In the hands of wise-beyond-his-years Corey Harris, traditional acoustic blues marches toward the 21st century.

On this Tuesday night in early October the Mermaid Lounge is a sanctuary. The fringe of Hurricane Opal has reached New Orleans, and a steady downpour is rippling the puddles outside the bar on the adjacent driveway. The city seems eerily quiet in the wake of the Simpson verdict, announced earlier in the day; a total of eight people are sitting in the Merma...