As we touch down in New Orleans on tuesday evening first impressions, it has to be said, are not good. We are staying half a block from Bourbon St which is home to numerous strip joints, and bars offering "Live Music, No Cover". The reason there is no cover is that the music played therein is really, really shit and noone in their right mind would pay to listen to it. Having said that many punters on Bourbon St have left the "right mind" state long ago: through too much alcohol or by just being plain crazy. One bar has a band doing soft rock covers, complete with wind machine to blow the singer's permed hair as he belts out "Pour Some Sugar on Me". At least they dont take themselves seriously.
Next morning we head to Cafe du Monde for the traditional New Orleans breakfast of coffee and beignets. A guy with a bmx bike decorated with beads catches my eye and I ask if take take a picture of it. It has a sticker on the seat post that says "Judas Priest" and he tells me that that's his name. Judas goes on to show me these pictures of Mary, one a traditional image, the other some random chick from a celebrity magazine.
I cant tell if he's a genuine nut job or if its an act for tourists like me. He does a pretty good job of convincing me its the former.Wednesday we visit Mardi Gras World.
Thursday a drive along the Mississippi river road takes in the Laura plantation. A visitor from Indiana seems at pains to stress how well the slaves ate. Earlier, Kathe Hambrick at the River Road African American museum in Donaldsville has told us that this kind of take on slavery is not unusual and the reason she set up her museum. It's a great place and tells a very different story to the one told at the plantations, where they stress the economic achievments of the plantation owners. I think even I could run a succesful business if I had free labour. Maybe those folks from Indiana would be willing to help me out in exchange for some pounded yam!
Thursday night we head to Frenchman St, where the established Jazz venues are, and pay $7 each to get to hear really, really shit covers of Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson.
Friday night is the Satchmo Strut, where $25 buys a wristband which gains entry to the venues along Frenchman St and finally we get the music New Orleans is famous for. It kicks of with the Treme Brass Band parading through the street to the delight of the crowd.
Later they invade the Spotted Cat, a meeting point for many of the local musicians.
Sitting outside the Spotted Cat we get chatting to one of the locals. It turns out he is Jack Fine, founder of The Jazz Vipers. He tells us stories about New Orleans and introduces us to many of his friends who come up to say hello to him. They all ask him if he is going to play. After waving them away for about an hour he finally says to us, "I'm going to play the next song." He takes a battered old cornet (dating back to 1936) from its case and oils the valves. He goes inside and plays a couple of songs to bring a memorable evening to a fitting conclusion.
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