(A year ago, we were in New Orleans. Posting what I had submitted to a publication about the trip)
Some say that Jazz was born in 1895 when Charles ‘Buddy’ Bolden started his first band and played an improvised version of rag-time music or ‘jass.’ Others say that modern Jazz was born in 1917 when the Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded their first Jazz record, ‘Livery Stable Blues.’ The music genre peaked in its popularity in the 1920s when it reached Britain, France and elsewhere around the world. Hence, the Roaring Twenties are also referred to as the Jazz Age.
When we reached New Orleans (often referred to as NOLA), we had two agenda in mind: eat Creole food and listen to traditional New Orleans Jazz. After we tasted some delectable charbroiled-oysters, seafood gumbo, redfish in lemon butter, and beignet bread pudding in a local restaurant, we headed towards Preservation Hall in French Quarter. Also known as the Vieux Carré, French Quarter is the oldest section of the city of NOLA, and famous for its restaurants and live-music venues. There are walking parades through the French Quarter during the famous Mardi Gras or ‘Fat Tuesday,’ carnival that happens on the first day of Lent each year (in February).
We watched the American Jazz trumpeter Wendell Brunious and his band play in a very intimate setting. No photographs or recording was allowed during the show and for a good reason. You can truly feel the power of music when you close your eyes and are transported to a different time. Jazz became a symbol of equality during the Civil Rights Movement in America. Music lovers could enjoy the art form irrespective of their skin tone. Jazz musicians took it upon themselves to promote social justice through their creations.
The famous lyrics by Louis Armstrong come to mind (Black and Blue):
Louisiana Wetlands
We booked a Honey Island Swamp tour via Cajun Encounters where we rode a flat-bottomed boat through the swamps. The tour began near Slidell, about 50 mins drive from the city. The swamp alligators usually hibernate from October to March and are difficult to spot under the duckweed, but we saw plenty of birds including great blue herons and swallows, wild boars, raccoons, apple snails, and a rodent called nutria. The bald-cypress, Louisiana’s state tree, that grows in the swamps are related to the California Redwood trees and can grow to 140 feet and be over 1000 years old. The trees produce a vertical growth from the roots for respiration and stability and are called ‘tree knees.’
We saw a lot of floating houses on the swamp that is accessible only with boats. Fishermen often live on the floating houses and fish or set traps for crawfish and crabs. Our guide who did shrimp fishing for a living said that commercial fishing has become less profitable and most of the people living in the swamps were switching to other professions.
Some houses flattened by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were a testament to the cruelties of Mother Nature. On our way back we saw the Mercedes-Benz Superdome light up in a hallucinogenic display. The locals probably have bittersweet memories of the stadium when it served as a shelter for 10,000 people during the hurricane.
World War II Museum
Located in the Central Business District of New Orleans on Magazine Street is a military history museum that boasts of one of the most authentic experiences of the World War II. War veterans can visit for free using their military-issued dog tags, and I saw a lot of WWII veterans meeting up in the museum. Some were too old to walk and in wheelchairs. Some probably dead a long time now. My personal view on wars is simple: the human cost of a war far outweighs its benefits. Every single time.
The entire museum has five buildings, but I managed to view only ‘The Road to Berlin’ and ‘The Road to Tokyo’ exhibits in Building 3 in two hours. The artifacts and videos moved me to tears and reminded us why we must remember history. Both the Allies and the Axis powers made strategic moves and mistakes. I read about some forgotten heroes who put the lives of their others before their own. For example, Archer Gammon who stormed a German machine gun nest with grenades and forced a tank to retreat until it fired an 88mm shell that killed him. Whichever side you are one on, you can’t help but wonder what makes ordinary men and women like Gammon rise to occasions like these with immense courage and belief? What makes a man wake up one day and say to himself, ’I got this!’ amid all the terrors of war?
Garden District
The Garden District with its huge mansions, t manicured lawns, and oak canopied streets is a world apart from most of Louisiana. It is famous for housing rich and famous celebrities and for ghost stories.
We started our self-guided tour from the famed 19th century Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, which has 496 wall vaults, built above ground because the city is on a swamp. The cemetery with its unique style is often called the City of the Dead and has been filmed in numerous television shows and movies.
We drove around the neighborhood and ended our day with a walk inside the Audubon Zoo. You can also take an old-fashioned streetcar trip around the city starting in Canal Street for $1.25, walk through Bourbon Street and Frenchmen Street, grab a bite at Café Beignet or Café du Monde, or take a steamboat ride on the Mississippi River.
