“Big Easy Odyssey”
My First (And Hopefully Not Last) Time In New Orleans
New Orleans… the big easy… the big N.O. There were times when I had dreamt of of visiting New Orleans. It was during the early to mid nineties when I started listening to early Louis Armstrong recordings from the 1920's… those wonderful recordings were made during his “Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” periods. Those periods for me were the greatest of his career. The syncopated sound of those recordings were for me a precursor to rock and roll.
Last April, I was visitng with my wife and two friends from Saint-Étienne, France. We stayed for about a week in a very nice hotel located downtown not far from the french quarter. I became fascinated with the people and their laissez-faire lifestyle, such as the street musicians who perform various styles of music, whether it be traditional jazz, folk, or whatever.
Sure, the nightlife along Bourbon Street can be quite touristy, but walk along Frenchman Street and you would see a whole other atmosphere, whereas young people, some that look in their teens performing impromptu jazz in the street, and quite well I may add. I could imagine this is where Wynton Marsalis and his brothers probably got their start.
I also find the history of New Orleans, or Louisiana in general to be quite fascinating. For instance, this part of the United States was once a French colony until 1803, when Napoleon Bonaparte sold the Louisiana Territory to then President Thomas Jefferson (I guess Napoleon sold it to help finance his wars). Anyway, back to present-day New Orleans… What I found most inspiring about that town was it’s profound craziness, meaning that people delve in their artistic creativity with such abandon, as to say, “I do art for the sake of art without worrying about whether when I’m going to have my next meal or make my next cent, and fuck all of you who think different!” I wish I had that much courage.
Here are a couple of the things I’ve seen and overheard while in New Orleans: While walking within the Marigny-Tremé-Lafitte area, I read some graffiti which said, “Heartbreak makes me horny” and another time one evening while walking about a block from Frenchman Street, I overheard two young men who seemed like hipsters having a conversation. One of them said, “I’m fixing my house… I’m having leakage problems”. The other replied, “Like my anus”. I’ll never forget hearing that, and for me, THAT is the essence of New Orleans… a wonderful craziness. I love that town!
Paris, 18 July 2014
Copyright 2014 Brent Wilkins
