Cathy Tenedorio speaks with the Historic New Orleans collection about her son Matthew, one of the victims killed during the 2025 New Year's Day Bourbon Street attack.

On this week’s episode, we learn more about how one group is using hip-hop and social-emotional learning to better connect with students — with the help of local hip-hop star La Reezy.

Creole accordion player Edward, “Eddie,” Poullard is a third-generation musician, born in Eunice, LA. He moved to Beaumont, TX, as a young child with his French-speaking family, and started learning music from father, John, a well-known old-time La-La accordionist. When he was nineteen, Eddie played house parties and church dances in his father’s group, the Poullard Family Band. He went on to learn from and tour with Creole fiddler Canray Fontenot. Eddie Poullard is also a master woodworker, specializing in building accordions. He keeps the tradition alive by teaching Creole and Cajun fiddle and accordion styles at festivals and music camps, as well as mentoring musicians from his community and own family.

We are live with BeauSoleil, the venerable Cajun roots, folk and modernist band, looking back and ahead after fifty years. Brothers Michael and David Doucet were joined by Michael’s son Matthew, also a fiddler and a fiddle maker. I asked David Doucet what’s it like being in a band with his brother Michael.

The Baltimore-based organization partnered with the budding hip-hop star to bring its social-emotional learning curriculum to a New Orleans high school.

This is American Routes Live, I’m Nick Spitzer. We’ve got jazz trumpeter from Preservation Hall, Wendell Brunious with his New Orleans All Stars. Wendell Brunious is from a famed New Orleans Creole jazz family. He is the son of Nazimova Santiago and John Brunious, Sr., a trumpeter who played with Onward Brass and Young Tuxedo Brass Bands, and Paul Barbarin. Wendell Brunious’ brother was the late John Brunious, Jr., also a trumpeter who lead the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Over the years, Wendell Brunious sang with Chief John and the Mahogany Hall Stompers in the 1960s. He studied at Southern University, worked with Danny Barker in the ‘70s, and later played on Bourbon Street and with Kid Thomas Valentine, Eureka Brass, Lionel Hampton, Linda Hopkins, Sammy Rimington and Louis Nelson. Right now it’s Wendell Brunious and band on American Routes Live.

The Historic New Orleans Collection spotlights longtime environmental journalist Mark Schleifstein.