1. New Orleans Jazz Legacy By Samantha HilsenrodLouis Armstrong, Jazz Trumpeter, in 1953.Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection. Posted at WikimediaCommons. 2. As a student at Tulane University in New Orleans,Louisiana, I appreciate the deep cultural history the cityoffers. Among other things, New Orleans is famous as thebirthplace of jazz. Also known as hot jazz or Dixieland music, traditional NewOrleans jazz developed in the early 20th century from themusic of the often raucous brass bands that accompaniedfuneral processionals in Congo Square and other parts of thecity, such as the French Quarter. Early jazz combined elements of ragtime, French quadrilles,and the blues, creating a uniquely American style of music. By 1910, New Orleans bands who toured in places likeChicago and New York City began popularizing jazz asdance music. 3. The band most commonly associated with Dixieland, LouisArmstrongs All-Stars, emerged in the 1940s. Born and raised in New Orleans, Armstrong was sent to reformschool at age 12 for firing a pistol in the air on New Years Eve. He learned to play the cornet there, and after being released twoyears later, the young musician came under the tutelage of Joe"King" Oliver, who performed at early jazz venues such as theFunky Butt Hall. Oliver gave Armstrong his first cornet, encouraging him todevelop his skills. Needless to say, Armstrong gainedinternational recognition as a jazz musician over the next severaldecades. Louie Armstrong garnered fame as much for hisunmistakable presence and charisma as for his virtuosic trumpetplaying and singing. By the late 1960s, when he appeared in Hello, Dolly!,Armstrong represented a bygone era of Dixieland history in theAmerican popular imagination. 4. Jazz continues to play a vital part in New Orleans life to thisday; visitors and residents can listen to members of theMarsalis jazz family, who nod to local tradition whileembracing new sounds. Preservation Hall, located in the heart of the French Quarter,keeps traditional New Orleans jazz alive for the faithful. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival remains anotable annual event that features great musicians in avariety of genres, including the Tulane Jazz Ensemble. Headliners at this years festival, which runs from April 29to May 8, include Robert Plant and the Band of Joy, WyclefJean, Mumford & Sons, and the Mighty Clouds of Joy.