If you read my columns and blogs on a regular basis, you know
how I feel about tourism related to music. New Orleans does not really spotlight
music in its tourism and advertising campaigns; I think there’s too much other
stuff going on in the city that the hospitality people feel is a lot more
important: food, partying, drinking, architecture, parades. Music hardly ever
takes front and center in overall advertising campaigns.
Too bad. Other cities have capitalized on their historical past and their (thin, compared to New Orleans) music ties. Yet, we have festivals with music all year long, not just during big festivals like Jazz Fest and French Quarter Fest. These events draw locals and tourists alike. We have a vibrant live music scene all over the city (which music naysayers and haterz want to keep from expanding).
I’m unfortunately convinced that most citizens of New Orleans and the rest of the state aren’t particularly interested in local music and musicians. They’re more into the pop music that’s fed to them by commercial interests. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not attractive to people outside of this state.
There’s always a push-pull between locals who want to keep the music “local” and not have it corrupted by commercialism. If you live or work in downtown New Orleans, at some time or another, you’ve been subjected to a faux second line parade, one that’s staged by a meeting or events planner to give visitors the opportunity to march in a parade.Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products. They pass out hankies for waving, hire a brass band and a grand marshal for hire, get a parade permit and march the poor suckers down St. Charles Avenue or through the Quarter to show them how we roll down here in New Or-Leens.
As obnoxious as that sounds to a lot of local people (particularly to the actual Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs whose second-line parades are deeply embedded in their culture), you have to look at it this way: if these tourists didn’t participate in this fake second line, they’d never have the ability to get a glimpse of what real New Orleanians do at a second line parade. Can you imagine a concierge at a local luxury hotel sending a group of people to a real second line parade? Horrors! The majority (but not all, hopefully) would be scared to death of all those black folk marching, drinking, dancing and carrying on! Thus, the sanitization and commercialization of our culture.
If nothing else, visitors need to be educated about our music and the culture it springs from by people who know what they’re talking about. They need to be shown how vibrant our music scene is. They need to know where it’s come from and how it’s evolving. The wonderful thing about New Orleans is that it’s a laboratory for the creation of new music. All the musicians here play together, all types of music and there’s some inevitable cross-pollination. That needs to be communicated too.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, why can’t we put together an entity, a museum, that shows visitors (and locals who need to be educated) why music is important in New Orleans, and why it’s the most authentically musical city on earth. It’s not manufactured or imported; it’s real and it’s part of who we all are. Music is the glue that holds the other elements of the culture together. We can preserve it and develop it at the same time. All it takes is some commitment from us, the people.
I recently read an interesting term paper sent to me by Dr. Connie Atkinson, written by one of her history students, Douglas Rowe. I received his permission to publish his thoughts, and I think it’s worth your time to read. Bravo, Mr. Rowe. We need people like you who “get it!”
Some tourists with an especially keen interest in music go so far as to thoroughly educate themselves in advance of visiting a particular city (or in some cases have already been a long-time fan of a certain city’s music style or history),Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. so that they know who and what they want to hear and where to go to hear it, which flies in the face of the classic impression of the clueless tourist wandering aimlessly.
These types of tourists would never want an indigenous music style to be affected by the presence of too many outsiders,The howo truck is offered by Shiyan Great Man Automotive Industry, and usually want to see the distinct local styles of music continue to flourish. Even for casual tourists who aren’t necessarily obsessed with music in their everyday lives, exposure to a memorable, enjoyable live performance in a vacation city known for its musical heritage can help keep them interested in the subject, and encourage them to view music and musicians as things of real value and worth in society, resulting in some level of continued support, however great or small.
Of course there are those aspects of tourism that justify the concerns of the local naysayers. The existence of the traditional, ill-informed, just-looking-for-a-good-time, no-idea-as-to-the-cultural-nature-of-the-city-they’re-visiting tourist cannot be denied,A specialized manufacturer and supplier of dry cabinet, particularly in New Orleans, which attracts various demographic groups for many reasons other than music. Whether they are “go-cup”-obsessed college-age visitors (or, sadly, often much older age groups as well) simply looking to get excessively drunk on Bourbon Street, or conventioneers who want to sneak in a visit to a “gentlemen’s club” while away from their wives, many people who visit a musical city like New Orleans may know or care little, or absolutely nothing,Thank you for visiting! I have been cry stalmosaic since 1998. about that particular cultural aspect of their destination.
