French Quarter Music Festival...the second time around!

It was with great anticipation that Jack and I drove into the French Quarter RV Park that Thursday afternoon.  It had been two years since we had been here and we have never forgotten our last visit!  The first time we came to New Orleans, it was to coincide with a visit with some dear friends of ours while they were celebrating their wedding anniversary.  While here, we found out that the following weekend was going to be the annual French Quarter Music Festival, a free 4-day, full-on, 200+ bands of all kinds (well, mostly) of incredible music played throughout the French Quarter, how cool was that?  Well, we trotted right over to our RV Park and asked them if by any chance in heaven if they still had space available during this time, and yes, one!  So we grabbed it!  We soon fell in love...with the town, the food, the music, all of it, and vowed to come back again some day...and that day was today!  It took us two years, but we made it!

We settled in, freshened up, and took off to the Riverfront where we knew the action would be.  We made a brief stop at the Visitor's Center to pick up a schedule, and headed out.  First stop, the Cajun Stage!  My kind of music!  I love it (more than Jack, even tho he likes it too).   Once we got a spot and settled in, I went for food, I was starving, and had purposely waited to eat until we got there because I wanted good 'Nawlins food and I knew that's where I'd get me some!  We started out easy with "Po boys", knowing I would have a chance to build up from there, and I wasn't disappointed, Yum!

Thursday night was time to sit down and take a look at the schedule and "see who was playing where".  Having been here before, really made a (nice) difference!  No need this year to go running around and see & hear everything and everyone, we could be picky and select who and where we wanted to be and just set ourselves up for several sets at a time, or an area at a time.  So much easier (on the "older bodies"!).   One of our favorites is a band we had first found on the street called Tuba Skinny.  We soon found out that they are quite popular and have a large following, especially with the Lindy dancers!  Because of that, we have to get to the stage early if we want to be anywhere near it to see them, so that had to be accounted for!  ;-)

Having done my "research" we set out each day, chairs in hand.  Was it my imagination, or did the crowd seem bigger this year?  Hm mm  Anyway, the weather was lovely, sunny with a nice breeze, so no complaints here.  Having "done" New Orleans before, I didn't really even take my camera with me until the last day...I just relaxed and lost myself in the music and watching the dancers.  They never cease to amaze and entertain me.  There was one special young man that caught my attention this year though.  A delightful 6 year old from Germany.  He was here with his parents and grandparents.  I first saw him while we were all enjoying Cori Walters and the Universe Jazz Band.  Cori is a female drummer and I could tell he was mesmerized by her.  He sat perfectly still for the full hour of her performance completely entranced by her!  A 6 year old!  The following day I ran into them again enjoying Fritzel's New Orleans Jazz Band, one of our favorite's from before, and again, there he was, entranced.  That's when I went and talked with his parents and found out that he loves the drums (plays at home) and that one of the drummers had given him his sticks yesterday (much to his delight!) so he took them and began playing on a nearby can, much to the delight of the drummer!  Later on, during the performance, the young boy, got up and went to his mom and asked her to dance!  He was pretty good too!  There was one other (fantastic) couple doing the Lindy that he watched and did his best to copy where he could.  What a little man.  In so many ways, looks, personality, age...he reminded me of one of my grandsons that it brought sweet tears to my eyes. 

All to soon the festival was over.  As we took our last pedicab home we sighed that we had not been disappointed.  So many times the "second time around" doesn't live up to one's expectations, but this one did!  We enjoyed every moment of it!  As we entered our RV Park, another couple was walking towards us and stopped us, asking for advise on where to eat that was close by.  They had just arrived, never having been to New Orleans before, didn't know about the festival, only staying the night, couldn't really walk very far...we looked at each other and began to chuckle...we knew just where to send them and how to get them there safely (we were now the experienced ones!)

...on the road in Louisiana,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Memphis Tennessee - "Home of the Blues"

You can't love music, especially Jazz, Blues and Rock & Roll, and not want to go to Memphis where "it all began!" Legends like Al Green, BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis and of course the king himself, Elvis, all came out of Memphis. Downtown Beale Street is known for being where "the birth of the blues" and all R&B was played, and still is. So, that's where we went just as soon as we got ourselves settled in at "Tom Sawyer's RV Park" (don't 'cha just love the name?)

We were told that they were having a "Street Fair" that day, so when we got there around 11:30am we expected to see a huge crowd of people, nope. The street was blocked off, but found a parking spot just around the corner, a few vendors were just starting to set up in the park, but there really wasn't any people or music or "anything" happening! We did find a band playing in the park so sat and listened to them for awhile, they were good, then started on up the street. When we got to BB King's Club there was a host out front who said live music would be playing around noon. I trotted up to him and told him we had heard there would be a street fair today, and he said, "oh yea, it starts at noon." "Noon? Wow, ours in CA usually start early in the morning around 9am." He asked what time did they end and I told him around 4pm, that's when he shook his head and said, theirs doesn't end until midnight! "Oh my! I see you all like to party, that's why it starts late and ends late!" In actuality, I think they don't start early on Sundays because of church, that's very important around here.

Anyway, the "other thing" Memphis is known for is Bar-B-Que!! UmmMmm! We had heard about one restaurant named the Blues City Cafe. It had been featured on the Travel Channel & on the Food Network's Bobby Flay Show, so I was ready to give it a try!

