10 years after Katrina, New Orleans musicians struggle to preserve the city's sounds
Americas
10 years after Katrina, New Orleans musicians struggle to preserve the city’s sounds
The vibrant sounds of brass bands and buskers echo through the streets of New Orleans ten years after the birthplace of jazz was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. But while tourists may find themselves overwhelmed by choice, locals fear some of the Big Easy’s spirit of creativity and improvisation may have been lost to the floodwaters. "There had been a long line of older musicians passing a culture on to younger musicians,“ guitarist Jonathan Frelich told AFP. The loss of neighborhood clubs and an increased emphasis on tourism has shaped the opportunities for musicians and the types of music they play, he said.
We understand our position as musicians and culture bearers is to educate the younger ones so they can grab the torch. Right now, we still have a lot more walking and torch-carrying to do.
Tuba player Bennie Pete
Musicians said that while tourism had a homogenizing effect on the music, the city’s changing demographics pose another threat to its penchant for improvisation. The black population has fallen by about 115,000 people, dropping from 68 percent of residents in 2000 to 60 percent in 2013, the latest census figures show. Plenty of white residents also found the emotional and financial cost of rebuilding to be too high, though their numbers are harder to measure. The post-Katrina influx of new residents included homeowners who were less inclined to join street parades, and more willing to call the authorities. Recently proposed legislation to limit the volume of recorded and live music puzzled many locals accustomed to the late night blasts of trumpets.
