Stateside: 5 of the best musical breaks

Whatever your clients’ musical tastes, they
won’t go hungry in the US. The story of popular music as we
know it began here, when West African slaves landed in New Orleans
in the 18th century. Slave spirituals evolved into jazz and blues,
and mixed with a rich melting pot of styles, from the French
Arcadian and Cajun Zydeco, to Scots and Irish-influenced bluegrass
and country.

Local music slowly snaked its way up Highway 61 – famously
revisited by Bob Dylan in 1965 – and west on the Mother Road,
Route 66, but it wasn’t until a young southerner named Elvis
began recording that the world pricked up its ears.

Wherever you are in the US today, you’re not that far from a
local style worth listening to. Here are a few of our favourites
for a musical break.

Where: New Orleans, Louisiana.

Why: you can’t go far wrong in the
‘cradle of jazz’ but give Bourbon Street a miss, as
these days it caters mainly to booze-cruising revellers. Storyville
District is one of the better places to hear the real deal. Head
for St Peter’s Street, where there are a number of clubs
including the Jazz Preservation Hall, a worthy New Orleans
institution.

If you want to hang with the local aficionados try
Frenchman’s Street, just outside the French Quarter. One of
the best places there is the Spotted Cat. Jazz Fest, held in late
April/early May, is not only one of the world’s premier
festivals but also showcases other southern music styles.
Don’t miss the Jazz Brunch every morning at the Court of Two
Sisters in the heart of the French Quarter on Royal Street.

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Where: Austin, Texas.

Why: Texas is more often associated with country
music than rock, but its state capital has one of the coolest rock
music scenes in the US. The city calls itself the ‘live music
capital of the world’, and in March is home to the South by
Southwest festival, one of the world’s top music industry
gatherings. The rest of the year a vast range of rock talent can be
heard at any number of clubs – there are 200 live music
venues to choose from. Many of these are around 6th and Red River
streets.

Another cool area to rock the night away is Guadalope Street,
otherwise know as the Drag. Bordering the University of Texas,
where Janis Joplin was once a student, this is true slacker
territory. If you can get tickets, check out Austin City Limits
– the public television live music showcase. See the website
pbs.org/klru for details.

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Where: Nashville, Tennessee.

Why: it’s the country music capital of the
world. The legendary Grand Ole Opry country music television show
used to be held at the Ryman Auditorium – the ‘mother
church’ of country music – but has moved to Opryland in
Music Valley. This vast complex includes the Grand Ole Opry House,
the Opry Mills shopping mall and the Opryland Hotel, with its
cascading waterfalls, boat rides and elevated walkways above the
rainforest canopy.

The new Country Music Hall of Fame is a must-see with such delights
on show as Elvis Presley’s custom-made Cadillac. You can cut
your own Elvis track in RCA Studio B, where The King recorded many
of his hits. The city is awash with clubs and bars – one
favourite is the Station Inn, which also has some of the best and
most authentic bluegrass music you are likely to hear. And
Nashville is just a few hours’ drive from Memphis, the
Mississippi Delta and Tupelo, Elvis’ birthplace.

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Where: Chicago, Illinois.

Why: although the blues originated in the
Mississippi Delta, it gradually made its way up Highway 61 before
finding a home from home in the Windy City.

Since Muddy Waters arrived in 1943 the blues has been a Chicago
institution, resonating throughout the city and even influencing
fledgling rock bands such as the Rolling Stones. The Chicago Blues
Festival (June 9-12) held in Grant Park is the world’s
largest annual blues festival, attracting more than half a million
people.

There are a plethora of clubs to choose from in Chicago. Many
people head for the city’s South Side, but downtown
it’s just as easy to find top-class acts. Chicago being the
home town of The Blues Brothers, it’s only right that Dan
Aykroyd has a club, the House of Blues on N Dearborn St, which
features top-notch players. Adjacent is a hotel of the same name
and many of the bluesmen stay there.

Other top clubs include Blue Chicago (N Clark St) and Buddy
Guy’s Legends (S Wabash Av). Chicago is also a great jazz,
hip-hop, soul and gospel venue and the Hard Rock Hotel, located in
a stunning Art Deco building, even has a chilled-out
‘vibe’ manager to help you keep cool, man…

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Where: Kentucky.

Why: distinctly different from country, this
acoustic style of music evolved in the Appalachian Mountains and is
named after the famous Bluegrass hills of Kentucky. Bluegrass is
rooted in the folk traditions brought over by Scottish and Irish
immigrants. The father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe, was born in
western Kentucky, and the Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration
(September 29-October 2) takes place at his childhood home.

Other top bluegrass events include the Cumberland River Bluegrass
Festival and Bluegrass Returns To Its Roots (March 31-April 2) held
in Owensboro, which is also home to the International Bluegrass
Music Museum. Mountain men straight out of Deliverance and O
Brother, Where Art Thou? come down from isolated communities with
their fiddles, banjos, mandolins and steel guitars and strut their
stuff. If you’re lucky they will also tell tall tales.

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