Squirrel Nut Zippers at Weinberg Center for the Arts

A Musical Journey to the Birthplace of Jazz in 1920s New Orleans

The Squirrel Nut Zippers Jazz from the Back ‘O Town show is an intriguing look at the birth of
Jazz, focused on the prodigious musical neighborhood of New Orleans called Back ‘O Town.

From the late 19th century through the Roaring 20s, New Orleans’ Back O’ Town neighborhood
was the most “happening” part of a generally “happening” town, boasting a concentration of
saloons, social halls, dance clubs, and vaudeville theaters- the sweaty drinking dens that would
become the birthplace of early jazz. This place in time encapsulates the multicultural melting pot...

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A Musical Journey to the Birthplace of Jazz in 1920s New Orleans

The Squirrel Nut Zippers Jazz from the Back ‘O Town show is an intriguing look at the birth of
Jazz, focused on the prodigious musical neighborhood of New Orleans called Back ‘O Town.

From the late 19th century through the Roaring 20s, New Orleans’ Back O’ Town neighborhood
was the most “happening” part of a generally “happening” town, boasting a concentration of
saloons, social halls, dance clubs, and vaudeville theaters- the sweaty drinking dens that would
become the birthplace of early jazz. This place in time encapsulates the multicultural melting pot
that was, and still is, America, and the intense creative forces that gave rise to jazz, rhythm and
blues, and ultimately rock and roll.

With their Jazz From The Back O’ Town show, The Squirrel Nut Zippers present a delightful
view into this magical era with reverent yet exciting renditions of such seminal NOLA classics as
Jelly Roll Morton’s “Animule Ball,” Louis Armstrong’s “Back O’ Town Blues,” as well as favorites
from their own catalog adapted and arranged to more closely echo the sounds of 1920s New
Orleans.

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