It's Friday night in New Orleans, so certainly you won't be searching in vain for great live music. Premier showcases such as House of Blues, Tipitina's, and The Howlin' Wolf always pull aces from their sleeves for their weekend offerings, but sometimes you suffer from having too much to choose from. Also, you may want to avoid paying higher cover charges, and the proverbial "flava of the week" crowds and go someplace where you don't know exactly what to expect... Want to get away from it all? Want to mingle with a hip, laid-back crowd? Follow me...

First stop, Monaghan's Erin Rose, located at 811 Conti Street in the French Quarter. The French Quarter, you ask? You thought I was going to take you *away* from those big crowds... That's the beauty of this dimly lit but lively little place. Even though it's just half a block off of Bourbon Street, the prices are as local as the clientele, (something rare for the Lower Quarter), and the CD juke box features everything from Louises Armstrong and Prima to The Beastie Boys and West Coast Punk to Elvises Presley and Costello, and a handful of local jazz. On top of all that, your sweetheart of a bartender Matt (who could be Harry Dean Stanton's nephew, or Tom Waits' stepson) will serve your favorite libations with fanfare a la "Cocktail" but with a decidedly cynical twist. It's a typical Vieux Carre mix of folks who stop by: waitresses dashing in for a quick shot on their break; Bourbon Street musicians making their way to or from a gig; lots of street trash chic and of course, the occasional tourist stopping in to use the bathroom and finding the place friendly enough to take a load off for a few. There's also a full bar in the back where you can order food. I haven't tried it myself but it must be pretty good on account of all the bustling I see back there... This place rolls into the wee, wee hours so it's a perfect stopping point at any interval of your evening.

So you've had a few drinks and are ready to move on, where to now? We're going to shift gears and head over to Preservation Hall!

Although any night is a good night to hear music at this landmark institution, Friday nights are especially fun. Hot youthful trumpeter Leroy Jones leads this stellar traditional jazz band; and when I say stellar I do mean stellar. What's interesting is the number of generations represented on this particular night. You've got trad jazz sages Tom Ebbert (age 78) on trombone and Walter Lewis (age 79) on piano (check Mr. Lewis' groovy threads! He's like a cowboy funkadelic!); a decade or so younger is Mr. Richard Paine (AFO Records co-founder & jazz bass innovator); the formidable rhythm man Don Vappie on banjo, (he and Leroy are still considered whippersnappers amongst the jazz elders) and "baby" of the bunch, description-defying drummer Shannon Powell. Leroy is a talented and generous leader, allowing each player to take ample not to mention impressive solos on all of your traditional jazz favorites.

But let me pull your coat about Shannon: I had the privilege of sitting in one of the big chairs on the stage right next to Mr. Powell and he was absolutely fascinating to watch. His approach is so unusual and not being schooled in drum technique I'm not even sure if it's the way he sits at the drums (he kind of hovers and leans back simultaneously, head cocked as if he's waiting for a message from his tom and a big ol' gap-toothed smile spread across his face); or is it the way he hits the cymbals (with Frisbee throwing flicks, outward and inward); or is it all of his little tone making apparati, such as cowbells and wood blocks and rim shots - he even beats the side of his tom, as though he's been bored with all of the other sounds and wants to have a new one just to keep 'em all guessing; his bass drum foot is equally fascinating: ba-BUM, ba-BUM, ba-BUMP BUMP BUM! He keeps that rhythm going while making all these comical noises on the aforementioned apparati and playing a second-line drum roll on the snare and smacking and swiping those cymbals -- it's eye candy, baby!! For all his antics he never misses a beat and makes that already fine music that much more enjoyable with his gleeful and frolicking style. He's also a mean motha when playing modern jazz and is sought after throughout the world for performing and recording. (Don't forget he was a protégé of the late, great, motha of all mean mothas, James Black). Shannon has played with The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Wynton Marsalis and has made Grammy-winning records and toured with homeboy/pop idol Harry Connick, Jr. (Connick never had it so good!)

Preservation Hall opened in 1961 and was flawlessly operated by Allen Jaffe until his death a few years ago. (His handsome young son Aaron is around on weekends and manages the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on their American and international tours; he is a warm and affable figure around the place.) Truly a monument to New Orleans traditional jazz, the Hall was home to Humphrey brothers Willie and Percy, Sweet Emma Barrett, Jeanette Kimball, the list goes on and on. Sunday nights feature Harold DeJan's Olympia Brass Band; Mondays, Reginald Koeller (also with Freddie Lonzo on trombone and Dr. Michael White on clarinet); Tuesdays, Gregg Stafford (a Danny Barker protégé, as was Leroy Jones); Wednesdays and Saturdays, Wendell Brunious (a trumpeting member of the esteemed Brunious family who croons those old tunes so sweetly as to make your heart melt); and Thursdays are led by John Brunious, Wendell's trumpet playing older brother.

Preservation Hall is located at 726 St. Peter Street and is open nightly from 8:30 p.m. to midnight. An added bonus is it's only four bucks to get in (but please tip the band anyway) to see this living, purely New Orleans art form in the type of building you'll find only in the French Quarter or Europe. Please note that there is no drinking or smoking permitted inside the Hall, and you will have to seat yourself either on a wooden bench or sit Indian style upon the wooden floor. Believe me, you won't even notice. A poster on one of the walls from a PHJB European date states "The Audience Will Be Devastated!" Indeed, the overflow crowds of worldwide trad jazz fanatics never leave this beautiful place unsatisfied....

So we've gone from post-punk modernism to traditional New Orleans jazz... now what? It's not too late to hit Frenchmen Street (which doesn't hit 'til after 11 p.m. anyway). Here we find a colorful, youthful, ethnically diverse street scene that drinks, dances, laughs, socializes, meets, greets, and picks up all to a funky Latin beat. I remember several years ago when Frenchmen hit its peak: Café Istanbul featured Pedro Cruz, led by the dearly missed Ruben "Mr. Salsa" Gonzalez and it was the most romantic room in town. Café Brasil might have tex-mex group The Iguanas in the house, or punkish rockers Tribe Nunzio; you could barely drive down Frenchmen Street for all the pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Slowly, the scene developed into a mostly Latin/Funk one, with Los Babies del Merengue on one side of the street (and is their crowd lively!) and funk or brass band music on the other. Now we've got a slew of Latin bands to choose from on weekend nights, including the fabulous Caliente, Mas Mamones and Ancestro. Café Brasil also features on a regular basis sousafunk outfit All That, Mardi Gras Indian group Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias, and latter day funkateers The Flavor Kings and Galactic.

If you're more into hanging on the street, Ade (pronounced ah-DAY), the freakish owner of Café Brasil, opened a back bar where you can buy drinks to take to his sidewalk tables. You can still hear live music right in front of you because there's usually an assemblage of percussionists beating -- you guessed it -- Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms on a variety of congas, bongos and other instruments. (Maybe you'd like to buy one of these guys a drink for entertaining you).

So there you have it; a fun-filled Friday night! If you're a little hungry stop by La Peniche for a cheap breakfast (1940 Dauphine Street) or if you're really hungry head back into the Quarter and enjoy a huge breakfast at Poppy's, located at 717 St. Peter Street.

Always remember: If it's late and you're walking and you're not on a well-lit section of the Quarter, get your butt in a cab. I suggest you call United: 522-9771.

Hope you had fun!

Peace,

Eulalie

Musicians and club owners lead complicated lives subject to abrupt changes -- please contact venues to confirm current performers.