Tuesday, September 06, 2005
My New Orleans
New Orleans is a place that captured my curiosity and imagination years before I ever visited. My good friend and neighbor Nell Crawford told me stories of N'awlins when I was just a child. She felt very lucky to live there during the '40s, walking through the French Quarter to her secretarial job across town. She told me about the great music and about the French-Creole cuisine at Antoine's Restaurant and other fine dining establishments. But, as I continue to mourn her passing at the age of 92 three years ago, I also mourn the passing of the New Orleans of her past (and mine).
Being a musician myself has made me appreciate the music of this magical city. The music has been under my skin before I ever attended the New Orleans Jazz Festival during my visits there. There is such a rich diversity not found anywhere else...jazz, zydeco, rap. The musicians of N'awlins are some of the most creative people on earth. The city's slogan of "Come as you are, leave differently" has touched the minds and hearts of millions around the world, this country mouse included. I have spent the past week in mourning and, as a tribute, listening to the sounds of New Orleans and Dixieland jazz, wondering how the music will be able to live on when the place has sunk to its lowest depths. These wonderful people have been to hell and back, somehow managing to keep going through the worst tragedy in United States history.
The City of New Orleans will rise again like a phoenix out of the ashes. The generosity of those around me in this troubled time of our nation has been absolutely overwhelming. Everyone is pulling together with whatever help they can manage, and it's a wonderful thing. You couldn't ask for anything more. It's times like these that renew my faith in the goodness of human nature and the indomitable American spirit.
Being a musician myself has made me appreciate the music of this magical city. The music has been under my skin before I ever attended the New Orleans Jazz Festival during my visits there. There is such a rich diversity not found anywhere else...jazz, zydeco, rap. The musicians of N'awlins are some of the most creative people on earth. The city's slogan of "Come as you are, leave differently" has touched the minds and hearts of millions around the world, this country mouse included. I have spent the past week in mourning and, as a tribute, listening to the sounds of New Orleans and Dixieland jazz, wondering how the music will be able to live on when the place has sunk to its lowest depths. These wonderful people have been to hell and back, somehow managing to keep going through the worst tragedy in United States history.
The City of New Orleans will rise again like a phoenix out of the ashes. The generosity of those around me in this troubled time of our nation has been absolutely overwhelming. Everyone is pulling together with whatever help they can manage, and it's a wonderful thing. You couldn't ask for anything more. It's times like these that renew my faith in the goodness of human nature and the indomitable American spirit.
