"Hey, Ronald, turn that up. I like to hear those big band arrangements," shouts Kermit Ruffins, referring to his juke box selections at Joe’s Cozy Corner. The barkeep gladly obliges, kicking it up a notch for Sinatra’s "Fly Me To The Moon," much to the clientele’s approval.

It’s a hot, mid-summer Saturday afternoon in the Treme section of New Orleans, and the busy trumpeter/singer Ruffins is enjoying a well deserved day off. He’s dressed d...