Soul Cities Heads South: Hello, New Orleans

This week on Soul Cities Nelson George swings south to sing the praises of New Orleans, from the origins of jazz to the rise of Lil Wayne. Along the way he bounces through all the hippest spots, chatting with Irma Thomas and Raheem DeVaughn in the French Quarter and connecting with trumpeter-composer Terence Blanchard. He tips the hat to the city’s Essence Music Festival, calling it the “Black Lollapolooza,” and drops into Olivier’s restaurant for a Creole spin on a rabbit, crawfish, and gumbo dish. Oh yeah, when you see him building a po-boy at the Praline Connection, you might feel a bit hungry. Ditto for the way trumpeter Kermit Ruffins shakes up some street sausage.

Check the above clip for a sneak peek at the full show, which premieres Tuesday, December 4 at 9 pm on VH1Soul.

Here’s a playlist of New Orleans artists to put you in the mood.

A full list of all the places Soul Cities visited in New Orleans is after the jump. So is a clip of Kermit Ruffins in action.

722 Toulouse (home of Tennesse Williams)

722 Toulouse St New Orleans, LA 70130

Royal Sonesta Hotel

300 Bourbon St New Orleans, LA 70130

Preservation Hall

726 St. Peter’s St New Orleans, LA 70116

LOCAL FLAVORS/LIFESTYLE:

Vintage 429

1501 Poydras St New Orleans, LA 70130

OLIVIERS resturant

204 Decatur St. New Orleans, LA 70130

PRALINE CONNECTION restaurant

524 Frenchmen St New Orleans, LA 70116

French Market

1008 N Peters St New Orleans, LA 70116

MUSIC OF THE CITY:

Sydney’s Saloon (Kermit Ruffins and the BB-Q swingers)

1200 Bernard St New Orleans, LA

WWOZ FM

1008 N Peters St New Orleans, LA 70116

Blue Nile club (in Marigny)

532 Frenchmen St New Orleans, LA 70116

NANCHEZ riverboat, Street Trolley car, River walk

Riverboat – St Louis St and St. Peters St New Orleans, LA

St. Trolley – St. Charles St. New Orleans, LA

Riverwalk – 1 Poydras St New Orleans, LA 70130

Louisiana Music Factory record shop

210 Decatur St New Orleans, LA 70130