Music of New Orleans

Outer Blog: The sounds of jazz and blues drifting from corners far off in the distance create a feeling of floating through the streets. The continuous sounds of music play as if its the soundtrack to the life you are living in the city of New Orleans. The music hitting the ears but not seeing it with the eyes creates this elusive idea. When rounding the corner and hearing the music growing closer and closer gives this exciting feeling, knowing that you are gaining ground on finding where the beauty is originating. This was the feeling when hearing the beautiful high pitched notes resonating from Ms. Doreen's clarinet. Approaching the band playing on the street creating a feeling of happiness and excitement. The four man band dressed in comfortable warm clothing, sat snugly on the corner in front of a tangerine colored building. The colors behind them accented the energy they projected in their music. Ms. Doreen sat comfortably while she pulled her
clarinet up to sprout music as easy and beautiful as an elephant using its trunk to shoot water onto its back. Her fingers moved across the keys as if she was one with the instrument, knowing when and where to hit with her eye closed. The sound being produced caressed ones ears and astounded ones eyes to the point of relaxation and amazement. If her casually playing the clarinet as if it were second nature was not enough, the last minutes of the song were astounding. The rythm of the music captivated the ears and then Ms. Doreen hit a note so true and pure it felt like walking on a cloud. The sound kissed the ears for what sounded like years and will forever be captured in the mind.

Inner Blog: On our tours and through walking the city we heard the continuation of music. If the music ended on one corner, it started again on the next, if we weren't actually seeing the musicians we could hear it echoing to where we where. I grew up dancing and listening to blues and jazz music, that is how music spoke to me on this trip. The passion that was put into playing each instrument, the passion that was put into sounding clear and beautiful could be felt in my soul. The musicians in this town take great pride in their music and creating happiness. Music has been a root of this culture from the start. In the Congo square they played music and danced to enjoy their day off, musicians pressed jazz to the point that it became "controversial", musicians took jazz and modernized it. All of those things helped to create and shape some of the best music we have to enjoy in this age. One of my best experiences was visiting
Frenchman Street and seeing the music there. One of your tour guides had specifically talked about the history of a young group of boys who made history by combining contemporary jazz with moderate music, and that is exactly what I got to see. The band was playing Rhona with a saxophonists and trumpeter. It was amazing to hear how this at one point was a break through revolution in Jazz and it is now being casually played on a street known for Jazz. Seeing this love for music that has progressed through time has really impressed me, for the sake of music people have chosen to be judged. Their love for music in this town is just as strong, if not stronger than their love for their food.