Gather 'Round Ladies and Gents, You've Gotta Hear This!

 Ever since I bought my first MP3 player back in 2007, I have been in love with music. My mom never played “wheels on the bus’ or any other children’s music when I was growing up. My sister and I listened to George Michael, Madonna, Sting, and other 70’s and 80’s pop hits whenever we were in the car. Once genre she never exposed us to was jazz music. It wasn’t until junior high music class that I first heard the sound of brass musical instruments. I went to an extremely small high school with a graduating class of only 115. However, we did have a jazz band! In reference to other high schools, it was basically “Pep Band”. They would occasionally play at basketball games and learn common sports related music such as “Eye Of The Tiger”. That being the only exposure I have had with jazz music, New Orleans musical atmosphere came as such as culture shock to me! When we first entered Jackson Square the first night in New Orleans, there were jazz performers on the corner of the street with their boxes to collect money resting on the street sign pole. It was in that moment that I realized I was not in Illinois anymore. Liver performances of music are much more powerful, but holy moly I was right next to a man playing a trumpet as though he had been playing his whole life. Watching him perform, you could tell that he honestly loved to play the trumpet. His facial expressions indicated that he was totally entranced by his own music and committed to the success of his music career. The sounds that he was producing legitimately made me want to dance down the street. My love for music has taught me to express myself through dance but this type of music was something my ears were not used to, but my body reacted in a positive way. The music he was producing was so HAPPY. He wanted to make people smile and feel better with the sounds that he was producing and he definitely accomplished that goal.  The high-pitched sounds of the trumpet radiated down three blocks and I could still hear it as I turned the corner onto St. Ann Street. Just as I turned the corner, I discovered at least three other artists playing different types/sounds of music. I was shocked! This city is so open to different instruments and genres of music and it is just SO COOL! Later in the week, we were on a tour of the city and the cemetery with our tour guide named Milton. While we were walking about music he said something that really stood out to me. “The people of New Orleans only have two types of music: what we like and what we don’t like.” I really agreed with him on this because of the difference in musicians all around the city. There is always bound to be someone who likes the sound you are producing and those who don’t like don’t make comments, they just choose to walk a little further down the block and listen to something else. These people are beyond accepting of everyone and everything they want to do, encouraging everyone to chase their dreams. The music of this city showed me a group of people who do what they love to do every single day even if they don’t make any money doing it, which is something I had never experienced before. I think the rest of the world could learn a thing or two about the values of the city of New Orleans about their morals, but they also could relax a little more and listen to their music. No matter how you’re feeling, you are guaranteed to find the sound you’re after in the city of New Orleans.

Forget race, gender, or religion, I think music is the most diverse aspect on the culture within New Orleans. There are musicians playing live on the streets all over the city and none of them are ever the same. Seriously! I was there for six days and I never saw the same musicians twice. There are solo performers, group performers, and performers that follow weddings throughout the streets! Two of the most interesting to me were the groups and the bands following the weddings. The coolest band I saw was on Saturday during our free day. They had blocked off an area of the street for all six of their members to spread out to perform. They were not playing traditional instruments, but what looked like household items that they turned into instruments! One of the men was sitting on a bucket playing an old washboard with a wooden spoon (no I am not joking). He was sitting on a small bucket while stroking the board and tapping his foot to the rhythm of the music. The next musician was playing a five-gallon bucket. He flipped it over and was created a deep drumming noise by striking the top of the bucket with his hands. Two women were singing and dancing in the middle of the noise being created around them. The other men were playing the banjo, harmonica, and trumpet. Despite the fact that none of these instruments come from the same musical family (or are even real instruments at all), the sounds worked so well together! You could tell that these performers were so passionate about the music they were creating; they were all in sync with their movements, transitions, and shared facial expressions of happiness while performing. Their excitement was contagious! I felt happy and filled with energy listening to high-pitched and fast-paced music. The mood of their music was contagious and seemed to affect everyone watching their performance. Personally, I was dancing a jig along with them and was joined by others watching in the crowd (but not by my friends!) Later on that day we came across what we thought was a rescheduled parade from the night before…little did we know that it was actually a wedding parade! If you are married in the city of New Orleans they will provide you with a band to parade you through the streets of the French Quarter to celebrate your marriage. I practically chased them down the street because I wanted to see the whole bridal party because I may or may not have a slight obsession with weddings, but whatever who cares. ANYWAY the wedding party and the wedding band walking down the city streets of New Orleans dancing and celebrating to the loud music, following the bride and groom! The brass instruments of the band were producing music that matched the mood of the wedding environment with a loud, happy, upbeat, spunky, and fun sound. Everyone in the wedding party and on the street seemed to be positively infected with the music and were dancing in the street! Being exposed to such a unique New Orleans experience is something that I cherish and will think about the next time I hear brass instruments being played. The strong sounds produced by theses instruments will be carried with me and will be easily remembered and recalled on when I am wanting to reminisce on the great memories I gained in New Orleans.

This is an example of the band/wedding parade I witnessed while in New Orleans!