One of the rare and beautiful things about New Orleans his how integrated live music is with daily life.

This used to be the norm. Now New Orleans seems to be the last place in North America where this is true.

And more than that, New Orleans has a music community that consciously develops its young; maintains its traditions (including a vast repertoire of New Orleans-based songs); and honors its elders for their open-handed generosity of spirit to the new generation.

It’s a very beautiful, very human system.

In this less-than-perfect video (the light was bad and I was cut off before things really got rolling) one of the most beloved figures in the New Orleans music community “Uncle” Lionel Batiste shares a moment at the Palm Court.