Louisiana has always been a state that dances to its own beat. That beat might be a jazz brunch in Lake Charles, Cajun dance at a traditional pig roast in Baton Rouge, or swamp pop blasting out a jukebox in a Lafayette diner.
Simply put, there’s no one genre that defines Louisiana. Thanks to an immensely rich cultural heritage, you’ll encounter a stunning array of influences in the rhythms and harmonies that flow through the state. The music reflects everything from Louisiana’s Indigenous roots to protest songs from the southern Creole communities, folk traditions from Appalachia, and even the ‘bounce’ hip-hop emerging from the housing projects of New Orleans in the 1990s.
While Louisiana has some of the top live music venues in the US, you’ll encounter music and dancing wherever you go – whether that’s performances in bars and restaurants, bands striking up on street corners, or spontaneous jams on locals’ porches.
While there is no one place to go for a particular genre – these styles have woven their way through various towns, cities and rural communities – there are some spots where you are guaranteed to uncover truly great southern music.
Jazz: New Orleans
Where else to start but New Orleans? As the birthplace of jazz, nowhere else in the States – nor in the world – offers quite the same richness of experience and atmosphere. New Orleans is known for its festivals (not least Mardi Gras when the streets are filled with all types of music), but on any given day you can wander down Frenchman Street and find a bar, restaurant or club with live jazz. A favourite is Preservation Hall, an intimate venue dating back to the 1950s that is central to the New Orleans jazz community, with live music over 360 nights a year.
But it’s not just NOLA where travellers can find soul-soothing jazz in Louisiana – indeed, you’ll find notes, rhythms and harmonies throughout the state. Check out the Sunday Jazz Brunch in downtown Lake Charles every weekend at Luna Bar & Grill, while the lakeside town of Mandeville has Dew Drop Jazz Hall, the world’s oldest unaltered rural jazz hall with a history dating back to 1885.
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Cajun: Lafayette
Introduced by the French Acadian settlers who came to the south from Canada after being exiled in the mid-18th century, Cajun is a folk music played on the button accordion and fiddle, with other instruments like the electric guitar and drums often added. Songs are written in the French language and are usually two-steps or waltzes.
This type of music is found in the southern half of the state, and to be fully immersed, your best bet is to head for Lafayette, a city that lives and breathes Cajun culture. Stop in at Martin Accordions in the north of the city to learn more about the genre – there are shop tours and demonstrations, as well as a beautiful array of the instruments. Soko Music tours are also highly recommended; over at Cypress Cove Landing on the banks of the Atchafalaya Basin, visitors can listen to Cajun and Creole music and stories, and even have a go at playing the instruments themselves. For live music in the city, Blue Moon, Hydeaway Hall, and Feed n Seed will all have you on your feet dancing.
Away from Lafayette, Lake Charles offers some of the best Cajun music in the state. If heading between the two cities, pay a visit to Jeff Davis Parish, between Lake Charles and Lafayette on Interstate 10, which has a live Cajun Jam every other Saturday at the visitor centre.
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Zydeco: Lake Charles
Often spoken about hand-in-hand with Cajun music, Zydeco is a similar style of music but with key differences. Both are played on the accordion, but the styles are different, and Zydeco is rooted in African American culture while Cajun’s major influences are from French Acadia in Canada's Nova Scotia. Zydeco music also uses the frottoir (also known as the washboard). This unique instrument that has roots in West Africa is made from corrugated metal, and the musician who would traditionally play it using bottle openers or spoons.
For live performances, head to Lake Charles in southwest Louisiana, hometown of renowned Zydeco artists Rusty Metoyer and Sean Ardoin. In downtown Lake Charles, just around the corner from the jazz-filled Luna Bar & Grill, you’ll find the Panorama Music House. This two-story, 100 year-old building is filled with an eclectic collection of signed posters and photographs that adorn its exposed brick walls. There are nightly live music performances and a Zydeco Brunch every Saturday from 11 to 3.
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Blues: Baton Rouge
With roots in Africa and influences from gospel, jazz and country, the nature of blues music in Louisiana varies across the state. While New Orleans has produced a number of famous blues musicians including James Booker and Earl King – who display a distinct NOLA style – head north up the Mississippi River and you’ll also find a thriving blues scene in Baton Rouge.
Indeed, the Baton Rouge Blues Festival is one of the best of Louisiana’s legendary live music festivals held throughout the year, dedicated to celebrating “swamp blues” and the music genres that helped form it. It’s free, family-friendly and filled with live music.
Ask a Baton Rouge local where to listen to blues and they’ll likely point you to Phil Brady’s. This is a true dive bar with pool tables and bar food, where you’ll find a blues jam every Thursday night and live music every Friday and Saturday night. Other popular spots in the city include Chelsea’s Live, where a range of different artists perform, and Teddy’s Juke Joint, a legendary Baton Rouge venue that’s known for hosting some of the best rhythm and blues in the state.
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Swamp pop: Shreveport
As rock ‘n’ roll swept across the country in the 1950s and 60s, there was barely a part of the States that wasn’t touched by music from the likes of Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and Little Richard. Down in the swampy lands of Louisiana, Cajun and Creole musicians took this style and made it their own; the result was “swamp pop”. You’ll find influences of plenty of other musical styles in this distinctly southern sub-genre, including rhythm and blues, country and honky-tonk.
Swamp pop can be found throughout the state (in fact, like Cajun and Creole, it is best known in Acadiana region in the south), but we’re giving a shout-out to Shreveport because this town is home to the municipal auditorium where Elvis famously “left the building”. Following his final performance on the Louisiana Hayride live radio show on 15 December 1956, announcer Horace Logan told fans that Elvis had gone as a means to calm the frenzied crowd of fans, coining a phrase that would be used many, many more times.
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