Miami's Little Havana placed on list of 'national treasures'

PLUS URBIA DESIGN GRATIFIED TO PLAY MAJOR ROLE

Story By Adriana Gomez Licon, Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — Historic preservation groups announced a partnership Friday with city officials to save Miami's Little Havana, bidding to safeguard its heritage as the famed epicenter of the Cuban diaspora was placed on a list of "national treasures."

The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation said awarding its special designation for the Spanish-speaking enclave is just one step of the partnership to protect Little Havana from large-scale developers who are transforming much of downtown Miami.

Home to a vibrant community of Cuban heritage and many others from around Latin America, Little Havana is under multiple threats: Demolition of historic buildings, displacement of its existing residents, and decades of wear and tear. The same organization placed the neighborhood in its annual list of America's 11 most endangered historic places in 2015.

"Little Havana has a really strong immigrant history," said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "It's a very inviting 

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PlusUrbia Design is Local Design Team to Plan a Better Little Havana

A plan to save Little Havana from big development?

BY ANDRES VIGLUCCI AND DAVID SMILEY

aviglucci@miamiherald.com

The National Trust for Historic Preservation will sponsor a major plan to help guide the preservation and revitalization of Little Havana, the storied neighborhood where activists have been battling to stave off large-scale development from adjacent Brickell.

The Trust’s announcement, scheduled for Friday morning, will come a day after the city of Miami officially scrapped a controversial two-year-old proposal that would have upzoned much of East Little Havana with the aim of encouraging redevelopment. 

Preservationists and activists complained the upzoning would have led to displacement of the neighborhood’s working-class residents and the destruction of an architecturally valuable collection of early 20th century homes and commercial buildings.

“Preservation doesn’t necessarily mean we put everything in a freezer and preserve it for all time,” said Juan Mullerat, principal at Miami firm PlusUrbia, the Trust’s zoning and planning consultant, adding that the goal is “to propose new legislation that will guide the future development in a contextual manner.”

Read full story at

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article129026874.html#storylink=cpy

PlusUrbia Design enters partnership to protect Little Havana – a National Treasure

Nation’s Leading Historic Preservation Organization 

Names Miami’s Little Havana a National Treasure

Miami (January 27, 2017) – Miami’s Little Havana—a neighborhood that stands as a testament to the immigrant spirit that built America and a place that remains a dynamic, culturally rich, and affordable neighborhood—was today named a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

In partnership with Dade Heritage Trust, PlusUrbia Design, and Live Healthy Little Havana, the National Trust is today launching a long-term planning process that seeks to work with neighborhood residents, civic leaders, and local partners to ensure that Little Havana can remain a thriving, healthy and livable community that embraces its past while planning for a brighter future.

Despite Little Havana’s significance and its continued role as a home to thousands of Miamians, the neighborhood currently faces a range of threats, including development pressure, demolition of historic buildings, displacement of existing residents, and zoning changes that could impact its affordability, cultural richness, and character. To address these threats, the Trust is launching a planning process to work with neighborhood residents and other stakeholders on solutions that encourage continued growth while preserving the neighborhood’s unique character.

"This partnership represents an opportunity to protect and strengthen one of the most authentic neighborhoods in America,” said Juan Mullerat, Director at Plus Urbia Design. 

“With development pressures encroaching from Brickell and Downtown and a zoning code that often favors tear down and replacement with out-of-scale superblock development, we are at risk of losing the rich cultural heritage of Little Havana. Little Havana is Miami's heart and soul, but it is in critical need of a visionary approach to planning and development. Today marks the beginning of people-focused contextual urban design that will preserve and invigorate this diverse urban neighborhood."

click for full story

Disability References Removed From White House Website

THE FIRST OF MANY ATTACKS ON DISABLED PEOPLE BY PRESIDENT HITLER

As President Donald Trump took office, nearly every reference to disabilities on the White House website disappeared.

The online presence of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. got a revamp tailored to its new resident after Trump’s swearing in on Friday and, with the changeover, came a noticeably reduced emphasis on disability matters.

A section on disabilities was one of more than two dozen issues listed prominently on the homepage of whitehouse.gov during former President Barack Obama’s tenure.

The full story from Disability Scoop

THANKS, GOOGLE, FOR RECOGNIZING A HERO OF THE DISABILITY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

EDWARD V. ROBERTS 1939-1995

By Heidi Johnson-Wright

Written about 1-23 Google item:

Today's Google doodle commemorates the birthday of Ed Roberts, one of the founders of the American disability rights movement. 

Ed was determined to get an education even though the university administration at UC Berkeley (yes, Berkeley) was not supportive and he had to live in the student health center because no dorms were wheelchair-accessible.

"Helpless cripple attends classes at UC," proclaimed a headline in a 1963 issue of Berkeley Gazette, a local community newspaper.

Thank you, Ed.

You rolled that big rock up the hill and made it possible for "helpless cripples" like me to get an education and have a life.

the full story on Ed

UNIVISION TV QUOTES JUAN MULLERAT ON PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

THE STORY IS IN SPANISH, BUT YOU CAN FEED IT INTO GOOGLE TRANSLATE

Para el arquitecto y urbanista Juan Mullerat, el gran problema en Florida es la "falta de entendimiento entre modos de transporte y el respeto mutuo entre un modo y el otro", algo que achaca a la ausencia de infraestructuras adecuadas y compatibles para cada medio de transporte y la poca promoción del uso del transporte público.

"Lo más importante es la educación desde la sociedad y lo siguiente sería que municipios y condados empiecen a invertir en la infraestructura, no solamente para resolver estos conflictos, sino para promocionar el transporte público", opina. "Hace falta un cambio de mentalidad y una inversión por parte del gobierno para mover gente y no solamente carros".

LINK TO FULL STORY

Miami Herald Little Havana story quotes PlusUrbia’s urban design insights

Upzoning of East Little Havana scrapped as Miami planners go back to drawing board

“There’s a lot of interest in Little Havana. It’s Miami’s Ellis Island,” said Juan Mullerat, director of the Miami design firm PlusUrbia, which has an active interest in Little Havana. “It’s an incredible melting pot that requires a high level of attention to make sure we get right whatever it is we’re going to do there.’’

A group of business owners pushing to create a Little Havana Business Improvement District would like to emulate Wynwood business owners, who with the help of PlusUrbia, created design and zoning guidelines for the neighborhood.

click for full story

Megan McLaughlin Joins Plusurbia as Planning Leader

Certified Planner Will Serve Public and Private Sector Clients on Key Projects

Veteran urban planner Megan McLaughlin, AICP, has joined PlusUrbia Design as its Planning Leader. She has extensive public and private sector experience in city planning and historic preservation. “The focus of my career has been to promote memorable places and historical resources as catalysts for revitalization.  This experience gives me a unique ability to leverage contextual urban design and preservation as economic development tools for cities,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin's professional experience as the City Planner for the City of Coral Gables, the Preservation Officer for the City of Miami, and as a planning consultant for cities and towns across the United States have put her in a strong position to oversee PlusUrbia's growing role as a leader in municipal planning as well as the firm's increasing Caribbean, Latin and Central American client portfolio.

In keeping with PlusUrbia’s strong dedication to giving back to the community, McLaughlin will continue her civic involvement as a Board Member of Dade Heritage Trust and as a member of the Transportation Aesthetics Review Committee of the Miami-Dade MPO. Previously, she served as an Executive Board Member of the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. 

“Megan’s addition is part of PlusUrbia’s strategic growth plan to provide high-quality contextual design to both private and public sector clients,” said Juan Mullerat, PlusUrbia’s founder and director. “We look forward to her collaborative approach to urban design and her expertise on comprehensive solutions for historic preservation, urban infill and neighborhood revitalization.”

http://plusurbia.com/megan-mclaughlin-joins-plusurbia-as-planning-leader/

CRAFTING BETTER COMMUNITIES IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION

ISSUES AND OPTIONS FOR MIAMI'S LITTLE HAVANA

Little Havana is at a crossroads.

It is vibrant, thanks to visionaries such as Fausto.

But FDOT must redesign Calle8 as complete street.

So far, FDOT's designs favor turning the corridor into a speedway/driveway into Brickell and Downtown.

This is a MUST ATTEND meeting. 

Many issues will be covered, but the most pending issue now is getting FDOT to redesign Calle8 for humans.

WE HAVE MORE THAN 120,000 READERS!

