By The Landlord
“People don't live in New Orleans because it is easy. They live here because they are incapable of living anywhere else in just same way.” – Ian McNulty, A Season of Night: New Orleans Life After Katrina
“Louisiana is a fresh-air mental asylum.” – James Lee Burke, Pegasus Descending
"Like the tangled veins of cypress roots that meander this way and that in the swamp, everything in New Orleans is interrelated, wrapped around itself in ways that aren't always obvious." – Dr. John
"I think The Meters are like The Beatles to us in New Orleans." – Trombone Shorty
"People don't play music in New Orleans for the reasons they do in Nashville or L.A. – to become stars or to get rich – they play because they've got to. It's in the streets, in their family, in their blood." – Harry Shearer
"To get to New Orleans you don't pass through anywhere else. That geographical location, being aloof, lets it hold onto the ritual of its own pace more than other places that have to keep up with the progress." – Allen Toussaint
Lake George, Lafayette, Metairie, Baton Rouge.
Wild humid nights, grillades with the groove.
French cajun, creole, Arcadian Europeans.
A culture pot aswirl in steamy New Orleans.
Unique blend of music that’s no Americana,
Centred in the area of south Louisiana,
Where it’s time for a taste, to capture the flavour
Of songs, and the people, history and behaviour.
Let's soak up the heat, the swampy humidity,
The gumbo and chow chow of sonic street fluidity,
Shrimp remoulade, to red beans with rice,
Pompano au papillote, file z'herbes with spice,
Fresh crayfish bisque, oysters, jambalaya,
Rum, pecan pie, king cake, papaya.
Where water and land so closely entwine
The broken and the beautiful, bacchanal and brine.
Pelicans, raccoons, turtles, and alligators
Dance of the restless, constant creators,
The state of the bayou, salt tree roots that bind
Of slavery and tragedy, but freedom of mind,
Where death comes alive, traditions never stop,
Where dancing and music still float to the top.
Yes, here's that second line, for the umpteenth time,
It must keep going, to carry high that shrine,
Where every street corner is still an arena
From death to rebirth, slow after Katrina
Many dire warnings before the levees broke,
And GW Bush's response – a scandalous joke.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005
But come join that line, here's that second line,
Blow on that trumpet, bring those beats and bass line,
From dixieland jazz roots begun in Congo Square
Buddy Bolden, King Oliver, to Sidney Bechet's air,
Armstrong and Jelly Roll? Yep. Learned and spread elsewhere,
But hold a certain vintage that's still beyond compare.
Stir in some habanera, the flavour of Cuban,
Add tones Caribbean, and sprinkle in Sicilian,
French Quarter styles from buildings old Bordeaux,
The sprightly Louis Prima to big Fats Domino,
New rhythm 'n' blues, the great Allen Toussaint,
Dave Bartholomew, Dale Hawkins, Dr John.
Professor Longhair
Aaron Neville's dulcet tones might also join the fair,
Bouncy Big Freedia? Always Professor Longhair.
Local record labels? Goldbland's zydeco,
Cosimo Matassa – production's constant flow,
Rice and Gravy, All For One, Cash Money's latest crop.
DIY street corners, rock, funk to pop and hip-hop,
Everywhere you turn there's vibrant music bars,
Tipitina, Maple Leaf, to bands in backs of cars.
To Mardi Gras of course – the black masking indians
Mohawk Hunters, Congo Nation keep alive traditions,
Honouring indigenous who sheltered oppressed slaves
In this cemetery city of storytelling graves.
Gay parades and Baby Dolls, to the Treme scene,
Of drinking and sex, and fevered sweat and dream,
Battles, crime and centuries of blow after blow,
Racial segregation in the era of Jim Crow.
The city that endures so many sorts of doomsday,
But then dresses up for another fab Fat Tuesday.
Plus many great writers full of of wit and quirk,
Kennedy Toole, Ten Williams, Ann Rice to James Lee Burke.
With films too, like Streetcar, or with that starring child,
The bayou-island brilliant – Beasts of the Southern Wild.
So join the second line, for yet another time,
Play that music, march along, in rhythm or in rhyme.
Here comes that second line, to celebrate a life,
We'll all get there eventually, but now release your strife.
Here comes that second line, let's see what might get played
Go with the flow, see what might go, for playlists to be made.
Here comes that second line, what song and in what key?
Let's all make a costume from music's tapestry,
Parade with this week's guru, join in, yes that's the plan,
Fresh from his NOLA visit, band leader magicman!
Give beans a chance: classic second line
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Fancy a turn behind the pumps at The Song Bar? Care to choose a playlist from songs nominated and write something about it? Then feel free to contact The Song Bar here, or try the usual email address. Also please follow us social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: