CELEBRATE LOUISIANA’S YEAR OF MUSIC

Music is at the heart of life in Louisiana and an integral part of local culture. As the state celebrates its Year of Music, here’s how you can keep in step…

2024-04-01 -

Sing it out loud: 2024 marks Louisiana’s Year of Music! This year, more than ever, you’ll be able to see firsthand why this state has rhythm in its soul, as a host of famous musical landmarks, festivals and venues celebrate in style.

Know your genres

Louisiana’s musical landscape is among the richest in the US. Its everevolving, folk-music-rooted scene ensures that life in the ‘Bayou State’ is just one long soundtrack.

Jazz in particular is synonymous with New Orleans (NOLA), and its soulful sound is rooted in the city’s African-american communities of the late 19th century. Second only to jazz, in terms of its ubiquity, are the catchy, accordion- and fiddle-led melodies of Cajun music, which originated in the rural south-west of the state. This lively, largely Francophone, genre reflects the traditional culture of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada, who took refuge in Louisiana in 1755.

Zydeco music shares a similarly infectious beat to Cajun, with its use of the accordion and washboard producing a distinct blend of Afrocaribbean sounds and blues-inspired rhythms unique to rural south-west Louisiana’s Black Creole community. Then there’s ‘swamp pop’, a sloweddown blend of Cajun and zydeco styles that emerged from state capital Baton Rouge in the 1950s. Although it’s Louisiana’s most obscure genre, it has a familiar rock ’n’ roll vibe.

Lyrical landmarks

New Orleans is bursting with landmarks that will impress jazz fans. For a good introduction, head to the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the corner of Frenchmen Street’s live music corridor. It tells of key players and moments in New Orleans’ jazz history through stories, nostalgic photographs and memorabilia.

An essential stop for soaking up the jazz scene is the rustic, one-room Preservation Hall in the heart of New Orleans’ eclectic French Quarter. Here, a charismatic house band plays a few sets each night, often accompanied by big-name musicians. Elsewhere, the renowned Jazz Playhouse, tucked inside the Royal Sonesta Hotel, has a vintage jazz club feel.

Another old-stager is the Maple Leaf Bar, one of New Orleans’ longestserving music clubs, which hosts live acts every night. And if you’re after a non-jazz concert experience, the Lafon Arts Center in Luling is the place to see bands perform to bigger audiences.

Immersive experiences

For an educational deep dive into NOLA’S jazz culture, head to the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. Its lectures, films, exhibitions and jazz walking tours are an excellent primer.

In Louisiana’s oldest town, Natchitoches – pronounced ‘Nacka-tish’ – a live blues fix awaits at local-favourite Mama’s Blues Room, inside Mama’s Oyster House. It’s an essential stop on any musical trip through Louisiana, and loved as much for its hearty portions of delicious homespun Cajun cooking as it is for its live music schedule.

Come Saturday morning in Breaux Bridge, the line snakes around the block at Buck and Johnny’s for a table at ‘zydeco breakfast’. Here, for three hours, customers alternate between eating local dishes like etouffee –a spicy seafood stew with rice – and dancing to zydeco’s infectious beat.

Finally, a new Louisiana Music Trail (louisianamusictrail.com) has been launched in 2024 that knits together the state’s rich musical heritage. It’s an exciting addition to Louisiana’s already impressive songbook…

Dates for your diary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Jazz Fest, as locals refer to it, is a big-hitting celebration of Louisiana music, food and culture. It features 13 stages and attracts thousands of visitors to New Orleans at the end of April each year. Over the years, line-ups have included many international performers, with The Rolling Stones billed for 2024.

Festival International de Louisiane

Downtown Lafayette is the setting for this huge five-day celebration of Louisiana’s French heritage in April. It also happens to be one of the USA’S largest international music and arts festivals, featuring performances by artists from some 20 countries, along with workshops, exhibits, visual arts and theatre productions.

Baton Rouge Blues Festival

Every April, Louisiana’s state capital – the long-time home of the state’s blues culture – plays host to this free, two-day family-friendly festival curated by the Baton Rouge Blues Foundation. Highlights include a wealth of bands, a laid-back atmosphere and stalls selling local dishes such as crawfish beignets – a square-shaped doughnut.