We were greeted by their host, who looked to be about 75 yrs, a very thin black man with dreads kept up in a multi-colored cap. I leaned in and said in a low voice, "rumor has it, you all have the best BBQ in all of Memphis, is that true?" He said "yes ma'am, and cat fish too!" Everyone was right! It was outstanding, you just touched it with your fork and it fell off the bone, so juicy and tender and full of flavor. Hardly any "sauce" on it, and I didn't dare ask for any in case it would be taken as an insult, but in truth, it really didn't need any. I guess that's what REAL BBQ is supposed to be like.

So, when we left, he asked me if they had "passed the test" and I told him "absolutely! No lying going on here!" He said "Of course not, he's taste-tested every item!" I asked him if I would stay as slim as him if I did the same, he just twinkled his eyes at me as smiled and said "no promises." ;-)

Beale Street still has it's many night clubs, and they have added some "museums & tours" around the area on everything from Gibson Guitars to Rock & Roll. There was one we went to that was interesting and that was the "Pink Palace". It was the home of Clarence Saunders, founder of Piggly Wiggly, the first self-service grocery store. It was "pink" due to the color of the Georgia granite that he had shipped in to build it with. Unfortunately, due to a lost New York Stock Exchange battle, he went bankrupt and never moved into his home. He ended up giving it to the city on the condition that they use it for a museum. Kind of sad, really. Beautiful museum now though.














































































If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...kicking back in Tennessee, Marie

New Orleans Part 2: Music, Music, Music!

Jack and I both love music, and live music is the best! So, when people said to us "you ARE staying for the Festival, aren't you?" We decided we should, if we could. When the small FQ RV Park we were staying in actually had an available space for us, we took it as a good omen and booked it. And we're glad we did!

French Quarter Festival celebrated it's 29th year as the largest free music festival in the South. A record 22 music stages throughout the French Quarter presented the best in New Orleans music, representing every genre from traditional and contemporary jazz to R & B and New Orleans funk, brass bands, folk, gospel, classical, cabaret, opera, Cajun Zydeco, Latin World, International, as well as a musical stage for children. They had over 800 local musicians, over 250 hours of free music and over 500,000 festival goers. Of course, throughout all these areas were food & beverage vendors (very good & very reasonable too) to keep everyone healthy. Did I say this was big? You bet! And FUN!!

We mostly like Cajun/Zydeco and traditional Jazz. The first two days were from 11-6 with only 5 stages having 5 groups at each stage. The weekend they expanded to their full hours of 11-9 with the 22 stages and varying the number of groups playing at each stage. All in all, we managed to listen to about 20 groups that we actually stayed and enjoyed (not counting the ones we stopped, listened to and said "not our taste" & moved on). Of course, the street performers were out in full force and of course, people watching was at an all time high in entertainment!

Here's just a few pictures of our many favorites, all the rest are in my Flickr account at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band














Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys















Charmaine Neville
















































The Festival ended our two week visit to New Orleans and we left the following morning. It felt kind of like one does right after you finished your Thanksgiving dinner, it was wonderful, but your to full to eat any more, and you have to back off from the table and just go rest. That's what we did when we drove to Natchez. It poured down rain (just like when we arrived in NOLA) for two days which gave us just the down time we needed before we began our "next adventure" - the Natchez Trace...

...on the road, Marie

C'est en Louisiane que mon coeur chante...

I am aware every day how blessed we are to be on this adventure and what great things we are experiencing. Spirit has led us to "the right place at the right time" again and again. This time was the best, so far. (I say so far, because I never know with Spirit what's next!)

As most people know, I love music. But what only a few know, is that both Jack and I, really like Cajun music.

When we had stopped at the Louisiana Visitor's Center and talked with that very nice lady, she casually mentioned that since we were staying at a place not far from Scott, we might want to pop into their visitor center on Friday, as they have a local musician's jam session then.

So, after our full day of sightseeing, we decided to check out this center and see what she was talking about, maybe it would be worth sitting in on for awhile...

La Maison de Begnaud, City of Scott's Heritage Visitors Center is run by a warm, wonderful woman named "Mama" Reddell Miller (Tourism Coordinator). She greeted us and said "yes, they do have a jam session on Fridays, that the musicians usually start showing up around 6pm and things get started around 6:30". It was about 5:30; we decided to stay and see what it was like. We then met Lucy, who is college student from Canada doing her doctorate on the Cajun culture. She was not only delightful, but filled us in on all kinds of wonderful tidbits surrounding the Mardi Gras traditions that just had taken place, etc.

By 6:30 things were in full swing. Tables were moved out, chairs set up and musicians were arriving and getting their instruments ready. At any given time during the night, there were more than 20 players, with only a very few of us "non-players" in the room. They ranged in age from about 10 years to 90, playing fiddle, guitar, Cajun accordion, triangle, spoons and wonderful, wonderful music all through the night. Toes were tapping, hands were clapping, the place was alive with their energy! Several of the young boys, ages 14 & 15 were self taught, playing tough instruments, superbly and with great joy. It was so wonderful to see these people of all ages, mixing together, keeping their music culture alive, willingly. One of the parents told us his son goes to several of these jam sessions a week!

I never understood a word they sang, but my heart sang with every beat of their music...



































































If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...kicking back in Louisiana, Marie