Even if these travelers do come across a live musical performance while away from home, they may consider the music merely an unimportant “backdrop” to a fun evening out of drinking and socializing. If they do actively seek out live music, they often want to simply hear covers of pop music with which they are overly familiar, and have no interest in anything resembling the style of music specific to the local region’s culture.
Many locals are fully aware —and wary—of the type of tourist with no musical interest in a city like New Orleans, and these visitors certainly don’t help the local music culture, but—other than perhaps indirectly encouraging the existence of throw-away, generic “Top-40”-style bands in the French Quarter (which, it must be acknowledged, still employ local musicians)—they don’t necessarily damage the local scene, either. Potentially more harmful are the unintended consequences of the enthusiastic visits by knowledgeable, hard-core music travelers.
While these usually well-meaning tourists can be beneficial to the local culture, there is a downside to this type of visitor as well. These fans of a city’s music and culture often want to go “where the locals go,” and see and hear the “real” music in an “authentic” setting. As soon as a few of these out-of-town enthusiasts discover a place, again, particularly today with the internet and social media networking, the location can suddenly cease being a “locals” spot, and the musical acts may begin to cater to the new and different visitor crowd, making subtle or even overt changes to traditional musical styles practiced at a particular location for years.
Another side effect of the influence of these more culturally educated tourists stems from their very interest in and passion for the music of the city or region they visit. They can sometimes have a preconceived notion of what the music they are seeking should sound like, and can passively, even perhaps subconsciously, demand that it fit their expectations. If they visit Memphis, they may want to hear classic blues, rockabilly, or soul music, despite the fact that those genres flourished and peaked as active, innovative musical styles in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. Likewise in New Orleans and Louisiana, visiting fans may have been waiting for years to take in some live jazz, funk, or Cajun/zydeco performances; again, these styles of music and their original innovators reached their full creative bloom decades ago.
While it can be thrilling for many to hear these musical genres, so associated with particular regions, performed authentically in those locales by extremely talented purveyors of the craft, there is an argument that this is an unhealthy development for any artistic pursuit. The music can become stagnant, preserved like a prehistoric mosquito in a drop of amber. Talented musicians can spend their careers practicing an essentially dead musical form, however enthusiastically and authentically performed, fueled only by the nostalgia of the audience.
Too bad. Other cities have capitalized on their historical past and their (thin, compared to New Orleans) music ties. Yet, we have festivals with music all year long, not just during big festivals like Jazz Fest and French Quarter Fest. These events draw locals and tourists alike. We have a vibrant live music scene all over the city (which music naysayers and haterz want to keep from expanding).
I’m unfortunately convinced that most citizens of New Orleans and the rest of the state aren’t particularly interested in local music and musicians. They’re more into the pop music that’s fed to them by commercial interests. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not attractive to people outside of this state.
There’s always a push-pull between locals who want to keep the music “local” and not have it corrupted by commercialism. If you live or work in downtown New Orleans, at some time or another, you’ve been subjected to a faux second line parade, one that’s staged by a meeting or events planner to give visitors the opportunity to march in a parade.Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products. They pass out hankies for waving, hire a brass band and a grand marshal for hire, get a parade permit and march the poor suckers down St. Charles Avenue or through the Quarter to show them how we roll down here in New Or-Leens.
As obnoxious as that sounds to a lot of local people (particularly to the actual Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs whose second-line parades are deeply embedded in their culture), you have to look at it this way: if these tourists didn’t participate in this fake second line, they’d never have the ability to get a glimpse of what real New Orleanians do at a second line parade. Can you imagine a concierge at a local luxury hotel sending a group of people to a real second line parade? Horrors! The majority (but not all, hopefully) would be scared to death of all those black folk marching, drinking, dancing and carrying on! Thus, the sanitization and commercialization of our culture.
If nothing else, visitors need to be educated about our music and the culture it springs from by people who know what they’re talking about. They need to be shown how vibrant our music scene is. They need to know where it’s come from and how it’s evolving. The wonderful thing about New Orleans is that it’s a laboratory for the creation of new music. All the musicians here play together, all types of music and there’s some inevitable cross-pollination. That needs to be communicated too.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, why can’t we put together an entity, a museum, that shows visitors (and locals who need to be educated) why music is important in New Orleans, and why it’s the most authentically musical city on earth. It’s not manufactured or imported; it’s real and it’s part of who we all are. Music is the glue that holds the other elements of the culture together. We can preserve it and develop it at the same time. All it takes is some commitment from us, the people.
