by George Hocutt

Jazz historian and executive producer of the Grammy Award-winning album Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton

New Orleans did not invent jazz, but the crescents in the Mississippi River became the crucible in which jazz evolved. The city's French Catholic background has always inspired a more tolerant attitude toward the simple pleasures of the world than did the Puritan fathers from Plymouth Rock. Melodic sounds of all kinds were one of those pleasures.

Music was of great importance to the Louisiana settlers and their Creole offspring, and the city early on had a fascination with marching bands and parades. As early as 1787, Governor Miro entertained a gathering of Indian leaders with a parade. Eventually, bands were required for nearly every occasion -- Mardi Gras, dedications, religious holidays, cornerstone laying, weddings, funerals, ad infinitum. With this plethora of musical activities, one major ingredient was in great need: musicians.

The musicians of early New Orleans were expected to do just what the word implied -- provide music. They were not categorized or labeled by any brand or style of music. They were considered tradesmen just like other skilled craftsmen such as carpenters, shoemakers, and what-have-you. From an afternoon parade, they might be required to play at the opera and then possibly a late dance. At the dance the program would call for waltzes, galops, gavottes, and quadrilles, among others. (The jazz song "Tiger Rag" derived from a quadrille.) Obviously, these 19th-century instrumentalists were quite accomplished and versatile.

In the early 19th century, slaves were allowed to congregate in the area known as Congo Square for dancing to the rhythms of their homelands' drums and other percussive instruments. With the passing of time, many slaves, former slaves, and free men of color became accomplished instrumentalists. There were Negro marching bands in New Orleans before the Civil War, and many continued playing during the city's occupation by simply trading their gray uniforms for the Union blue.

Some of these musicians, possibly graduates of the Congo Square gatherings, brought to their playing a native rhythm that was likely a primitive syncopation. In an evolutionary way, many of New Orleans's musicians began absorbing this amalgam of European and African influences. Then came the addition of the very personal statements of the blues, work songs, hollers, and spirituals. The music was changing and was taking on a certain American and distinctly New Orleanian aura.

In the 1870s two men were born who were to have a profound effect on the music. "Papa" Jack Laine was born in 1873 and Charles "Buddy" Bolden in 1878, both in New Orleans.

Bolden, a cornetist who would later be known as the First Man of Jazz, began playing dances and parties around 1895. By 1897 he had put together the band that most old-timers remember. They also remember that when Bolden put his cornet up and blew loud from Johnson Park in uptown New Orleans, he could be heard for miles around. Fans said, "Buddy's callin' his chickens home." Unfortunately, Bolden was committed to an institution for the insane in 1907, where he died in 1931, never having recorded.

At approximately the same time, Papa Jack, primarily a drummer, formed several groups simultaneously, all called the Reliance Band. They played all over the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans and were extremely popular. Almost all the early white New Orleans jazzmen played in one of Laine's groups. He withdrew from the music business around the time of World War I, but his legacy lived on through the many greats he fostered, later known as Papa Jack's children.

Much of what we know of these two pioneers we have learned from taped interviews with men who were already old at the time they were interviewed -- but not old enough to remember the music scene before Bolden and Laine. Names that have emerged, though dimly, include the legendary Mass Quamba, William Martin, Picayune Butler, and a performer known as Old Corn Meal. All of them likely added their own touches to the evolution of New Orleans music.

Concurrent with Bolden and Laine's contributions to the musical life of the city, another event that would affect the spread of jazz everywhere was unfolding. Storyville, the only prescribed district for legalized prostitution ever attempted in this country, operated from 1897 to 1917. The most elegant houses were along the lake side of Rampart Street between Iberville and Conti streets. Among them were the Arlington and Lulu White's Mahogany Hall.

No documentation or mention in the taped oral histories of early New Orleans jazzmen (contained in the jazz archives at Tulane University) tells us of an orchestra ever playing in any of the houses, but most of them did have a piano player in the parlor. Among those entertainers were Spencer Williams, later a very successful songwriter; Tony Jackson, who wrote Pretty Baby; and the immortal Jelly Roll Morton.

Born Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe (his actual name, established by jazz researcher Lawrence Gushee from Jelly's baptismal certificate) in 1890, Morton was the first true jazz composer and, next to Louis Armstrong, the most important figure in early jazz. His compositions were recorded well into the swing era and are still performed today. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category.

Although the houses did not use bands for entertainment, there were many playing opportunities in the bars and clubs that dotted Storyville and the adjacent areas. These clubs -- the Arlington Annex, the Cadillac, Frank Early's, 101 Ranch, the Frenchmen's, and Pete Lala's, among others -- all featured bands. The great musicians of New Orleans all played in the clubs and doubled during the day in the multitude of brass bands that were always in demand. All the prominent names of early New Orleans jazz served this apprenticeship, including Freddy Keppard, King Oliver, Kid Ory, Sidney Bechet, Papa Celestin, "Big Eye" Louis Nelson, Buddy Petit, Bunk Johnson, Johnny and Baby Dodds, Alphonse Picou, Achille Baquet, Lorenzo Tio, and Tommy Ladnier. The list could go on and on.

