Tin Roof Blues: Homes of Early Jazz Bandleaders Tour

When jazz evolved around the turn of the 20th century, New Orleans was a city of neighborhoods. Creoles of color, concentrated below Canal Street, maintained a cultural identity distinct from African Americans, many of whom settled in areas above Canal Street. Musicians from diverse backgrounds brought the sounds of their homes, churches, and streets to bandstands around town. Players of European descent often lived in enclaves off-limits to people of color, but listened to black bands, which were immensely influential, though some refused to acknowledge it.