HELPING THE BIG EASY

This is a great idea - buy New Orleans albums as Christmas presents:

A number of great artists are functionally homeless today, following Katrina. This cultural diaspora endangers the core of American musical culture. If New Orleans' creativity dies, I fear we will be left with Madonna Ciccone and Gwen Stefani as our cultural standard-bearers.

(Via Instapundit)

I haven't heard the Putumayo compilation, but I would recommend the two benefit albums I've put in my sidebar. If you're looking for coffee table purchases, there's this evocative book of photographs about Crescent City jazz funerals, with text by Vernel Bagneris, an old acquaintance of mine who does the best Jelly Roll Morton impersonation ever.