From Louis XIV to Louis Armstrong

Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the cession of Louisiana by the French to the U.S. in 1803, this book takes its readers on a thorough discovery tour of Louisiana through Art, Music and History. From 1682, when Robert de La Salle claimed Louisiana for the King of France, up until today, the book's painstaking and extensive research of eclectic sources such as maps, paintings, photographs, official records, historical documents, objects, artifacts and, of course, jazz music, offers a sensuous and lively evocation. It depicts a thriving cultural scene and a land remarkable for its cultural and ethical diversity, and captures the very essence of a unique melting pot.