AAA 2025 in New Orleans: The Birthplace of Jazz

Jazz is an entirely American musical genre whose roots come from many diverse sources such as traditional tunes from Africa, the West Indies, and the Caribbean, and melded together in the city of New Orleans. The city is also considered the source of the blues which were grown out of work songs sung by slaves as well as the call and response tradition of the Southern Baptist church. In Congo Square in New Orleans, the first sounds of what would become jazz were sung by black and Creole residents every Sunday in the mid and late 1800s, and the residents of New Orleans would often flock to the square to enjoy these entirely new types of music. As Jazz evolved, it really came onto the scene in the roaring 1920s and audiences were able to see and hear live jazz in newly opened clubs all over New Orleans, Chicago, and New York City.

The New Orleans airport is known as Louis Armstrong International to honor its most famous son who went on to become an international jazz icon. Louis Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans where he learned to play the cornet and trumpet at a very young age despite crushing poverty and an unstable home life. It was clear early on that he was a prodigy as well as an entirely new kind of player.  With both power and creative genius, Louis Armstrong’s career spanned from 1918 to 1971, and he recorded an exhaustive collection of albums, often collaborating with other artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, and Duke Ellington, among others. He is credited as one of the earliest recorded “scat” singers, mimicking the sounds and phrasing of musical instruments by singing their sounds instead of words. Louis Armstrong was honored many times by musical organizations for his unique contributions that influenced a wide variety of musical genres. He was even inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 as an early influencer of the music that evolved from the fledgling sounds of the blues, which Armstrong played so well. There are a variety of Louis Armstrong and historical jazz locations in the city as well as plenty of jazz clubs. Be sure to bring along your earplugs for safe listening!  

The Academy has made it easy for its attendees to hear the sounds of live jazz as part of your conference experience. Join us for Audiology’s Night Out at Generations Hall where the rich sounds of local jazz performers will fill this wonderful venue for your enjoyment. This event requires a separate ticket, so sign up soon if you haven’t done so in your registration.

For details about all Academy events at AAA 2025, click here.