Nawlins Notes

I'm in the Big Easy, aka New Orleans aka Nawlins since Monday evening, and what a city it is! Music of all genres, colour, style vibrancy. They have made a remarkable recovery since the hurricane and even have a cocktail named after it. We are on the run up to Mardis Gras when the whole place comes to a virtual standstill I'm told both in human and motor traffic. I shall be out of here by it's climax thank god as that prospect is too much for an old codger like me. Vulgarity and sophistication are cheek by jowel. Private houses and businesses are already donning their elaborate and colourful garbs. Photographers have endless subject material here, always within the sound of music of one type or another.
Bourbon Street is Memphis's Beale Street on steroids and much bigger. The variety of food is mind boggling from the simplistic to haute cuisine. My hotel is a quirky French quarter one of some antiquity, but clean, comfortable and with friendly, helpful staff. I'm within easy reach of all parts of the French quarter.
Ruthie Foster, a favourite blues diva of mine, released a CD seven days ago that was recorded here late last year. I heard sample tracks before leaving home and was knocked out. So I visited the Piety Street studio yesterday and have this afternoon done an audio interview with her producer as a potential podcast on the ezine version of Blues Matters. Her agent is sending me a freebie copy. It has already gone #1 in Amazon's listings for blues and #7 in their pop charts. She was interviewed on US national radio available on;
 http://www.npr.org/2012/02/02/146303513/ruthie-foster-texas-gospel-with-a-worldly-touch
in case you are interested.
Off to see Jon Cleary playing solo piano in the New Orleans style, which is my main reason for coming here, tomorrow night with hopefully another interview there. Masses of video to edit. Had to download some of it to Laptop to free up the sd card for more.
Ladies! You would love it here as every other shop sells dresses, Mardis Gras costumes, masks and the endless lengths of colourful beads and frippary that adorns people, properties,cars and bikes.
The producer I spoke with is from LA but has decided to move here instead. It's that good.