Bourbon Street Bob presented his History of New Orleans Jazz.

This exciting new addition to our programming featured a series on New Orleans Jazz music every Tuesday night starting March 04, 2008 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM.

The music had its beginnings around 1870 when the French began to free the slaves. At the time, the hot music time was Ragtime. Add that to the music from the French and the black music from the freed slaves, and the Dixieland era is born.

That's a little of the history, but this program is about the music. It is the most exciting, foot-stomping, hand-clapping music ever created. The traditional Dixieland bands took a simple song that everyone knew, played it and then turned a soloist loose to improvise. The band supported the soloist until someone else jumped in.

Once the Victrola was invented, recordings were the way to make money, but they put time constraints on the musicians. This hurt the heart-and-soul of improvisation.

Then, in the late 50's, Louis Armstrong returned to New Orleans to preserve the character of the music. He opened Preservation Hall and supplied a venue for the performance of New Orleans Jazz. It is still there, and it swings 5 nights a week with a different groups.

Today, the jazz halls are rocking all over New Orleans, and we will hear the music from the beginnings to the present.

It was a pleasure to join Bourbon Street Bob, on Tuesday nights from 7:00-9:00 PM for a rocking good time.