Pictured: entrance to the St. Roch Cemetary in the upper 9th ward. Mardi Gras Indians at Jazzfest. Trombone Shorty, late night. Behind the scenes at a lemonade stand near the Jazzfest entrance. Street-style; playing for $ and respect on Royal Street in the French Quarter.
Where to start? Jazzfest has just ended and I'm in the midst of preparations for my tour home to the Northwest. I have made a staggering number of new and great friends here in NOLA and throughout Lousiana. I am humbled and flattered by how well my music has been received since arriving here in January. I have come a long way from the first dreary nights that I spent on the floor of a run-down shotgun house on Montegut Street. Without power, heat or appliances, with few friends and little knowledge of the city, I would occasionally wonder how I ended up in New Orleans, but I never questioned why. I came here on a mission to learn more about the music that I have been in love since the first time I heard it and to meet the folks that make it all happen. In a few short months I've done and seen things I never thought I would, all the while enjoying the company and incredible generosity of some of the most genuine people on earth.
As so many classic New Orleans songs will tell you, this is a city with huge soul and unique tradions that are truly worth keeping alive. Last Saturday at Jazzfest, I listened to Irma Thomas explain the concept of a Second Line to 50,000 folks from around the country. "In New Orleans we celebrate everything", she said. "Anniverseries and divorces, birthdays and backaches, life and death. When you hear the beat, you put your hankerchief in the air, and your backfield in motion." That's good advice from the Soul Queen of New Orleans.
After spending a few months - or even days - in New Orleans, it becomes little wonder why folks down here dance at eachothers funerals and why millions of people continue to flock to the city year after year.
The next time somebody asks me - in song or conversation - "Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?", the answer will be simple.
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