THANKS FOR GIVING THIS BLOG A READERSHIP EQUAL TO 

THE DAILY CIRCULATION OF SEVERAL BIG CITY NEWSPAPERS

We rarely put in photo credits, but more than 90% of the images are the fine art photography of Steve Wright.  He has exhibited at a satellite festival of the Miami Arts Fest, during the Coral Gables Art Walk and at private galleries in Spain.

Today's images are from the historic Evangeline Theater in New Iberia, Louisiana.

Sliman Theater for the Performing Arts

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE BAD-ASS CHILDREN UNATTENDED

HAND LETTERED SIGN IN THE TREME, NEW ORLEANS, CHRISTMAS EVE 2016

GUESS THIS HOMEOWNER KNOWS WHO'S NAUGHTY AND NICE...AND DOWNRIGHT BAD-ASS PAIN IN THE...

NO TO FASCISM...

THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED US

GRAFFITI AND RALLY POSTER SPOTTED CHRISTMAS DAY NEW ORLEANS 2016

ROCK N BOWL

NEARLY A QUARTER CENTURY OF NEW ORLEANS LIVE MUSIC

Finally made it to Rock N Bowl -- Christmas Eve of All times.

Where else but in New Orleans can you check the WWOZ live wire, wondering if anyone is playing Xmas Eve or Day...only to find yes, dozens and dozens of places are open even then.

Sadly, we never made it to the famous Mid-City Lanes original location.

The new one was walking distance from where we stayed in Hollygrove. Yes, that Hollygrove that birthed Lil Wayne and Cash Money Records.

It was old timers night when we went. We're in our 50s and were the youngins'

We returned our last night for some Zydeco, as Rock N Bowl has hosted some of the all-time greats.

http://www.rocknbowl.com/

LOUIS PRIMA -- THE KING OF SWING -- METARIE CEMETERY

A NEW ORLEANS ORIGINAL

Louis Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an singer, actor, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter.

While rooted in New Orleans Jazz, Swing and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he formed a seven-piece New Orleans-style jazz band the late 1920s, fronted a swing combo in the 1930s and a big band in the 1940s, helped to popularize jump blues in the late 1940s and early to mid 1950s and performed as a Vegas lounge act in the late 1950s and 1960s.

From the 1940s through the 1960s, his music further encompassed early R&B and rock ‘n’ roll, boogie-woogie and even Italian folk music such as the tarantella. 

Prima made prominent use of Italian music and language in his songs, blending elements of his Italian identity with jazz and swing music.

At a time when "ethnic" musicians were often discouraged from openly stressing their ethnicity, Prima's conspicuous embrace of his Italian ethnicity opened the doors for other Italian-American and "ethnic" American musicians to display their ethnic roots. -- Wiki

NOT MUCH FOR STREET PERFORMERS OR THE FRENCH QUARTER, BUT..

WHEN LEAVING BREAKFAST AT BRENNAN'S, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR A GUY DANCING IN A DARTH VADER MEETS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS OUTFIT, SWAYING IN TRIBUTE TO GEORGE MICHAEL TO A BEAT BOX BLARING SOLO AND WHAM SONGS NOT 24 HOURS AFTER THE SINGER'S DEATH

This gent is NOT to be confused with the official Darth Saint, NOLA restaurant owner Maximilian Ortiz, operator of Warehouse District restaurant Root a a huge fan of NOLA's NFL franchise. 

THE DEW DROP INN

NAMED THE BY THE LOUISIANA LANDMARK SOCIETY AS ONE OF
NEW ORLEANS' MOST IMPORTANT ENDANGERED BUILDINGS

The Dew Drop Inn, at 2836 LaSalle Street, in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, is a former hotel and nightclub that operated between 1939 and 1970, and is noted as "the most important and influential club" in the development of rhythm and blues music in the city in the post-war period. 

The venue primarily served the African-American population in the then heavily-segregated Southern United States.

Frank G. Painia (1907–1972) established a barbershop on LaSalle Street in the late 1930s. \

He began selling refreshments to workers at the nearby Magnolia Housing Project, and then expanded his premises to include a bar and hotel, which opened as the Dew Drop Inn in April 1939.

