New Orleans has given birth to so many great musicians, it’s hard to know how to start counting them all.
Clarinetist George Lewis is as good a place to start as any.
Born the same year as Louis Armstrong and a fan of the same, Lewis stayed true to the pre-Armstrong style of jazz as it was played in New Orleans in the early part of the 20th century.
This particular piece, Burgundy Street Blues, was composed by Lewis while recuperating from a serious accident incurred on his day job, working as a stevedore on the New Orleans docks.
The revival of interest in the traditional jazz music of New Orleans which started in the late 1940s brought him steady work as a musician and international recognition for his sublime artistry. He was a regular peformer at Preservation Hall from its opening in 1961 until he passed away in 1968.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fbECu_Yekb4
