The joke among New Orleans musicians is that the city is really home to one single, huge, collaborative band—a loose congregation of players who are constantly trading roles, forming new offshoots, sitting in for projects on the side and subbing out for last-minute gigs. When I got the assignment to take a fresh look at the music scene of my adopted hometown—and to write a story that will appear in the upcoming Spring issue—I found the truth behind the humor. It was delightful to hear.

The city's music reputation is epic, but I recommend the intimate clubs and humble neighborhood bars as the best places to take the pulse. That’s where musicians hang out in their leisure time, and it’s common to see well-known talents snatched away from the bar—at, say, Rock ’n’ Bowl or the Maple Leaf—to play an impromptu number with the scheduled act. One night while researching this story, I danced to swing jazz from the Palmetto Bug Stompers during an early set at d.b.a. (618 Frenchmen St.; 504-942-3731; drinkgoodstuff.com) and later spotted some of the Stompers in the audience at another club, Mimi’s in the Marigny (2601 Royal St.; 504-872-9868; mimisinthemarigny.com), watching country singer Gal Holiday.

KNOW WHEN TO GO
With so many musicians in town, New Orleans has quite a mix of clubs. There are the enduring greats, like Tipitina’s (501 Napoleon Ave.; 504-895-8477; tipitinas.com), which hosts the biggest local acts and, every Sunday afternoon, a traditional Cajun fais do-do, or dance party. In the Bywater neighborhood, visit Vaughan’s Lounge (800 Lesseps St.; 504-947-5562; no website) on Thursday evenings to hear trumpeter Kermit Ruffins play New Orleans jazz standards (and to eat free red beans at midnight). On Mondays, jazz vocalist Charmaine Neville holds court at Snug Harbor (626 Frenchmen St.; 504-949-0696; snugjazz.com), with its candlelit tables and upscale atmosphere.

NEW IN TOWN
Clubs are opening all the time, expanding the music scene beyond the traditional hot spots. When I walked into the new AllWays Lounge in the Marigny (2240 St. Claude Ave.; 504-218-5778; marignytheatre.org), I almost thought I’d stumbled into a Weimar Republic–era cabaret. The bar was crawling with offbeat characters, and a band called the Zydepunks ripped through punk-Celtic-klezmer fusion sounds on stage. Across town in Mid-City, the Clever Wine Bar (3700 Orleans Ave.; 504-483-6360; cleverwines.com) proved to be an oenophile’s oasis, with cheese plates and a no-smoking policy. But there was music here, too: The Washboard Chaz Blues Trio performed for an urbane audience.

ALL MUSIC, ALL THE TIME
The everyday feast of musical options pales in comparison to the free-for-all that is Jazz Fest (nojazzfest.com). Bars that don’t normally offer music suddenly book acts, and the established clubs stack up three or four bands a night, stretching their schedules until dawn. The festival itself is held on the huge, oval infield of the Fair Grounds Race Course. During two weekends (April 24–25 and May 1–2 this year), hundreds of acts will perform on a collection of 12 stages. Last year I experienced a moment of near panic when I saw on the program that my favorite jazz pianist, Henry Butler, was playing at the same time as Hadley Castille, a legendary Cajun fiddler I badly wanted to catch. Then I remembered that I could see Butler at a club show scheduled that same night—as long as I paced myself to stay up for its late start. Sometimes, following all the great bands around town can keep audiences as busy as the musicians themselves.