I recently read an interesting term paper sent to me by Dr. Connie Atkinson, written by one of her history students, Douglas Rowe. I received his permission to publish his thoughts, and I think it’s worth your time to read. Bravo, Mr. Rowe. We need people like you who “get it!”
Some tourists with an especially keen interest in music go so far as to thoroughly educate themselves in advance of visiting a particular city (or in some cases have already been a long-time fan of a certain city’s music style or history),Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. so that they know who and what they want to hear and where to go to hear it, which flies in the face of the classic impression of the clueless tourist wandering aimlessly.
These types of tourists would never want an indigenous music style to be affected by the presence of too many outsiders,The howo truck is offered by Shiyan Great Man Automotive Industry, and usually want to see the distinct local styles of music continue to flourish. Even for casual tourists who aren’t necessarily obsessed with music in their everyday lives, exposure to a memorable, enjoyable live performance in a vacation city known for its musical heritage can help keep them interested in the subject, and encourage them to view music and musicians as things of real value and worth in society, resulting in some level of continued support, however great or small.
Of course there are those aspects of tourism that justify the concerns of the local naysayers. The existence of the traditional, ill-informed, just-looking-for-a-good-time, no-idea-as-to-the-cultural-nature-of-the-city-they’re-visiting tourist cannot be denied,A specialized manufacturer and supplier of dry cabinet, particularly in New Orleans, which attracts various demographic groups for many reasons other than music. Whether they are “go-cup”-obsessed college-age visitors (or, sadly, often much older age groups as well) simply looking to get excessively drunk on Bourbon Street, or conventioneers who want to sneak in a visit to a “gentlemen’s club” while away from their wives, many people who visit a musical city like New Orleans may know or care little, or absolutely nothing,Thank you for visiting! I have been cry stalmosaic since 1998. about that particular cultural aspect of their destination.
Even if these travelers do come across a live musical performance while away from home, they may consider the music merely an unimportant “backdrop” to a fun evening out of drinking and socializing. If they do actively seek out live music, they often want to simply hear covers of pop music with which they are overly familiar, and have no interest in anything resembling the style of music specific to the local region’s culture.
Many locals are fully aware —and wary—of the type of tourist with no musical interest in a city like New Orleans, and these visitors certainly don’t help the local music culture, but—other than perhaps indirectly encouraging the existence of throw-away, generic “Top-40”-style bands in the French Quarter (which, it must be acknowledged, still employ local musicians)—they don’t necessarily damage the local scene, either. Potentially more harmful are the unintended consequences of the enthusiastic visits by knowledgeable, hard-core music travelers.
While these usually well-meaning tourists can be beneficial to the local culture, there is a downside to this type of visitor as well. These fans of a city’s music and culture often want to go “where the locals go,” and see and hear the “real” music in an “authentic” setting. As soon as a few of these out-of-town enthusiasts discover a place, again, particularly today with the internet and social media networking, the location can suddenly cease being a “locals” spot, and the musical acts may begin to cater to the new and different visitor crowd, making subtle or even overt changes to traditional musical styles practiced at a particular location for years.
Another side effect of the influence of these more culturally educated tourists stems from their very interest in and passion for the music of the city or region they visit. They can sometimes have a preconceived notion of what the music they are seeking should sound like, and can passively, even perhaps subconsciously, demand that it fit their expectations. If they visit Memphis, they may want to hear classic blues, rockabilly, or soul music, despite the fact that those genres flourished and peaked as active, innovative musical styles in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. Likewise in New Orleans and Louisiana, visiting fans may have been waiting for years to take in some live jazz, funk, or Cajun/zydeco performances; again, these styles of music and their original innovators reached their full creative bloom decades ago.
While it can be thrilling for many to hear these musical genres, so associated with particular regions, performed authentically in those locales by extremely talented purveyors of the craft, there is an argument that this is an unhealthy development for any artistic pursuit. The music can become stagnant, preserved like a prehistoric mosquito in a drop of amber. Talented musicians can spend their careers practicing an essentially dead musical form, however enthusiastically and authentically performed, fueled only by the nostalgia of the audience.
沒有留言:
張貼留言