“Jazz was born in a brothel.” Did you know that? I didn’t either before embarking on an exclusive New Orleans Jazz Tour with Concert at Preservation Hall Jazz Club. Those were the words that fired off our excited tour guide’s tongue, while she continued her history of how jazz came to be in New Orleans. Her love for this musical genre was authentic and catching.
Tujagues Gumbo
My friend and I had been searching for something new, something outside of our normal comfort zone that would bring out the history and varied culture of the city of New Orleans. A jazz tour seemed to fit the bill, so we booked the exclusive tour, and upgraded it to include a three course pre-tour dinner at Tujague’s, whose creole dishes have been reflecting the flavor of the city since the 1850’s. The traditional gumbo is hearty, and the sauteed fish is light, flaky and served with seasonal vegetables.
Tour Guide at Jackson Square
After our meal, we headed across the street to meet our guide in the Jax Brewery Shops. Our guide Yvonne was a sprightly woman, with a short pixie cut, and an enthusiastic vibe, that we were soon to see was due to her passion for Jazz, and her excitement to share it with others. Yvonne greeted us with some Mardi Gras beads and ponchos. The weather outside had turned dreary, but we donned our ponchos and umbrellas, and struck out to learn about how Jazz originated in New Orleans.
Jackson Square in the Rain
We ducked under storefront awnings and scurried over uneven stone sidewalks, past street performers and artists who were also trying to escape the fury of the falling raindrops. After a while, we came to a stop in front of Jackson Square. It was here that we stopped to learn about the French occupancy of New Orleans, and how the French used to give their slaves one day off a week. It was in this square Yvonne noted, that slaves would meet after church to play their tribal rhythms on handmade instruments, before they were banished to an area now known as Armstrong Park because people did not want them congregating in front of the church.
Maison Bourbon Jazz Club
We continued down St. Peter street until we came to rest in front of the Maison Bourbon Club on the infamous Bourbon Street. Amongst the cat calls, blaring rock music and crowded frivolity, this club dedicated to the preservation of Jazz offers a reprieve to passerby’s. When you step inside, you are transported to a different time, and the live Jazz music has you tapping your toes, clapping and even singing along to the old familiar tunes like “When the Saints go Marching In.”
Jamil Shariff
It was here that we took our first seat of the evening to listen to a classic Jazz set by Jamil Shariff, whose bright eyes and winning smile won over the gathering crowd long before his melodious trumpet rhythms came into play. It is also where we had our first included cocktail of the tour, I opted for a New Orleans favorite, the Hurricane, as I sat back to enjoy the music.
Bourbon Street at Night
All too soon, we made our way to the lobby of the Four Points by Sheraton on Bourbon Street, and it was here that we learned why and how Jazz was actually born in a brothel. You see, the French used to have a rather famous opera house where the best performers would come to display their talents. This opera house was located on the very site where the Sheraton sits now.
Unfortunately, the opera house burned down in 1919, displacing these esteemed performers. Around the same time that this happened, there was a prostitution problem in the French Quarter. Councilman Sydney Story created Storyville, a 14 square block area including Armstrong Park, where prostitution was allowed. It was here in the elaborate mansions built by the successful madams, that street musicians and opera singers came together to form the perfect mix between composition and improvisation that became known as Jazz.
Musical Legends Park
Our final stop along the New Orleans Jazz Tour was Musical Legends Park. This courtyard, teaming with greenery, is an oasis from the chaos on the street outside its gates. Here, Jazz enthusiasts can sit and enjoy live music from New Orleans’ own Steamboat Willie, while surrounded by bronze statues of Jazz greats like Al Hirt, Pete Fountain and Fatts Domino. This stop also includes our second included cocktail on the tour, or we could choose from coffee and beignets. I never pass up the chance for deep friend dough covered in sugar, so I went with the classic New Orleans treat, and was not disappointed.
Steamboat Willie
The exclusive tour also included a concert at Preservation Hall with reserved seating. So, Yvonne our guide bid farewell to the rest of our group and escorted us over. A line had already begun to form outside of the rustic Preservation Hall Jazz Club. After a while, we were escorted inside the building, which resembles an old creole cabin in the bayou. It oozes authenticity, and the music we heard here provided an authentic rendering of the music genre that was born and bred in New Orleans.
Preservation Hall
It was here that our adventure through the history of Jazz in New Orleans ended, with toe-tapping fun in a quaint club on a rustic French Quarter street in a room with people of all ages all taking pleasure in an art form that has survived the often tumultuous past of the city.
-Contributed by Kathleen Bunn
Viator Exclusive New Orleans Jazz Tour with Preservation Hall Concert from New Orleans Things to Do
