Track #1
No other city in the United States bifurcates people more than New Orleans. It’s grimy, smelly, lewd, and lascivious (fun fact: Jim Morrison was charged with lewd & lascivious behavior in March of 1969 for exposing his private parts). But New Orleans is also historic, stately, mysteriously charming, tasty, and vibrant. I love the place and I love its music. Here is a playlist dedicated to songs and experiences in New Orleans. The first song is from Irma Thomas, “Soul Queen of New Orleans”, who rivals Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never got the exposure she deserved outside her hometown of New Orleans.
Track #2
I attending my very first large pharmaceutical conference in New Orleans. It was called Digestive Disease Week, or DDW for those of you in the know. I was in my early 20s and used a signing bonus to purchase a very nice black suit from Kenneth Cole, I was feeling like I had made the big time. While working the booth, I told someone it was my first time in New Orleans and they insisted I go to Cafe Du Monde to get beignets. When it was time for my lunch break, I skipped over to Cafe Du Monde to try my first beignets. It was like a cross between funnel cake and doughnuts, but completely covered in delicious powdered sugar. I devoured the beignets and walked back to conference center and when I got to the booth, people looked at me and said, “What the hell is that white stuff all over your suit? It looks like you went on a cocaine binge!”, I told them I was on a beignet binge. Smiley Lewis was a New Orleans native, steady slow rocking beat with satisfying horns, he played the clubs in the French Quarter, if you were strolling around in the 40s and 50s, you could have seen him!
Track #3
Another memory from that work trip to New Orleans. Several other work colleagues were there, primarily in their 40s. We were all up on some balcony, managed to be possession of beads and the famous New Orleans cocktail, Hurricanes (perhaps try it once, but your head and belly will thank you for limiting it to that!). In any event, the senior colleagues were just having the wildest time, screaming from the balcony and partying it up, I looked over and said, “You people are much older than me and you are going a lot crazier!” and the man looked back at me and said, “Dude, someday you will have kids, be married, and you will never ever have any free time to let loose and so when you finally get free, you have to go crazy!”. A moment later an older woman on the balcony yelled, “Show me your junk” to some male pedestrians on Bourbon Street as she waved beads around. It was quite the indoctrination to the city. Here’s a song by Allen Toussaint, famous producer and musicians from New Orleans, a wonderful soundtrack to stroll through the nooks and crannies of the city.
Track #4
There is a bit of spooky mystique in New Orleans. Graves above the ground, purveyors of all things voodoo, alligator heads, and a mixture of Spanish Moss and mardi gras beads hanging from the trees above. You can feel the footsteps that have been there before, you can feel where the water has rushed in and the storms that blew through. The past refuses to stay buried, it’s a tangled prism of tradition, remembrance, and celebration. This song, Me Minus You Equals Loneliness by Dr. John is the perfect song for when you got it bad and you just want to marinate in it for a bit. Dr. John was not a doctor, but he is from New Orleans and got his start playing with Professor Longhair who was not a professor, they take liberties with degrees and certifications in The French Quarter.
Track #5
This song, The Fat Man, is an absolute blast. Talk about living life with a glass half full, Fats Domino sings about being called The Fat Man and how women truly love him for it. In the song, he sings, “I was standin’, I was standin’ on the corner of Rampart and Canal. I was watchin’ watchin’ watchin all these creole gals”. I stood at that same corner about 73 years after it was written, saw some homeless and liquor stores…but it was satisfying to know Fats had been there too. Pay attention to the opening lines, “They call, they call me the fat man ’cause I weigh about 200 lbs, all the girls, they love me, ’cause I know my way around.”
Track #6
When you are walking around in New Orleans, you’ll encounter an impromptu brass band session emerge seeking a couple bucks. Absolutely remarkable how much sound and soul can come out of these horns, if you were a little down, a little hungover, man they turn you right around. A couple of these bands go on to be successful in their own right, one being The Hot 8 Brass Band. Through necessity (members dying) they’ve had to rotate in new members here and there, but an absolutely phenomenal band. I’ve had the opportunity to see them twice and just can’t get enough, the last time I saw them in New Orleans, they ended their concert on this song (cover of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing) and got the entire audience to follow them outside the venue as they played this song. They finished the last 4 or 5 minutes playing it on the sidewalk with everyone singing along. Hard not to love the city with experiences like that.
Track #7
You can’t have a New Orleans playlist that doesn’t feature Satchmo aka Pops aka Louis Armstrong! This is absolutely one of my favorite Louis Armstrong songs and I’d find myself singing it from time to time and after listening to it over the years I thought, “why in the world is Louis Armstrong so disappointed that there is all this meat and no potatoes?!” So, I looked it up on Google and the internet posited that it’s about a woman who is on the larger side and her curves are not in the desired locations. I legitimately thought it was about a meal for the first ten years of listening to this song.
Track #8
There are still incredible musicians playing in New Orleans today. In addition to the Hot 8 Brass Band, you might be able to catch the Rebirth Brass Band, check our Preservation Hall or Kermit Ruffins who performs routinely in Frenchman Street. Here he is performing the song Skokiaan in Brooklyn, NY, but he performing nearly every week in New Orleans too.
Track #9
Here are the aforementioned Rebirth Brass Band singing, “Feel like Funkin’ It Up! Another supremely talented band who can routinely be seen if you like how it sounds.
Track #10
Hurricane Katrina happened about 20 years ago slamming into New Orleans on August 23, 2005. There were a lot of conspiracies, tragedies, and a grand unveiling of the inequalities and what that means to folks weathering the proverbial storm.
Track #11
On another work meeting in New Orleans, I was supposed to find a place to meet up with our agency partners. I walked through the city and found a bar that wasn’t too crazy and seemed almost quaint. I found a seat, texted my colleagues and told them to meet me there. I settled in and ordered a Coors Light and started to watch the TV. The TV was playing an old musical, I believe it was Singin’ In The Rain. I was watching Gene Kelly dance and thought to myself, “Holy moly, this guy can really dance, you don’t see entertainment like this anymore”. I watched the performance and another dance number was kicking off and my attention began to dwindle, so I looked around at other things going on in the bar and noticed pride flags everywhere. Unbeknownst to me, I was sitting in a gay bar having a Coors Light watching musicals. I picked up the phone and texted my colleagues that we will be meeting at a different spot. Here’s another living legend, Trombone Shorty singing Ooh Poo Pah Doo.
Track #12
There are a lot of strange concoctions you can try in New Orleans. We talked about Hurricanes, but you might want to also try absinthe or a Sazerac, concoctions born from their history and French heritage. These concoctions might help you get onto the dance floor or sing karaoke at The Cats Meow. If you needed a soundtrack to try a beverage, here are the Soul Rebels Brass Band singing Drinka Little Poison (4 U Die).
Track #13
I wish I could do more than 13 songs, left a lot of greats off the list, but hopefully wets your appetite to visit the city. Closing the playlist with Louis Prima who grew up in New Orleans, but became a national sensation, including the role of King Louis in the Jungle Book. Louis married 5 times and had 6 children, on his grave stone in a New Orleans cemetery, you’ll find lyrics from another one of his hit songs, “When the end comes, I know, they’ll say, ‘just a gigolo’ as life goes on with me…” Louis was much more than a gigolo, he was an incredible musician and bandleader, would have loved to have seen him perform live.