 During World War II, Painia also started booking bands for concerts in the city, and frequently had the musicians staying at his hotel. 

He started putting on entertainment in the hotel lounge, before developing it further into a dancehall, which opened in 1945.

Nicknamed "the Groove Room", the Dew Drop Inn was reported in October 1945 by the Louisiana Weekly to be "New Orleans' swankiest nightclub", and began featuring visiting musicians such as Joe Turner, the Sweethearts of Rhythm, Amos Milburn, Lollypop Jones, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Ivory Joe Hunter, Chubby Newsom, The Ravens, Big Maybelle, and Cecil Gant. 

The resident bandleaders were local musicians Dave Bartholomew and Edgar Blanchard, and Painia discovered and helped establish local stars including Larry Darnell, Tommy Ridgley, Earl King, Huey "Piano" Smith, and Allen Toussaint.

The club continued to attract star performers in the 1950s and 1960s, including Ray Charles, James Brown, Sam Cooke, Ike & Tina Turner, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, and Little Richard, who wrote a song, "Dew Drop Inn", about the venue. 

The club's popularity declined from the mid-1960s, after the repeal of segregation laws allowed other clubs to open, and Painia suffered from ill health. 

Though the hotel continued to function, the floor shows became irregular and eventually ceased

Frank Painia died from cancer in July 1972, and the restaurant and bar were leased to new occupants. 

The building fell into increasing disrepair, but remained in the ownership of the Painia family.

 It was flooded and further damaged as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005

PLUS URBIA DESIGN EARNS MIAMI TODAY'S PRAISE

http://plusurbia.com/miami-today-transit-oriented-districts-to-let-hialeah-urbanize-go-vertical/

SAVE LITTLE HAVANA BEFORE TRAFFIC ENGINEERS DESTROY THE CALLE OCHO CORRIDOR

The FDOT study for the redesign of Miami’s Calle Ocho

corridor is reaching crisis proportions

Every time FDOT has a new meeting on the world-famous and historic Calle Ocho corridor, it introduces plans that run more counter to complete streets.

Iffy stats contribute to the feeling that the community is being ignored.

Dozens if not hundreds of American cities large and small have torn down highways, shrunk lanes, widened sidewalks, built Transit Oriented Development and introduced a host of design guidelines aimed at mobility equality for human beings -- on foot, on bike, in wheelchairs, on public transit.

Every measure of the future suggests mobility via individual car ownership will decline.

Yet FDOT seems hellbent on ignoring its own complete streets guidelines and turning existing "Highway Ocho" from bad to worse.

It couldn't come at a worse time.

Visionary developers, realtors and activists are doing everything they can to re-invigorate Little Havana with adaptive re-use, human-scaled infill and curated, mom and pop tenants.

An overwhelming majority of renters and home owners north and south of Calle Ocho want a safe street to cross and development oriented to humans, not cars.

Yet every indication, from very questionable analysis numbers to drawings, shows that FDOT is intent on making the beloved Calle8 corridor nothing more than a streamlined highway into and out of Brickell/downtown Miami.

Lots of urban advocates read this blog.

Please, get involved in advocating for complete streets and human scale.

If you are local, come to a meeting and call an elected official.

If you are national, share this with the lists you belong this, make this part of the agenda of your organization.

If you do not, you will forever be lamenting the passing of Calle Ocho and Little Havana -- just like we mourn the passing of the Original Penn Station decades later.

--I am posting this an individual, not as an affiliate of any for profit or non profit entity. My wife and I -- nearly 20 years ago -- bought and rehabbed an about to be razed 1920 house just blocks for Calle8. We love the corridor and want to preserve it.

ART HOUSE NEW ORLEANS -- part 3

Stay like a local in the authentic Holly Grove NOLA neighborhood

Ideas for making Art House more wheelchair-accessible

For a pair of homeowners who simply want to make their Air BnB property accommodating to all, including folks with disabilities, Patricia and Ron get a grade of A.

Their work to introduce universal design/ADA access is better than some chain hotel properties -- that hire consultants, architects and contractors to be wheelchair accessible -- and that's really saying something.

To educate our gracious hosts, and all readers about some relatively inexpensive modifications, we share what it would take to make Art House 100% wheelchair-accessible:

*Replace toilet with higher, ADA compliant commode

*Make bathroom door open outward -- hinges switch would keep door from blocking wheelchair maneuverability.

