Poscards from... New Orleans, New Year 1988
New Orleans was the last stop on my Greyhound bus American Christmas road trip, in 1988. (The previous stop was Florida, Miami beach in particular – see a few postcards)
The vibe was as light as the air...
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... and the distinctive architecture of the “French” quarter felt both exotic (even to a Frenchman 😊) and inviting.
Music, often a family business, was, quite literally, on every street corner.
Still, I felt that New Orleans' soul really started shining at night - both outside, and inside, for instance in its streetcars, even if not explicitly called "desire"
Although a lot of the jazz cafés felt like tourist traps serving sanitized tunes to undiscerning ears...
... other places, like this dueling piano joint, felt more authentic.
The best experience we had was to be found behind these aged grimy doors:
The "Preservation Hall"...
After one shot I decided to turn my flash off, promptly realizing that it was obliterating the atmosphere. I decided to roll with the very dim ambient light only - quite a daring choice given the low sensitivity of my film and the very moderate brightness of my student budget lens...
I had to wait a few weeks to get the film processed and see the results. I was not disappointed, as, looking at my slides, I could feel again the spirit of the place, loud and clear...
... and swaying to the beat ...
... or just pondering days gone by.
What a wonderful time...
A few hours later, I had to get back on a bus for a 36 hour non-stop journey back to my campus in Philadelphia...
More to come, stay tuned!
