New Orleans was the only place in the New World where slaves were allowed to own drums. Voodoo rituals in Congo Square, (The center of Voodoo drumming and dancing in New Orleans), were well attended by the rich and the poor, by blacks and whites. It was in New Orleans, where the bright flash of European horns, and the dark rumble of African drums, along with the syncopated rhythms of the Caribbean Islands, came together …showed first 75 words of 894 total…

…showed last 75 words of 894 total…Jazz musician of his era and eventually one of the biggest stars in the world. These small jazz bands played the best dance halls in "the district", however they also played on the street corners, especially after Storyville was "shut down" by the Naval Authorities in 1917. "Cutting contests" between various "kings" would take place in the streets and squares of the city, where they would attempt to outplay each other, notes being their only weapons.