*Pull up carpet and get carpenter to put in beveled edges so that both bedrooms have level access, not the inch or 2 inch rise.

*Put window AC units in both bedrooms -- or central air -- I cannot imagine 90 degree weather with 90 pct humidity and that little wall unit in the kitchen cooling off sweltering summer NOLA. Folks with MS and other disabilities cannot chance staying at a place without climate controls powerful enough to cool their sleeping quarters.

*Put small, lightweight nightstand or table next to queen bed. We know the space is narrow, but folks want to reach a bottle of water, pills, ear plugs, etc. at night. The amenity, which would serve all, will provide easy access for folks with limited mobility.

*Install a couple electrical wall outlets at 30 to 36 inches above the floor -- wheelchair users cannot reach outlets lower than that.

*Lower light switches to 36 inches above the floor -- wheelchair users cannot reach switches at regular, 4 to 5 feet above ground height. Another option would be to wire outlets for remote controls.

*Put a channel drain in the bathroom, next to the tub/shower. The transfer bench is an amazing and much-appreciated mobility devise. But it bows out the shower curtain and the floor gets wet. To avoid flooding or use of all your reserve bath towels, put in a floor drain.

*Keep being the wonderful, communicative, willing to meet everyone halfway hosts that you are. Fewer than 1% of the Air BnB listings in NOLA are truly capable of accommodating a wheelchair user. You are very good and with some modifications over time, could be super great.

ART HOUSE NEW ORLEANS -- part 2

Stay like a local in an authentic NOLA neighborhood

The hosting, cleanliness, price point, sharing photos to confirm aspects of the property, local art, and dozens of pluses make staying with Patricia and Ron a 9 out of 10 stars experience.

Sometimes, we get so positive in our reviews, people think we are a relative, friend or the owner themselves -- goosing up the reviews to bring in revenue. 

To prove we are not shills, here are a few minor minuses about Art House New Orleans:

*Apartment does not have central A/C. (Our stay was in December, so we didn't need to use the one small A/C wall unit in the kitchen.)

*Apartment has an wall-mounted gas heater that throws lots of heat in the living room and kitchen, but not much reaches the bedrooms. (A couple mobile ceramic space heaters would be a much better choice.)

*Sounds of footfalls from the owners' upstairs were rather noticeable, but they were very quiet at night.

*The Holly Grove neighborhood is rather edgy and neighbors were rather loud at times. (but did quiet down by 11 p.m. at the latest, often even earlier. A portable white noise machine for sleeping is advised.)

Again, we do not mean to be negative at all, on the overall evaluation.

The owner invested more than $100 in a portable bath bench to make for safe, comfortable use of the tub/shower by a wheelchair user.

At our request, our hosts bought us nearly $40 worth of Trader Joes groceries, etc. 

We reimbursed them, but having the fridge stocked with high quality, low cost items for breakfast and beyond meant we had more time for enjoying the city.

The second we closed the door, we were in an oasis. 

Probably half or more of the furnishings, appliances, etc. in Art House are nicer than what we have in our lovely 100-year-old home.

Bottom line, two thumbs up for Art House New Orleans.

ART HOUSE NEW ORLEANS

Stay like a local in an authentic NOLA neighborhood

The pros (there are dozens):

*Apartment was very clean, from top to bottom.

*Decorated with playful paintings and sculptures done by local artists.

*Kitchen is very large, with dishes, silverware, full-size appliances, including a dishwasher. Makes it very conStay like a local in an authentic NOLA neighborhood

The pros (there are dozens):

*Apartment was very clean, from top to bottom.

*Decorated with playful paintings and sculptures done by local artists.

*Kitchen is very large, with dishes, silverware, full-size appliances, including a dishwasher. Makes it very convenient and economical to prepare meals or heat up take-out food.

*Living room is sizable with comfy furniture and flat-screen TV.

*Bedrooms are decent size. Beds have comfy mattresses and quality linens.

*Stackable washer and dryer are excellent quality and easy to use.

*Spotless bathroom. Like cleanest we'd ever seen. Same with kitchen, common areas, etc.

