbon St. There are several good clubs here, usually pretty safe for music tourists, relatively speaking.

David Richoux wrote:The un-official headquarters of many newer New Orleans brass bands has been Donna's http://www.donnasbarandgrill.com/ for many years. It is on the edge of the Quarter and I have always had a good time there...

Another plug for Donna's. Personally, I prefer Monday's. Free food at the break! Which probably explains why musicians from all over town just happen to drop in unannounced. Note that the neighborhood can be a bit unsettling for people used to living in the middle of 5 acres of grass. You might want to cab it. Yes, it's "on the edge of the Quarter" - but for out-of-towners it's the *wrong* edge. Still, it's the best place to "catch a rising star".

If you want to pay a lot more for more refined food (and perhaps more refined music) there's the Palm Court. Right in the middle of the Disney version of "NewOrleansLand".

For bigger names, there's Snug Harbor (a note to the uninitiated - there are two halves to Snug Harbor - food, and music. Dinner doesn't necessarily include a show, and shows often sell out well in advance. Neighborhood is right on the border of turista-ville and blue-collar locals.

Plus, of course, all those other spots mentioned above.

What about 'Preservation Hall'? It used to be great.

sloan wrote:nd".

For bigger names, there's Snug Harbor (a note to the uninitiated - there are two halves to Snug Harbor - food, and music. Dinner doesn't necessarily include a show, and shows often sell out well in advance. Neighborhood is right on the border of turista-ville and blue-collar locals.

Plus, of course, all those other spots mentioned above.

Snug Harbor is also in that Frenchman Street area - I have spent many nights after Jazz Fest in that little zone, catching lots of interesting music. in the same neighborhood: The Praline Connection is also good for food and they used to have tuba driven jazz trios just playing between the tables. http://www.pralineconnection.com/ Now they have expanded to the "Praline Connection Gospel and Blues Hall" - http://www.pralineconnection.com/live.htm I have not been there lately, but some friends have liked it a lot.

Rick F wrote:What about 'Preservation Hall'? It used to be great.

If you like "classical" music...

I think everyone assumes that everyone knows about Preservation Hall.

bloke wrote:If allowed to babble blasphemy, I find that

Preservation Hall in New Orleans is to New Orleans jazz

as

Corky's barbecue in Memphis is to Memphis barbecue...



bloke "There's much better out there."

But, if it's your first taste after years of covered dish fellowship dinners, then it can be quite good.

Donnas is THE place to go.

Depending on your age, you might consider "Le Bon Temps Roule" and "The maple Leaf bar". Both are for the younger crowd, but you can usually see "Rebirth BB" or "New Birth BB" at the maple leaf, and Soul rebels and some other good stuff at "Le Bon Temps Roule".

Go to the "Louisiana Music factory". It is a record store in the French Quarter, but they feature small free concerts with many of the local bands. The concerts is usually in the afternoon and they also provide free drinks. And buy you music there! (I bought ~35 cds when I was there)

Too bad Tuba Fats is not with us any more. I loved to sit in the afternoon sunshine and listen to him.

Do your self a favor and take a walk in the French Quarter in the morning. The atmosphere is great and somebody will probably be playing ragtime on one of big steam organs on the old river boats.

Søren wrote:
Do your self a favor and take a walk in the French Quarter in the morning. The atmosphere is great and somebody will probably be playing ragtime on one of big steam organs on the old river boats.

A few words of caution about those morning French Quarter walks - beware of the backwash from the bars and restaurants doing their daily "hose outs," don't forget that most all of the Quarter streets are open to traffic (especially food & drink delivery trucks,) and most important: the sidewalks usually are an obstacle course of broken and uneven concrete - watch where you are going! A good friend (and fellow Sousaphone player) tripped and broke his hip on Decatur Street - spent the next few months in a New Orleans hospital (and he never fully recovered - the injury hastened his passing.)

The steamboat musical performance are by Calliopies - not exactly organs :D Most of the street musicians don't come out to play until mid-day, at least that is what usually happened when I was there (pre-Katrina...)