This has been a very timely discussion. It fits neatly with the early
episodes of the Ken Burns' Jazz series. The role of Creole culture in
New Orleans, and the effect on Creole artists of laws which were passed
"reclassifying" them as Negro are important in the origins of jazz music.
Thanks to Naxos' American Masters series, we can also hear the works of
others from this time and place. In particular the discs on Charles Lucien
Lambert and Edmond Dede are worth checking out. They display music both
derivative of European music as well as flavored by the emerging music of
New Orleans.
Ed