*During our stay, the owner answered our texts quickly. She was warm but not overly intrusive. Her hospitality included a small decorated Christmas tree and stockings for us containing tasty snacks.

*Answered millions of our questions between booking and arrival. Put up with our nerdy requests.

*You get a full size (maybe 1,000 SF) house for less than $170 per night, fully loaded. That price would get you a 150 SF hotel, maybe, plus cost of parking and all kinds of taxes and add-ons. So this a great deal.

*Is 90% wheelchair-accessible. Very good for folks learning about accommodating wheelchair using guests. A few tweaks and it would be ADA heaven.

*A total oasis once you shut the door. Feels like your own place. Modern appliances. So nice, two people could live in this year round and not be cramped.

*Great local food suggestions from owner.

*Feels like every detail has been thought through.

*No crappy, hand me down stuff you see in a lot of rental units.

*First class pots, pans, dishes, art, spaces.

*Beds were firm and comfortable.  

*If you are diverse and interested in staying in a real neighborhood, this is your place. 

*Patricia is a joy to deal with. She answers messages in a flash. Like so fast, she's anticipating young need before you voice it in a text or email.

CHRIS ARDOIN LIVE AT ROCK 'N' BOWL

New Orleans, Live, 12-29-2016

Chris Ardoin (born April 7, 1981 in Lake Charles, Louisiana^[) is a zydeco accordionist and singer. He is one of the young artists that helped form nouveau zydeco, a new style of music that fused traditional zydeco with various styles including hip-hop, reggae and R&B.

He was a child prodigy belonging to a musical dynasty (his father was Lawrence Ardoin and his grandfather, Bois Sec Ardoin). His older brother is Gospel zydeco artist Sean Ardoin. He started with the accordion at the age of two and grew up listening to zydeco only for the most part until he was in his teens.^[1] When he was just ten, with a help from his father Lawrence, he formed the Double Clutchin' zydeco band with his elder brother Sean Ardoin on drums.

In 1994, the band released their debut album That's Da Lick from Maison de Soul label. Though it was Sean who handled all the vocals and songwriting, the album was credited to Chris as they considered putting younger Chris in front would draw more attention to the band.^[1] Chris came more into the center of the spotlight in the follow-up effort Lick It Up! released a year later, sharing vocals and songwriting duties with Sean. Sean left the band after releasing the album Turn the Page in 1997 to concentrate in his solo career.

In 2005, Chris changed the band name from Double Clutchin' to NuStep, and released Sweat, the first album under the new name. M.V.P. followed in 2006, V.I.P in 2008, Alter Ego in 2009, and Headliner in 2010.

DR. JOHN -- IN THE RIGHT PLACE

Mini video clip from front row, center, Tipitina's: 12-27-2016

DR. JOHN LIVE -- TIPITINA'S -- UPTOWN, NEW ORLEANS

How Come My Dog Don't Bark (When You Come Around)?

DR. JOHN IKO IKO LIVE CLIP

TIPITINA'S, NEW ORLEANS, 12-27-2016

AKA MALCOLM JOHN "MAC" REBENNACK

Sent pictures from front row to my dear friend Frank....then enjoyed the incomparable baked goods made at the direction of his superstar daughter then next day at Willa Jean in New Orleans

DR. JOHN AND THE NITE TRIPPERS LIVE DEC 27 AT TIPITINA'S

Tipitina's is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

Local music enthusiasts opened the venue on January 14, 1977. The name was inspired by a well-known song, "Tipitina", by Professor Longhair who also performed there until his death in 1980. Before adopting use of "Tipitina's" as its name, the facility was known as "The 501 Club," in reference to its street address (501 Napoleon Avenue). Tipitina's stands as one of the best-known clubs in New Orleans. The building itself was constructed in 1912, and prior to becoming Tipitina's, it served as a gambling house, gymnasium, and brothel.

In the early years, it had a juice bar, restaurant, and a bar. The only remnant of the juice bar is the banana in Tipitina's logo. In the early 1980s, the studios of radio station WWOZ were located in one of the apartments upstairs from the club. During that time, occasionally, WWOZ would carry a Tipitina's show live by literally lowering a microphone into the club through a hole in the floor.  Tipitina's closed for a time during the 1984 World's Fair, when much of the local music scene was drawn to venues in and around the Fair. The building was then remodeled to remove the upstairs apartments in favor of a higher ceiling in the downstairs music venue and reopened.

