New Orleans Music Tour: Exploring American Popularity
4.5
30 Ratings
New Orleans

New Orleans is widely known for its Jazz, but this journey aims to demonstrate how every genre of American popular music is influenced by New Orleans. According to the outspoken New Orleans R&B icon Ernie K-Doe: “I’m not certain, but I’m nearly convinced, all music originates from New Orleans.”

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Louis Armstrong Park - Explore the world’s richest musical city, starting with Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square, historic site of African slave gatherings, the only place in North American where pure West African religious ritual and musical traditions were performed. Congo Square is considered the wellspring of all New Orleans music and, consequently, so much of worldwide popular song. It is also the site of the first New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970.

From Armstrong Park, view the building which housed Cosimo Matassa’s groundbreaking J&M Studios which created the New Orleans Sound with such New Orleanians as Professor Longhair, Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino, Guitar Slim, Shirley & Lee, Lloyd Price, Ernie K-Doe, Allen Toussaint, Clarence Frogman Henry & visitors including Little Richard, Ray Charles, & Jerry Lee Lewis. J & M Studios is the true birthplace of rock n roll.

What's Included
  • Expert tour guide
Location
Rampart Treehouse
North Rampart Street
Meet the tour guide at the Rampart Treehouse, 740 North Rampart Street
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(30 Ratings)
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Alex_d
Apr 5, 2024
Tour guide Extrodinare - Tour guide was very knowledgeable not only about music, but history as it relates to New Orleans' impact across the globe.
Review provided by Viator
Mallorie
Mar 28, 2024
Music of New Orleans Tour with NIKA. - Love love loveeeed this tour along with our guide! The tour guide, NIKA, was spectacular! She delivered the most amazing vibes, she was fun to talk to and be around. She knew how to vibe and be serious and have fun all at the same time. You can tell she loves her job, talking and teaching people about the music history of Louisiana!! 10/10 would come back and have her as my tour guide again! Thank you NIKA, you made what usual boring walking tours into a fun and enjoyable learning experience!! <3
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michele
Jan 21, 2024
Tour guide adapted to our needs when original tour was canceled - Our Music of New Orleans tour was canceled at the last minute. But they offered us a tour of Treme/ Voo Doo a half hour earlier. We were able to get there in time. There was only 4 total people on the tour, so our tour guide David did a great job adapting his tour to also include a lot about Music as well. He was very knowledgeable and funny. He used an IPad to show videos and music to amplify his stories and "prove" his stories were true. For example, we looked at things provided by the Library of Congress.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pacificloon
Jan 3, 2024
New Orleans Music Tour - David Higgins is an absolute character, an enthusiastic story teller, and educator. I thought I knew quite a bit about jazz, but the way he put all the pieces together had all of us thinking and talking about the tour for days. We could have listened to him all day! His father was a jazz drummer who had played with many big name jazz artists, and although he didn't talk about himself much, it seemed like he is a musician also. The amount of research he put into his tour was very evident, and he even had videos and photos to show us along the way. If you like jazz and want to learn about how it started you must do David's tour! IT'S A GUMBO!! :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Teresa_c
Dec 4, 2023
Knowledgeable tour guide - Knowledgeable tour guide, very passionate about music/music origins. That’s all I have to say, done here.
Review provided by Viator
Charlie_b
Nov 19, 2023
Wonderful tour and tour guide. Would highly recommend this tour and experience - Wonderful tour guide. Very knowledgeable, personable, and informative. He was excellent! Would highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Inspiration820464
Mar 10, 2024
Music Tour in New Orleans - Enjoyed learning about the history of the Congo revival and the beginnings of jazz and rock n roll. Our guide was very knowledgeable on the history. My only complaint is that our tour was supposed to end at Preservation Hall, but our tour guide cut the 2 hour tour 30 minutes short and did not take us to visit Preservation Hall.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diane_k
Apr 13, 2024
Worst “tour” ever, a total waste of time and money - This was not a tour, we simply went to Armstrong Park, only one of the several places we were supposed to visit! Our “guide” did nothing but ramble on, often way off topic. We did not get what we paid for and should get our money back. This was a total waste of an afternoon of our vacation and I couldn’t be more upset and disappointed. Do not waste time and money on this “tour”.
Review provided by Viator
Dianekv8616mn
Apr 12, 2024
Worst Tour Ever-A Total Waste of Time and Money - Everyone on this tour with us should get a refund, it was awful. We spent about an hour in Congo Square listening to our “guide” go on and on about his father’s music career and musicians he had met. We spent nearly another hour listening/watching a video of Mahalia Jackson at the Newport Jazz Festival. The closest we got to the locations we were supposed to visit was our “guide” pointing in one direction or another. A total waste of time, I feel like I was robbed because I didn’t get anything close to what I paid for and was looking forward to. Don’t waste your time with this tour, it was the worst tour ever!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelle_l
Dec 30, 2023
A total waste of time and money - We love walking tours and take them wherever we travel, but sadly this was the worst walking tour we have ever experienced. Although Anna, our guide was quite personable this was a total waste of time and money. If you want a musical heritage tour of New Orleans this is NOT a good choice. We wandered around Armstrong Park for an endless hour looking at sculptures of musical icons while our guide looked for samples of the music on her phone. Total waste of time as we could hear very little. When we finally left the park we entered a rather decrepit laundromat that used to be a jazz recording studio. Our guide talked to us while we side stepped folks moving their dirty clothes around us. The whole experience was sad and demoralizing. As for other musical venues there was nothing and in fact we had to look at the historic Presevation Jazz Hall from across the street. We all actually thought it was an abandoned building. We were told we could visit famed Frenchman’s Street on our own but to be careful as it could be dangerous. The final stop at Jackson Square, which was a National Park site was all closed up and no longer in business as the site had been moved to another location. This was news to our “guide.” I am sorry to say the tour operators should rethink this itinerary and those wishing to learn about New Orleans’ rich music history should look elsewhere.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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