The Rabbit Hole on Oretha Castle Haley runs DJ sets and live shows under custom murals and a Void Acoustics rig, with weekend parties built around resident hip-hop and house selectors.
Tip: Tickets via the venue calendar; the main room runs late on Friday and Saturday with rotating themed nights and a cover charge at the door.
Address: 1228 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70113
Preservation Hall on St Peter Street has run traditional New Orleans jazz nightly since 1961, with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band leading short, no-frills sets in a candlelit room.
Tip: Three sets a night, around 17:00, 20:00 and 21:00. Tickets via the box office sell out; the $50 reserved seats save you from standing-room.
Snug Harbor on Frenchmen is the sit-down jazz room of the Marigny, with two sets a night in a renovated 1800s storefront and Ellis Marsalis Trio holding a long Friday residency.
Tip: Two nightly sets at 19:30 and 21:30. Book a music room ticket online; the bistro side seats walk-ins for Creole dinner before the show.
The Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street is the standing-room jazz, blues and gypsy-swing room that runs three sets a day, no cover at the door and a single-bill stage at the front window.
Tip: No cover but a one-drink minimum per set. The afternoon set around 14:00 is the easier walk-in; the 22:00 set fills the room standing.
d.b.a. on Frenchmen Street pairs a 60-tap craft beer and bourbon programme with a back-room stage that runs the Treme Brass Band, Walter Wolfman Washington and weekly brass residencies.
Tip: Cover usually $10 to $20 paid at the door for the back room. Saturdays open at 14:00; the Glen David Andrews and Treme Brass Band sets are the headliners.
Tipitina's at Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas has anchored Uptown live music since 1977, named for the Professor Longhair song and now musician-owned by Galactic. The Free Friday series runs all year.
Tip: Free Friday concerts every week with local headliners. Buy ticketed shows in advance via the venue site; show floor is general admission.
Maple Leaf Bar on Oak Street has hosted the Rebirth Brass Band's Tuesday-night residency for over thirty years, a packed back room that ends with a second-line through the bar.
Tip: Get in line by 22:00 for the Rebirth Tuesday; cash at the door. The pressed-tin ceiling and pat o'briens dim glow keep the heat in.