March 11, 2020, was the day the music temporarily died in New Orleans. Just a couple of weeks earlier, the streets were packed with revelers celebrating the month-long Carnival season that culminated in Mardi Gras at the end of February. But as more was learned about the alarming spread of the COVID-19 virus, the mayor issued a stay-at-home order to try and contain the dire consequences of the super spreader event.
For the thousands of musicians who make their living playing gigs in a city famous for its round-the-clock, jazz-centric music scene, the eerie silence was disconcerting.
Sammie Williams, AKA “Big Sam,” lead singer with the funk band Big Sam’s Funky Nation, said bluntly that the famous French Quarter “sounded like death.”
“People who were around during Katrina, they know what I mean,” Williams said, referring to the category 5 hurricane that swept through the city in 2005, killing 1,400 people. “There was no life in the city at all. It felt like the world was ending.”
But the world didn’t end. New Orleans is resilient, as are the musicians who live and work here. During COVID-19, many found creative ways to safely keep live music going, sometimes staging impromptu jam sessions in their driveways just to preserve their own sanity.
But as the pandemic subsides and restrictions ease, live music is gradually returning to the usual venues. That’s something to celebrate, and celebrating is what New Orleans does best.
Credit: Wesley K.H. Teo
Credit: Wesley K.H. Teo
One recent morning, trumpeter Amir “Tubad” Gray played “What a Wonderful World” across from Café Beignet on Royal Street, entertaining a long line of caffeine-deprived customers waiting for their first sip of creamy café au lait and a breakfast of pillowy beignets.
City guidelines for live entertainment require wind instrument players use bell covers, a kind of instrument mask that blocks aerosol droplets. Some horn players don’t like it, but Tubad doesn’t mind. He’s simply happy to be “spreading joy” again.
“I’ve never seen Bourbon Street clean, but it was clean,” he said about the pandemic’s effect on the city’s most famous street, where plastic cups typically roll like tumbleweeds and discarded Mardi Gras beads glow garishly from the gutters all year long.
Now, the French Quarter sounds much like it did pre-pandemic with buskers playing everything from the tuba to the banjo hoping to rustle up tips. But despite its devil-may-care reputation, New Orleans is serious about COVID-19 safety. Louisiana is one of the few Southern states that still has a mask mandate. City bars are open at 50% capacity indoors and full capacity outdoors. Restaurants are open at 75% capacity, and alcohol sales end at 1 a.m.
Credit: Wesley K.H. Teo
Credit: Wesley K.H. Teo
On Frenchmen Street on the outskirts of the Quarter, where locals go to hear live music, many venues remain closed because they are so small, social distancing is impossible. A notable exception is the renowned Spotted Cat Music Club, which just reopened for scheduled performances.
Safety precautions include sanitizing the venue between shows, a ban on bar service and a request that patrons inform staff when they require restroom access so they can be alerted when facilities become available.
As for Big Sam, he’s back rockin’ one of his favorite venues, The Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in the French Quarter.
Wearing dark glasses and a newsboy hat, he belted out a jazzy version of “Papa was a Rolling Stone” on his first night back at the Playhouse. The performance was a musical renaissance of sorts ― a new beginning that marked the end of a long, dark period. Throughout the night, Big Sam showcased his considerable chops with a series of trombone solos, deftly coaxing the instrument into sassy grooves that got folks on their feet.
During the worst of the pandemic, he played in the hotel’s courtyard or on the pool deck, but he missed the connection he enjoys with the audience indoors.
“This vibe right here is perfect, you dig?” he said of the Playhouse. “I’m able to interact with people more. I can have communication and a conversation with everybody through the music instead of being so far away. We become one.”
Credit: Wesley K.H. Teo
Credit: Wesley K.H. Teo
In the beer garden at the Zony Mash Beer Project craft brewery, a young, bearded piano player sporting a man bun sits at a grand piano perched on the back of pick-up truck, entertaining beer lovers who have settled in for a low-key evening of favorite tunes.
Piano on a Truck was started by Jacques Ferland, a Canadian piano tuner and restorer who visited the Crescent City 10 years ago and is still enjoying his “vacation.” When the pandemic struck, he discovered that the mobile piano was the perfect way to share live music, so he collaborated with out-of-work piano players grateful for a gig. Soon, they were entertaining quarantine-weary citizens at City Park for tips.
“I always liked the idea of putting a piano in an unusual place,” Ferland said. “There’s a surprise element to seeing a piano outdoors, and the pianists get off on that.”
He started getting calls about playing birthdays. At a time when parties weren’t possible, upbeat tunes coming from a piano player in the driveway was a real day brightener. Then invitations to play local venues started coming in.
Ferland says he will likely keep the piano truck rolling long after COVID-19 is nothing but a bad memory. “I have a feeling it’s going to survive the pandemic,” he said. “I’ve got a new truck lined up, and I’m slowly expanding the enterprise.”
The New Orleans Jazz Museum adapted by staging live outdoor concerts on the spacious balconies spanning the historic Old U.S. Mint that houses the museum, while visitors gather in the verdant courtyard below to soak up the music. The concerts are also live-streamed to millions of viewers around the world. Free concerts are typically held at 5 p.m. every Tuesday, unless it rains. Additional ticketed concerts featuring big-name acts are also occasionally scheduled.
Credit: Eliot Kamenitz
Credit: Eliot Kamenitz
“Throughout the pandemic, these balcony concerts have given us the opportunity to continue our mission and directly support musicians in their greatest time of need,” said director Greg Lambousy, who plans to continue the concerts after the pandemic is over.
New Orleans’ storied musical legacy could probably survive anything. As visitors return, they are discovering that the beat goes on.
If You Go
New Orleans is 469 miles southwest of Atlanta. It is accessible by direct flight via Delta, American, United, Spirit and Southwest airlines.
Music venues
The Jazz Playhouse. Popular French Quarter jazz club. $25 and up. Royal Sonesta Hotel. 300 Bourbon St., New Orleans. 504-533-2299, www.sonesta.com
Spotted Cat Music Club. Intimate jazz venue. Ticket prices vary. 623 Frenchmen St., New Orleans. www.spottedcatmusicclub.com
Zony Mash Beer Project. Craft brewery located in the old Gem Theater near Midtown. Free. 3943 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., New Orleans. 504-766-8868, www.zonymashbeer.com
New Orleans Jazz Museum. Free balcony concerts 5-6 p.m. Tuesdays, weather permitting. 400 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans. 504-568-6993, www.nolajazzmuseum.org
Dining
Cafe Beignet. Bistro serving traditional beignets and other New Orleans delicacies. Entrees $4-$12. 334 Royal St., New Orleans, and other locations. 504-500-4370, www.cafebeignet.com
Saba. Celebrity chef Alon Shaya’s Uptown restaurant serves modern Israeli cuisine. Entrees $16-$52. 5757 Magazine St., Suite A, New Orleans. 504-324-7770, www.eatwithsaba.com
Accommodations
One11. New riverfront hotel in the French Quarter. $189 and up. 111 Iberville St., New Orleans. 504-699-8100, www.one11hotel.com
Windsor Court Hotel. Luxury hotel that exudes European elegance. $305 and up. 300 Gravier St., New Orleans. 800-262-2662, www.windsorcourthotel.com
Visitor Information
New Orleans & Company. 2020 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana. 800-672-6124, www.neworleans.com
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