How to Find Live Jazz in New Orleans

New Orleans is known worldwide as the birthplace of jazz. Every night of the week, every day of the year, you can hear live music. In all the New Orleans neighborhoods, you can find a band or a singer performing vibrant music. Hear traditional jazz to acid jazz. No matter your taste in jazz, it is being played somewhere in New Orleans.There is no way all the clubs can be listed here. Dozens of corner bars and nightclubs feature live music. Of course, you can hear jazz in the French Quarter, sometimes simultaneously from two night clubs across the street from each other. Walk down Bourbon Street, the well known French Quarter street, and you will immediately hear what New Orleans is famous for.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Comfortable shoes
• Transportation

Start in the French Quarter

1. Find the House Of Blues at the foot of Decatur Street just off Canal Street at 225 Decatur Street. Decatur Street is the Mississippi River or south boundary of the Quarter. The House of Blues features a premiere restaurant and live music every night. Fats Domino and Eric Clapton have played here. Most nights you will recognize the musician's name. On Sunday morning the House features a Gospel Brunch.
2. Move up Decatur and across the street to The Parish Room at 
229 Decatur Street. You never really know ahead of time who is playing here. Check it out as you walk by.
3. Walk just across the street to Club 300 Jazz Restaurant at 300 Decatur Street. The restaurant combines nightly live jazz with fine local crabs, shrimp, oysters, crawfish and other Louisiana seafood.
4. Walk or drive to the other end of Decatur Street (about a mile) to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Cafe,
1104 Decatur St. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Cafe menu offers burgers, seafood and drink delights in a room that looks like Jimmy Buffett should be sitting in a seat. Check ahead to see who is featured.
5. Do not miss the Palm Court Jazz Cafe, 1204 Decatur Street. A French Market warehouse houses this classy dinner club. Palm Court features the best in traditional jazz New Orleans jazz and a British/Creole mix of food.
6. Start walking west across the quarter to Conti Street. The Bombay Club at 830 Conti Street is an fancy restaurant and martini club. It lives up to its name with a British theme in furnishings and, in addition, features nightly jazz.
7. Hear Dixieland jazz at the Maison Bourbon Jazz Club in the heart of the Quarter at 641 Bourbon Street. The Maison Bourbon has been in the Quarter since at least 1969 and probably long before. It features Dixieland and traditional jazz by some of the finest local musician playing today. It currently features bands led by Jamil Sharif, Jamie Wight and Dwayne Burns.
8. Go to the next block to The Funky Pirate at 727 Bourbon Street. This Bourbon Street bar is a long time hangout of Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters. You will hear raunchy blues from late afternoon to very early morning hours.
9. Walk to Fritzel's European Jazz Pub at 733 Bourbon Street. Fritzel's has changed owners but continues to offer traditional jazz by Jack Maheu and Ryan Burrage.
10. Walk around the corner to Preservation Hall at 726 St. Peter Street. This is where old New Orleans jazz is kept alive. It's not fancy, no reservations, no bar, no air conditioning and mostly standing room only. Even though it starts at 8:00 PM, get there early to hear the finest of the old New Orleans jazz musicians, some heading into their late 80's and more.
11. Cruise the Missippi River on the Steamboat Natchez, 1 Toulouse Street at the river.
A classic riverboat sails three times daily. Hear jazz and have dinner on the evening cruise. You must have reservations to ride the riverboat.
12. Walk all the way across the Quarter to the west bounding street, Rampart. Donna's Bar and Grill at 800 N. Rampart St. presents fine jazz and barbecue.

Jazz in the Marigny

13. Leave the Quarter, cross its east bounding street, Esplanade on Frenchmen Street and visit Snug Harbor at 626 Frenchmen Street. Snug Harbor is a superb New Orleans jazz club featuring Ellis Marsalis and Charmaine Neville, two locals who are known internationally. If you like, you can get a burger or a steak for dinner. Faubourg Marigny is one of the first suburbs of New Orleans. It is known to New Orleanians as 'The Marigny."
14. Walk down the street to The Spotted Cat
623 at Frenchmen Street, where you will hear not just jazz, but all kinds of music every night performed by at least two bands. Don't miss this one.
15. Travel a few steps down Frenchmen to d.b.a., 618 Frenchmen Street. d.b.a. anchors Frenchmen Street's music district. It is certainly not a trendy bar, but offers very hip local music for a local audience.

Uptown New Orleans

16. Take the streetcar to the Bayou Bar at 2031 St. Charles Avenue in the Pontchartrain Hotel.This is an elegant bar in an elegant old New Orleans residential hotel. "Tuts" Washington once performed here, but these days, Phil Melancon performs each night.The dowagers of old New Orleans familes live in the Pontchartain now, but great music has not left.
17. Don't miss the Maple Leaf Bar, 8316 Oak Street.
Maple Leaf was originally a chess club, but turned into pianist James Booker's favorite recital places. Booker has been dead for years, but the Maple Leaf still features great live performances from some of the finest local musicians.
18. Find more live music in New Orleans, often just by listening outside the door of a club. In the neighborhoods of the city, upcoming talent is cutting its chops in open mike dives or just on a street corner. Hear the next Fats Domino or Louis Armstrong working as a busker on a street corner. Throw a buck or two in his open instrument case. You will be well entertained.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit New Orleans prepared to listen to fine live music. Only a few of the live music venues are mentioned here. There are dozens more. Explore the city and find one that fits into your memory of famous places you have visited.