This week’s episode is chock full of references to the traditional jazz foundations of New Orleans music and the city’s food culture makes its first appearance as a major topic of discussion as well.

The majority of the episode keeps a light tone and the events that unfold present the most significant indications of optimism and real progress in the rebuilding effort. The most notable of which, the fictionalized interpretation of a January 15th Second Line Parade that took place after the storm, is overshadowed (in very New Orleans fashion) by a violent shooting which provides a sobering reminder of the crime problems the city has always struggled against.

This episode marks a turning point in the show which begins some significant plot development. David Simon does a masterful job of demonstrating the dichotomy between the city’s best and most exuberant moments as well as its darkest.

Here is this week’s Locals Guide:

The City
Shotgun Houses – In an early scene, Annie awakes to see Sonny’s friend from Houston waiting until they were up to walk through their room to use the bathroom. This is a nod to the many very old shotgun-style houses that abound throughout the city. The houses are notorious for their layout which requires passage through each room to reach either end of the house. They were originally designed this way for ventilation purposes to make the intense heat of New Orleans summers more tolerable in the era predating air conditioning.

Krewe Du Vieux -  One of the oldest Mardi Gras parades. It kicks off Mardi Gras season and is known for the biting sarcasm of its satirical themes that generally focus upon local and national politics and corruption. The parade is unique for the fact that it only runs downtown and has not adopted any of the motorized, tractor-pulled floats of most modern parades, preferring instead to rely on horse drawn floats and marching groups.

Blanco, Nagin, Sperm – The Krewe De Vieux themes the first year after Katrina focused much of their wrath upon ex-governor Kathleen Blanco, current mayor (at the time of the episode’s setting) Ray Nagin, and for some reason…sperm.

Fortier – Antoine’s wife mentions the fact that Fortier, a local public school with one of the worst reputations that served mostly inner-city African-American children, will not be reopening. Fortier’s building was purchased by the Lusher Charter School and converted into a new school to reopen after Katrina. It was a disconcerting thing to see the relatively privileged children of Lusher families going to class in the building after the storm.

Shady Contractors – In the era after Katrina, there were many horror stories about people paying contractors exorbitant amounts of money for roof and house repairs only to find that the contractors would split town or leave the jobs unfinished.

Flooded Court Records – In the aftermath of Katrina an enormous percentage of the city’s court records and transcripts were lost to water damage, as was much of the computerized database. This wreaked havoc on the local court system and tied up legal proceedings for ages.

Calliope and Laffitte Housing Projects – When lobbying for the reopening of the housing projects, Albert refers to two that had not reopened after the storm: The Calliope and Laffitte.

Mid-City Flooding – Antoine tells his Japanese friend that his house in Mid-City received 5 feet of flooding. Mid-City located roughly between Downtown and the Lakefront and was hit particularly hard by the storm. I grew up in Mid-City and my house received about 9 feet of water and had to be completely gutted and restored. Despite the terrible devastation that occurred, the neighborhood’s residents are so fiercely devoted to its survival that many of its sections have been rebuilt and are in large-part better off than they were before the storm.

Crime in New Orleans – New Orleans has always been notorious for its crime rate, which, after Katrina, despite being comprised of less than half of its original residents represented the highest murder rate per capita in the United States. This episode begins to discuss the fact that along with many of the things that made the city great before the storm, many of those that always held it back began to make an eventual resurgence and that the city must take proactive measures to create a better place to live after Katrina.

Danziger Bridge Shooting – Among the New Orleans crime references is the Danziger Bridge Shooting that occurred on September 4th, 2005 right after Katrina and involved the death by shooting of unarmed civilians under fire from NOPD officers above the Industrial Canal.

Eddie Jordan – Mentioned in relation to corruption in local government, Jordan was District Attorney (for Orleans Parish) in the aftermath of Katrina and was eventually forced to resign after a judgment was granted against his office after a large number of white city employees were fired because of their race.

The Music

There is a high number of fairly obscure traditional jazz name dropping that takes place in this episode that is best explained by the experts, here. For the rest, however, I have provided my best explanations.

Bounce Music – This is the third episode in which Bounce Music is referenced. Creighton’s daughter is listening to an undidentified bounce artist on her iPod in the kitchen.

The Japanese Jazz Market – The Japanese benefactor who provides Antoine with his new trombone is a representation of the very large market for jazz that exists in Japan. The Japanese have a famous love for New Orleans culture and music and have long been larger supporters of the city’s musicians than American listeners.

Tipitina’s Foundation – The Tipitina’s Foundation exists to help musician’s make a living and receive instruments as well as providing resources for music education to children. It is was founded by the owners of the famous Tipitina’s music venue in New Orleans.

Preservation Hall – Antoine’s Japanese benefactor mentions recordings from Preservation Hall, a local music venue that is dedicated to the preservation of traditional jazz music and its roots. The house band: The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is known internationally and tours on a regular basis.

New Orleans Music Exchange – The store where Antoine decides to purchase a new trombone after deciding against the pawn shop is New Orleans Music Exchange. Located at the intersection of Magazine St and Louisiana Ave, the store is a local favorite for new and used instruments as well as a resource for instrument repairs and lessons.

Second Line – The parade scene at the end of the episode is an example of a Second Line, as explained in an earlier post. This particular Second Line is based on the All-Star Second Line parade that took place on January 15, 2006.

The Food (and Drink)

King Cake – When asked how she made it past the desk sergeant in one of the NOPD office scenes, Toni mentions that she brought King Cake. King Cake is a staple of Mardi Gras season and is made by local bakeries all across the city. One of the most famous types was made by now-defunct local family bakery McKenzie’s which was shut down because of a number of allegations concerning health code violations. The cakes come in a number of different recipes but generally all involve purple, green, and gold (Mardi Gras colors) frosting and have a small plastic baby inside. The party-goer who receives the piece with the baby in it is expected by tradition to purchase the next king cake. King Cakes date back to the old French tradition of the Galette Des Rois.

Mr B’s – A couple of New Orleans restaurants are mentioned in the kitchen scenes. Mr B’s is one of New Orleans nicest and best known bistros owned by dynastic restaurant family The Brennans (Commander’s Palace, Ralph’s On The Park, Bacco, Dickie Brenan’s Steakhouse, Red Fish Grill, Brennan’s – where famous New Orleans dessert Bananas Foster was created).

Irene’s Cuisine – Another of the restaurants mentioned this episode is French/Italian bistro Irene’s located in the French Quarter.

Sazerac – The Sazerac is New Orleans official cocktail although it can be relatively difficult to find someone qualified to make a real one at many of the city’s venues.

Abita Amber – Abita is a local brewery that is stationed in Abita Springs just North of Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans. Amber is its flagship beer and a staple in local bars. The Abita Brewery is famous for its tours that allow visitors to consume a relatively unlimited amount of beer for free while touring the facility. The only problem for New Orleans locals is finding somebody willing to stay sober for the 45 minute drive across the Causeway afterwards.

Po’Boys & Zapp’s – In the scene where Albert and his daughter are having lunch, Albert mentions that she probably missed Po-Boys, the local sandwich made with French bread that is available everywhere in the city and is generally made with fried seafood (Shrimp, Oysters, etc). The two are also shown eating Zapp’s potato chips, a local classic that are the perfect complement to any Po’Boy.

John Besh – A famous local chef and winner of Iron Chef competitions, Besh owns a number of the best restaurants around the city: Luke, August, La Provence, etc. The celebrity chefs mention that he sent them to Janette restaurant in their cameo.

As always, we look forward to your comments, thoughts, and ideas.

-Patrick R

patrick@rabbitholeconsulting.com

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