The Birthplace of Jazz
Louisiana is the birthplace of jazz, the home of Cajun and zydeco music and a key player in the history of American blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll. Jazz, like its birthplace New Orleans, is an eclectic mix of European, African and Caribbean cultures and influences which spills into the streets of popular tourist districts such as the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny. To the west of the city are the swamps and prairies of “Acadiana,” where Cajun and zydeco still dot the landscape in venues ranging from dance halls and hole-in-the-wall clubs to festivals the porches of rural farmhouses. Other regional pockets, particularly in north and central Louisiana, were pivotal in the birth and evolution of country, blues, rockabilly and rock and roll.
