It’s former incarnation, the Dream Palace, was actually the first bar on the block to feature live bands. The Blue Nile is one of the longest standing clubs on Frenchman Street, this historic music district in New Orleans’s Marigny neighbourhood. If you’re looking to tread in their footsteps and visit the birthplace of jazz, here’s our guide to 5 of the best jazz clubs in New Orleans…
Over time, this new sound, encompassing all these styles began to emerge as a distinct genre of its own.Ĭharismatic trumpeter Buddy Bolden may have claimed credit for ‘creating’ jazz, but really it was a slow evolution of a lot of factors.īut whilst the exact ‘date of birth’ is impossible to define, New Orleans can take credit for being the birthplace, with the sound of jazz being integral to the city’s identity and culture to this day.Ī long line of world-class musicians have come out of New Orleans – from the grandfather of jazz, Louis Armstrong – to modern day icons such a Wynton Marsalis (and, of course, the rest of his musical family) and Harry Connick Jnr. In terms of music, as with many areas of life, it led to new ideas.įrom the churches to the bars, West African rhythms met European melodic structures and Caribbean sounds met the popular ‘American’ songs of the day. In this guide, we’ve highlighted some of the best jazz clubs the city has to offer.īack in the early 20th century, the port of New Orleans was a melting pot of culture, with people from all over Europe and Africa converging in one place. As the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans is one of many American cities where you can catch a world-class set from an amazing band almost any night of the week.