Some say that Jazz was born in 1895 when Charles ‘Buddy’ Bolden started his first band and played an improvised version of rag-time music or ‘jass.’ Others say that modern Jazz was born in 1917 when the Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded their first Jazz record, ‘Livery Stable Blues.’ The music genre peaked in its popularity in the 1920s when it reached Britain, France and elsewhere around the world. Hence, the Roaring Twenties are also referred to as the Jazz Age.
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band
When we reached New Orleans (often referred to as NOLA), we had two agenda in mind: eat Creole food and listen to traditional New Orleans Jazz. After we tasted some delectable charbroiled-oysters, seafood gumbo, redfish in lemon butter, and beignet bread pudding in a local restaurant, we headed towards Preservation Hall in French Quarter. Also known as the Vieux Carré, French Quarter is the oldest section of the city of NOLA, and famous for its restaurants and live-music venues. There are walking parades through the French Quarter during the famous Mardi Gras or ‘Fat Tuesday,’ carnival that happens on the first day of Lent each year (in February).
We watched the American Jazz trumpeter Wendell Brunious and his band play in a very intimate setting. No photographs or recording was allowed during the show and for a good reason. You can truly feel the power of music when you close your eyes and are transported to a different time. Jazz became a symbol of equality during the Civil Rights Movement in America. Music lovers could enjoy the art form irrespective of their skin tone. Jazz musicians took it upon themselves to promote social justice through their creations.
The famous lyrics by Louis Armstrong come to mind (Black and Blue):
My only sin is in my skin
What did I do to be so black and blue?
We booked a Honey Island Swamp tour via Cajun Encounters where we rode a flat-bottomed boat through the swamps. The tour began near Slidell, about 50 mins drive from the city. The swamp alligators usually hibernate from October to March and are difficult to spot under the duckweed, but we saw plenty of birds including great blue herons and swallows, wild boars, raccoons, apple snails, and a rodent called nutria. The bald-cypress, Louisiana’s state tree, that grows in the swamps are related to the California Redwood trees and can grow to 140 feet and be over 1000 years old. The trees produce a vertical growth from the roots for respiration and stability and are called ‘tree knees.’
We saw a lot of floating houses on the swamp that is accessible only with boats. Fishermen often live on the floating houses and fish or set traps for crawfish and crabs. Our guide who did shrimp fishing for a living said that commercial fishing has become less profitable and most of the people living in the swamps were switching to other professions.
Some houses flattened by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were a testament to the cruelties of Mother Nature. On our way back we saw the Mercedes-Benz Superdome light up in a hallucinogenic display. The locals probably have bittersweet memories of the stadium when it served as a shelter for 10,000 people during the hurricane.
Crab cages
World War II Museum
Located in the Central Business District of New Orleans on Magazine Street is a military history museum that boasts of one of the most authentic experiences of the World War II. War veterans can visit for free using their military-issued dog tags, and I saw a lot of WWII veterans meeting up in the museum. Some were too old to walk and in wheelchairs. Some probably dead a long time now. My personal view on wars is simple: the human cost of a war far outweighs its benefits. Every single time.
The entire museum has five buildings, but I managed to view only ‘The Road to Berlin’ and ‘The Road to Tokyo’ exhibits in Building 3 in two hours. The artifacts and videos moved me to tears and reminded us why we must remember history. Both the Allies and the Axis powers made strategic moves and mistakes. I read about some forgotten heroes who put the lives of their others before their own. For example, Archer Gammon who stormed a German machine gun nest with grenades and forced a tank to retreat until it fired an 88mm shell that killed him. Whichever side you are one on, you can’t help but wonder what makes ordinary men and women like Gammon rise to occasions like these with immense courage and belief? What makes a man wake up one day and say to himself, ’I got this!’ amid all the terrors of war?
Garden District
The Garden District with its huge mansions, t manicured lawns, and oak canopied streets is a world apart from most of Louisiana. It is famous for housing rich and famous celebrities and for ghost stories.
We started our self-guided tour from the famed 19th century Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, which has 496 wall vaults, built above ground because the city is on a swamp. The cemetery with its unique style is often called the City of the Dead and has been filmed in numerous television shows and movies.
We drove around the neighborhood and ended our day with a walk inside the Audubon Zoo. You can also take an old-fashioned streetcar trip around the city starting in Canal Street for $1.25, walk through Bourbon Street and Frenchmen Street, grab a bite at Café Beignet or Café du Monde, or take a steamboat ride on the Mississippi River.
The only truly dead are those who have been forgotten.
