It's omnipresent, and it has seeped into the ground.

It's a core element of the city's identity. It's a part of everything in New Orleans. It's not just entertainment - it's part of the way people conceive of life.

In New Orleans, the funeral traditions are there to remind you that life goes on.

I don't see how there could be any future for New Orleans without music.

I want readers to come away from the new book with an appreciation both for how complex jazz is, and yet how clear its structures are, ... And I want them to come away knocked out by the brilliance and soul and wit and profundity of the performances on the CD, able to appreciate more of what went into them, and hungry to hear more, to explore this fantastic music.