Bet you would have never guessed that I am an old 'NOLA Jazz Junkie"? Well, I am, I even have a full-time New Orleans Jazz player in my front office.
Here are a few places to enjoy the sounds when you can sneak away from SNH for some NOLA style entertainment :
The Spotted Cat Music Club is a true ‘hole in the wall’ (just the way NOLA loves them) with gypsy swing and traditional jazz out the wazooooo. If you are not there early you will find yourself in the crowd that has spilled over onto the sidewalk. This place packs them in because there is never a cover charge and the libations are cheap. There is really no telling what music you might hear on any given night, a little jazz, some blues, latin and even some Cajun crawl. High energy keeps the spots movin’ on this cat.
The Maple Leaf Bar has been called ‘the quintessential New Orleans Music Club’ where live bands stop by to play everything from funk to Zydeco, rock and the blues. This club draws a lot of the younger crowd because of its proximity to both Tulane and Loyola Universities, but you are just as apt to see some of the college professors there as well as other hard-core music lovers.
The Monteleone Hotel Carousel Bar, yes it has an actual working carousel first installed in 1949, makes up this revolving bar in the Monteleone Hotel, so if you would like to take a few ‘spins’ around the floor with your live music this is the place to go. Both Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote have graced this place during its lifetime, why shouldn’t you be among the celebrities to enjoy it too. By the way if you want a semi-quite place to get away for a drink with friends and a little music in the background you can also relax in the Carousel Lounge, this is a hotel lounge at its finest.
Looking for traditional Dixieland Jazz, then check out Fritzel’s Jazz Pub. Even though this is a German-style beer hall, it is a great place for almost everything that is New Orleans. Promoted as “the city’s oldest continually operated jazz club”, this Bourbon Street favorite is the place to enjoy delicious cocktails and imported beers while you listen to the music and ‘people watch’ both inside and out.
Who knows, you might even find me doing a 'rooty, toot, toot, of my own' come guest night at one of these joints.