I definitely agree that a compilation disc is a good place to start. There are scads of them out there for low low prices.
For “New Orleans” music, check out the mighty mighty Neville Brothers. You may be familiar with Aaron Neville’s solo work, as he’s had lots of pop hits. He and his brothers Art, Charles, and Cyril make up the Neville Brothers. They do a wonderful eclectic mix of stuff, and they’ve been around for…4 or 5 decades? A hell of a long time, anyway. Live from Planet Earth is a great album to start with.
Oh, I forgot to say–
Zydeco, Cajun, New Orleans, etc. are IMHO best experienced live. You don’t say where you are, but I’d bet there are places where you can see it live near you.
In Jersey, the Old Bay in New Brunswick always has great bands coming through. And every year we have the Crawfish Fest. (I saw Buckwheat there one year. Amazing.) And we have our very own homegrown Cajun/Zydeco band–the VooDudes. They’re a bunch of nerdy college professors and such, but they put on a great show.
Just out of curiousity, did any of you open my thread about Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band and go listen to them? It’s not cajun or zydeco which is why I didn’t mention them here, but the people in this thread would be most likely to enjoy them too.
I was disappointed that no one commented on them to boost the thread. They’re so good, and they’re getting ready to go on tour. If someone missed them and then became a fan, they’d be crestfallen. I know. I just discovered them and then found out that I missed a show in Chicago.