Have you noticed?

It has been a little over a year since the displaced residents of New Orleans began arriving in our home towns all around the nation.  We have put them up in our homes, welcomed them in our churches, drove them to job interviews and sat with them as they have wrestled with what their future holds. 

The effects of Katrina are still being felt and many of them are still suffering but in the process they have brought a unique blessing to their newly adopted hometowns…

New Orleans Style Jazz!

If you have not made it out to one of your local jazz venues you may not have noticed all of the new cats that have found solace in your city.  These musicians from the city where jazz began are now playing in our own neighborhoods. 

They are singing the blues, at a venue near you.

Many of these people we never would have had the chance to hear except through recordings or a visit to the Crescent City.  The Mile High City has had the blessing of Henry Butler.  Check out his Official website to hear some of his sounds or this story in Westword.  On his site you can watch a video of him driving a car…he’s blind!

Better yet, get out and see what the wind blew in to your city.