My wife and I will be in New Orleans Dec. 26-Jan. 1 this year. I am interested in having an incredible music experience and want your help in selecting the best venues for Jazz and Blues. We are huge fans of Treme ! Looking also to view a Second Line parade and plan a memorable New Year's Eve with music, good food and watching the fireworks in Jackson Square. Help needed! Thanks

Just go down to Frenchmen Street at night and you will be able to go from jazz club to jazz club. We actually spent each night in Maison where we had a meal and just listened to the different bands playing each night. A must is Preservation Hall if you like traditional dixieland jazz. We loved it.

Please don't forget Cajun music. Well worth listening to.

There's also a House of Blues in NO. Greg Allman will be playing on New Year's eve.

I don't know if this would qualify as "best" - but we certainly enjoyed it. We went to Snug Harbor - a club owned by Ellis Marsalis (father of Wynton and Branford). It was relatively inexpensive, no smoking, and not terribly loud. Ellis himself played on many of the sets and it was more "traditional" jazz.

OK. So I am thinking Snug Harbor, Spotted Cat, Maison, Preservation Hall, House of Blues. Need more ideas as I am planning to OD on music! Where do you suggest for Cajun music? The couple that we are traveling with are foodies so they will be taking care of where we eat .

For a more upscale experience (but still great venue), the Irvin Mayfield room at the Royal Sonesta in the FQ is very nice. We saw Shamarr Allen there (he was on Treme last week!).

http://www.sonesta.com/royalneworlea...staurant2.home

I spend most of my time on Frenchmen St. & The Mayfield Room - there is also a joint in the Ritz that is pretty good, the name escapes me though.

For Cajun music (complete w/acordians and fiddles) go to Mulates. It is closer to the convention center, but don't let that stop you. Very fun place for Cajun food and music and dancing. Live music every night except Monday. If you can catch La Touche, that band plays great Acadian music.

http://www.mulates.com/

Any suggestions where to go after New Years' Eve celebration at Jackson Square

I've always wanted to check out Kermit Ruffins at Vaughn's Lounge and partake in the pre show bbq, but we still haven't managed to pull it off. It's been on our list for sometime, so may no longer be a relevant suggestion, but worth looking into.

After having our flight out from NYC to New Orleans cancelled at the gate moments before boarding we flew out the next day. Not a great start to say the least, however, I did get a chance to go to Vaughn's a few nights ago. The problem there was arriving at a time when it was so crowded it was impossible to see the musicians. Yesterday was much better as my wife and I spent the afternoon on Frenchmen street at both The Spotted Cat and The Three Muses listening to Jazz and Blues and in the evening at Fritzels! Now the Music Experience has truly begun!

On a more sobering note we also spent some time in the Lower 9th ward where Katrina did extensive damage. We walked over to where the levee was breached and stood for a half hour observing a Hawk perched on a tree and then talked with a young man who worked on a farm/school: Our School at Blair Grocery. The Brad Pitt homes which have been put up are quite nice , however, stand out and up like a sore thumb. They are architecturally interesting but in an area that has so much damage and so many empty lots surrounding them they do seem out of place. Also the original idea was to have these homes given back to those who lost theirs, however, due to not being able to find the original owners and the property taxes raised due to a reassessment of the property value those original owners could not afford the new homes.

Wow. I am going to New Orleans in late March and have thought about going into the 9th ward, but not on a tour. How did you get there, drive? Did you encounter any hostility form anyone there? I have read that residents are still sensitive to those coming in to see the area. I have o many news photos in my mind, I would just like to see the area for myself.

Thank you, and please continue your post as you cont your trip in N.O. I am taking notes on your music venues for our trip. We will go to Jazz Fest one weekend day over the 5 days we are there, but we will also have some weeknights the week before the Fest starts when I hope the clubs won't be completely packed

very moving report back

To answer your question emd3: we did not do a tour of the 9th ward. Our friends who we are traveling with have two sons currently living and working in New Orleans. They gave us directions and we drove there ourselves. I will post later how to get there for you. We are staying in a B & B in the Marigny district which is close to the French Quarter and very close to Frenchman street. We walked for miles today--first to the Treme neighborhood which has an area which has been gentrified and then to Canal street where we took a ferry over to Algiers Point. I wouldn't suggest this trip as there isn't anything truly unique other than really nice houses in a residential neighborhood. On our way back my wife and I ended up having a rather wonderful experience that took place in a bar on Frenchmen street called The Apple Barrel. It is a very small venue and the music was just ok--not great but we sat next to two couples from Costa Rica. We will be in Costa Rica in a month and by the end of our meeting one another we were invited to spend time with them once we arrive!! Such a fun time and certainly fitting my theme of locating Best Music Experiences. Tonight we dine in the Garden District and then back to Fritzels and Frenchmen street for more music.

Don't you love meeting people like that while traveling?

Please report back about your night tonight...

emd, we went to New Orleans a couple of years ago for JazzFest (can't wait to go back!) and self-drove through the Ninth Ward with friends whose daughter lived in NO. I too was worried about seeming like an interloper or someone who was staring at others down on their luck. When we were there, however, there were so few residents, nobody really paid any attention to us. Those that were there tended to be working on houses. It was a very sobering experience.

Last night was spent at Fritzels with the unbelievable piano playing of Richard Scott!

Today we continued to look for interesting things to do and see outside the French Quarter and first we went to NOLA--an art museum that is both outstanding inside and out. The art work is wonderful and the sculpture garden outdoors is truly one of the nicest we have seen. Do not miss it! Then we went in search of a Second Line--group of musicians and participants who play music, build floats, wear fancy costumes and march through the streets of their neighborhoods. We managed to find one and it was indeed entertaining. Tonight we dine at one of Emeril's restaurants and hopefully back to Frenchmen street to catch a late set at one of the clubs.

Emeril's banana cream pie is worth all the hype!

Last day and evening in New Orleans! After a wonderful walk through the Marigny, French Quarter and walking by the river we stopped by a outdoor cafe on Bourbon street directly across from the Royal Sonesta Hotel and enjoyed some beignets and coffee. We then took a drive out to the Audobon Zoo and absolutely loved it! We found this particular Zoo not only good for kids but for adults as well. Tonight for New Years Eve we will attempt to find something to eat (without reservations) and something to listen to as well on Frenchmen street. At midnight depending on the weather we will celebrate the new year by Jackson Square on the Mississippi and watch some fireworks. It has been an interesting time here despite the poor weather.

Which Emeril's restaurant and how was it??

The weather was bad? You didn't mention it til the last installment, so I guess the music and food and vibe kept you happy enough not to mind it much...

Nice report, tell me about Emeril's though please!