Benny Jones Sr. no longer lives in his beloved Treme neighborhood, where he grew up with the sound of brass band music and the ring of Mardi Gras Indian tambourines as a way of life. Nonetheless, the drummer and leader of the Treme Brass Band can be spotted in the area almost on a daily basis. He heads there just to keep in touch with the people and the goings­-on.

“I come in and out of the Treme just about every day,” Jones says...