The French brought the opera to New Orleans in the early 1800’s. This sophisticated music flourished here long before New York or any other city in North America.
The free people of color introduced the harmony and spirituality of Sunday church music and the bordellos of Storyville led to music greats Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong and King Oliver. This evolved into the only true American music that was born in the gentlemen parlors of Treme and was called JAZZ.