As early as 1916, some New Orleans bands that included many of Papa Jack's children decided to try the musical climate in Chicago. Freddy Keppard and the Original Creole Band had been spreading music from New Orleans throughout the country in concerts and on vaudeville stages, but the groups going to Chicago made extended stays at specified clubs. The most successful group was the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, led by Nick LaRocca. The ODJB moved on from Chicago to open at Reisenweber's Cafe in New York City in 1917. They were a smash. Everybody loved the new music from New Orleans. After an abortive attempt by Columbia Records, they cut the first jazz record ever, released by Victor Records on February 16, 1917. The record, coupling "Livery Stable Blues" and "Dixie Jazz Band One Step," was an instant hit and was soon topping whatever hit parade existed at that time. The jazz flood had started.

In October 1917 the houses of Storyville were completely shut down by order of the U.S. Navy, and a great many jobs for entertainers and musicians started drying up. The performers began to look elsewhere for work. Apparently, word was filtering back to the city of the success the former New Orleanians were enjoying up north. Many decided to follow that example.

Kid Ory headed to California, where he made the first black jazz record. King Oliver traveled to Chicago in 1919, taking Johnny Dodds and other New Orleans musicians with him. After a brief sojourn in California, he returned to Chicago, and in 1922 he sent for Louis Armstrong to come up and join King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band -- arguably the greatest collection of jazz musicians ever assembled (and all but one were natives of New Orleans). A young Emmett Hardy, the legendary white cornetist, went on tour with Bea Palmer and, while playing in Davenport, Iowa, was reportedly an influence on the great Bix Beiderbecke. Bix got his earliest musical experience by playing along with Nick LaRocca records. The New Orleans Rhythm Kings, all New Orleans musicians, opened at the Friars Inn in Chicago in 1922; cornetist Paul Mares certainly influenced Beiderbecke, who was attending school nearby and often sat in with the band. Jazz was spreading rapidly, and New Orleans musicians were in great demand by other groups around the country. Every other leader wanted to bring that something special to his music.

After leaving Oliver, Louis Armstrong, already the greatest soloist in jazz, went on to become one of the greatest entertainers and stars we have ever known. At one time his were probably the most identifiable face and voice in the world. More than 30 years after his death, his records are still bestsellers. He transcended New Orleans and became a national treasure.

Sidney Bechet settled in France after World War II and became a huge star performer and prolific composer. On his wedding day, a total holiday was declared in Antibes, and the entire city participated in a massive wedding party, dancing to music he had written.

New Orleans is still producing jazz greats. There is Harry Connick, Jr., who is making his mark in Hollywood as well as in music. Ellis Marsalis has fathered a group of jazz-playing sons, including trumpeter Wynton, who won a 1997 Pulitzer Prize for his composition Blood on the Fields, the first such award for a jazz composer. Nicholas Payton is another rising trumpet player from New Orleans. In 1998 Payton and Doc Cheatham shared the Grammy Award for best instrumental recording for their performance of "Stardust" on the album Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton. Obviously, the city still abounds with creativity.

Much remains in New Orleans for the adventurous jazz fan and explorer. Morton's home still stands on Frenchmen Street. Buddy Bolden's house is on First Street in Uptown, and a monument to him stands in Holt Cemetery, where he was buried in an unmarked grave. A plaque marks the house on Chartres Street where Danny Barker was born. At Rampart and Conti streets, one of Lulu White's buildings remains standing. Down the street is Frank Early's saloon (now a neighborhood convenience store). There is more, but that should give you an idea. Search them out. You can get six free pamphlets detailing different jazz-history walking tours, sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz Commission, by contacting the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, 916 N. Peters (tel. 504/589-4841; www.nps.gov/jazz), or by visiting the Louisiana Music Factory store.

Music still resounds around the town. Although many of the originals are gone, Preservation Hall continues to showcase younger players. The Palm Court Jazz Cafe offers good jazz many nights a week. Donna's books great local music with a heavy emphasis on jazz. Snug Harbor on Frenchmen Street presents a broad spectrum of jazz from traditional to modern. Fritzel's on Bourbon Street hosts weekend jam sessions. Bands also appear on the steamboat excursions.

So certainly there is life in the old gal yet. Whether it's in the water, the air, or that good Creole cooking, jazz continues to grow in the fertile soil that settles on the banks of the curves of the Mississippi River.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.