d.b.a. New Orleans

The name stands for "doing business as" — a nod to the shifting identity any New Orleans room takes on when the band sets up. Which is appropriate, because d.b.a. books jazz, brass band, funk, and soul every night, usually two or three acts, and what's true at seven isn't true at ten. The room holds about a hundred people. The sound system is legitimate. The whiskey selection runs deep. Most shows are free; headliners sometimes charge a modest door. It's at 618 Frenchmen Street, shows start around seven, there's a full bar and no kitchen. Musicians come here on their nights off. That tells you what you need to know about the sound in the room and who's mixing it. This is not where you go to see the famous name you researched before the trip. This is where you go because you trust New Orleans to put someone worth hearing in front of you, and d.b.a. delivers that contract every night of the week.