I visited New Orleans for a few days in late October. I shot street musicians, a club in the French Quarter, a neighborhood bar in the Bywater District, an eclectic punk showcase, a Halloween parade, a second line wedding march in the French Quarter, and a jazz club on Frenchmen Street.

When I first started exploring New Orleans on Wednesday, as I was standing on Canal Street, I heard a lone saxophone with a rich golden tone echoing from around the corner in the narrow of Bourbon Street:

Frank

Frank told me he’d be performing that week at the Krazy Korner on Bourbon Street, and I caught him there the next night playing mostly rub board with Crawdaddy T. and the Nuetra Rats:

Kevin and Frank

Angelo

In New Orleans, you see traveling street musicians like you see bankers in lower Manhattan:

Vincent Anthony May, from Concord, New Hampshire, on Canal Street

Later that night, I visited Bar Redux in the Bywater District. Five Card Stud, one of the very few country bands in New Orleans, was playing. So I thought it would be good to photograph them – to go against the usual expectation of what you’d think you’d find in New Orleans:

The Backyard

Daniel Rongey

Ron Clark

Clay Diamond

Matt Hughes

Jason Schell

Customer

After Five Card Stud at Club Redux, I headed over to Frenchmen Street where I caught the Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band at the Spotted Cat:

Dr. Sick and Tommy Sciple

Colin Myers

On Friday night I went to Siberia on St Claude Avenue for a show called “Punks Under Pressure”:

Jason Percle, Seguenon Kone, Ray Moore, Chris Lacinak, Trea Martinez and William Snowden with Junko Beat

Neon Burgundy

White Girl Wasted

Softie

Nathan Cassiania with Special Interest

Alli Logout with Special Interest

Hampton Martin with Baghead from Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Zach Burton with Baghead

Dancing to Baghead

On Saturday afternoon I hung out on Canal Street where I came upon the a cappella group Jay-Ray & Gee on a stroll:

Then the Kinfolk Brass Band:

Then, when a bride and groom suddenly showed up, I saw that the brass band was to accompany a second line wedding march that went through the French Quarter:

Then the Krewe of Boo Halloween Parade as it went up and down Canal Street:

Then around the corner on O’Keefe Avenue, I saw this man getting a tip ready for the street musicians in front of a restaurant:

Finally, I headed back to the Spotted Cat where I caught Dominick Grillo & The Frenchmen Street All-Stars:

Dominick Grillo

Ashlin Parker

Nick Hughes

Disclosure: In a few instances, distracting background elements were removed.

– Submitted by Mark Shapiro, Music Design