The Big Easy

We are currently in New Orleans! The food and the music are amazing. Dave is currently practicing on his new harmonica - our latest instrument purchase. Another violin would be too bulky, even for Moby. In the southern US, Moby (our minivan), which in Vancouver seemed absolutely humongous, often seems like quite a shrimp in comparison to the huge vehicles that are pretty standard down here (especially in Texas…)

New Orleans is famous for many things, including jazz, blues, Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street partying, Creole cuisine, ghosts, vampires, voodoo and nowadays, extreme weather. But with only a few days and a small budget Dave and I decided to focus on the musical side of the city. In the first few hours of our first day we happened upon a live set of an electric viola (so we thought) and a guitar accompaniment playing outside the French market area. The viola player was a genius, they were playing everything from more classic jazz to covering the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, but with their own style and with much flair. We bought their CD on the street and went back the next day to hear some more, as we heard they were pretty much regulars on that corner. Turns out the viola was actually a hybrid violin/viola with a C string (5 strings total!) but with the fingering of a violin.


Click on the link to hear samples of their music.

For an evening of jazz we checked out the classic Preservation Hall. The Hall was opened over 40 years ago as a means to preserve the classic New Orleans style of big-band jazz, during a time when rock 'n' roll was overtaking the nation and locals down here wanted to ensure their music endured. The venue was tiny, no alcohol or any beverages were sold (though you could bring in a drink bought somewhere else, it’s very common to drink on the street here) and there weren’t even bathrooms!! We were seated on the floor pretty much in the shadow of the drums. Except for a slight ringing in the ear when the cymbal was played the show was amazing, 5 guys playing their hearts out, most of them looked like they had been playing jazz for decades. An excellent experience.

It’s been three years since Hurricane Katrina came through and surprisingly we’ve been hard-pressed to find much obvious evidence of flood damage. The city seems like business as usual. We spent a good amount of time walking around the French Quarter to check out the amazing diversity of architecture, influenced by the French, the Spanish, the West Indies and West Africa and all mixed into a gorgeous medley of styles.

We’re off to Georgia tomorrow, but we’ll definitely be back. Maybe for jazz fest…