Hi bankley,

All those French names you mention are still very much in evidence around here. Whether they live right in the N.O. area or further west, out in Cajunland, they all make regular appearances in and around town.

Bruce Daigrepont must live here in town, or nearby, because he headlines the Sunday afternoon Fais-Do-Do at Tipitina's every single week.

The Cajuns and French Canadians have a lot in common, and Montreal has been a sort of home-away-from-home for all sorts of Louisiana musicians for many years. I have heard different opinions on whether the two groups share a common language ("North American French") ~ some folks swear the two groups speak essentially the same dialect, while others are just as adamant that the languages of the two groups are so different that they can't even understand each other without resorting to English.

The demise of the A-Bar marked the end of "real" roots-based music on Bourbon Street. Preservation Hall still offers great traditional music about a half-block off Bourbon, but while the busiest tourist area still provides a fair number of musician jobs, it's now almost almost exclusively devoted to the top-40 cover-band genre.

A relatively new live-music "strip" has developed on Frenchman Street, just outside the Quarter. The wonderful contemporary-jazz club Snug Harbor has been there for years, and more and more venues have gradually opened up in that area, offering live entertainment (and gigs!) in a variety of musical styles.