In 1998, Tipitinas opened a second location on North Peters Street in the French Quarter,^[4] which for a time was also a regular live music venue as well as open for private events and parties but is currently closed. Apart from running these venues, Tipitina's has established the Tipitina's Foundation, a non-profit organization to support local music and musicians. The main focus of the Tipitina's Foundation is to provide musical instruments and uniforms to New Orleans public high school Marching Bands. The Foundation has been especially active in supporting the musicians victimized by Hurricane Katrina.^[5]

During the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival period, Tipitina's hosts a concert series titled "Fess Jazztival", which is a play on "Jazz Festival" and Professor Longhair's nickname, "Fess".

http://tipitinas.com/

LEYLA MCCALLA OPENED FOR DR. JOHN

I would never be so rude as to boo an opening act off the stage, but as I age, and want to get to bed relatively close to midnight -- even on big show night out night -- openers sometimes feel like an unnecessary delay that will push the headliner's start back so late, that I'll only get a half night's sleep.

Layla McCalla is the opposite of an opening act that is mere parsley on the plate, as you await the main course.

She is captivating, amazing, super talent.

She had us at the first song. So much heart, soul and big music from a little trio.

Living in Miami, we have lots of Haitian friends and are somewhat familiar with the music of Haiti.

But McCalla, Haitian rooted/New York raised added a whole new dimension to Haitian Creole and French singing strained threw New Orleans' incomparable musical gumbo.

She's great with the audience as well. Opening up her heart and sharing just enough details about her life, heritage, the meaning behind the lyrics, the verve behind the music.

She played maybe 45 minutes. It went by like 10.

We half hoped she would join Dr. John or even cook up some unheard of approach to coming out and playing after the headliner was done, the house lights were up and a few dozen loyal fans stuck around to hear her.

We would see her headlining a show in a heartbeat.

She's new artist of the year, in our book, so long as it isn't an insult to call a classically trained, young veteran artist a "newcomer."

--courtesy of her website:

Leyla McCalla is a New York-born Haitian-American living in New Orleans, who sings in French, Haitian Creole and English, and plays cello, tenor banjo and guitar. Deeply influenced by traditional Creole, Cajun and Haitian music, as well as by American jazz and folk, her music is at once earthy, elegant, soulful and witty — it vibrates with three centuries of history, yet also feels strikingly fresh, distinctive and contemporary.

Leyla’s debut album, Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes, was named 2013’s Album of the Year by the London Sunday Times and Songlines magazine, and received additional raves from a number of other publications, including the New York Times, Boston Globe and Offbeat, for its haunting mixture of music and message.

Now, having toured extensively in the U.S., Europe and Israel in support of Vari-Colored Songs, Leyla is focusing on her next album. Titled A Day For The Hunter, A Day For The Prey, the album will be released in the spring of 2016 by Jazz Village/Harmonia Mundi.

 A Day For The Hunter, A Day For The Prey will continue to explore the themes of social justice and pan-African consciousness that marked Vari-Colored Songs, and will once again feature songs sung in English, French and Haitian Creole. The album will also include guest appearances by legendary guitarist Marc Ribot, Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Louis Michot of the Lost Bayou Ramblers, and New Orleans singer-songwriter/guitarist Sarah Quintana.

http://leylamccalla.com/

DR. JOHN LIVE AND THE NITE TRIPPERS AT TIPITINA'S

THE FABULOUS NITE TRIPPERS BACKING BAND

Amazing horn section -- live at Tipitina's 12-27-2016

DR. JOHN LIVE AT TIPITINA'S

FRONT ROW SEAT, HEART OF NAWLINS, DEC. 27

He played 2 hours straight, without a pause.

SNUG HARBOR NEW ORLEANS

GREAT MUSIC CLUB, OUTSTANDING ABOUT 

ACCOMMODATING WHEELCHAIR USERS

For over 30 years, Snug Harbor has provided the best in live jazz & great regional cooking at reasonable prices. 

Snug is located in three rooms of a renovated 1800’s storefront located in the Faubourg Mariginy, just outside the French Quarter. 

We have a dining room, a bar, and a music room. 

--http://snugjazz.com