New Orleans jazz thrilled the world in the twenties and traveled around the world in the thirties. In the forties and fifties, the world came to New Orleans to hear authentic New Orleans jazz played by real jazz musicians. The sixties brought Preservation Hall, a musical institution that even a hurricane couldn’t kill. For the last 40 years, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has been celebrating New Orleans’ and Louisiana’s unique culture and music.

This volume contains rare photographs from the Louisiana State Museum’s Jazz Collection, lovingly assembled and accompanied by captions written by award-winning author and Jazz Roots radio show host Tom Morgan. Those who love jazz will be amazed by these pictures of some of the best musicians ever to pick up an instrument. For those just beginning to learn about jazz, this 200-page volume is an excellent takeoff point to learn more about what made New Orleans jazz unique, and a source to discover musicians who can further enhance readers’ listening pleasure.

About the Author:

Tom Morgan is a New Orleans–based jazz historian, writer, and radio producer. His first book, From Cakewalks to Concert Halls: An Illustrated History of African-American Popular Music: From 1895 to 1930, was awarded second place in the 1992 Ralph Gleason Music Book Awards. Tom hosts Jazz Roots (jass.com), the premier Web site for early jazz and the history of black music at the beginning of the twentieth century, and “Today in Louisiana Music History” (louisianabirthdays.com), which celebrates the musicians of Louisiana.

Tom has been involved in public radio since 1981. For almost 20 years, he produced and hosted two radio shows for WTJU-FM in Charlottesville, Virginia. In late 1999, Tom joined WWOZ-FM in New Orleans. He hosts the Tuesday New Orleans Music Show and the Wednesday Jazz Roots Show. Tom is also a main host for WWOZ’s live broadcasts from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.