Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Encyclopedia
Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the name for numerous groups of Dixieland Jazz
and traditional jazz bands at Preservation Hall
in New Orleans, Louisiana
, and on tours as organized by the Preservation Hall. The purpose of the Hall has been to preserve the heritage of both New Orleans traditional and Dixieland jazz music born in New Orleans and common to the Riverboats plying the Mississippi River
, which spread throughout the South until the early 20th century.
The musicians in the groups have varied during the years since the founding of the hall in the early 1960s.
Bands of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band perform at Preservation Hall on 726 St. Peter Street in the French Quarter
, and tour around the world for more than 150 days a year.
Hurricane Katrina
, however, forced Preservation Hall to close through the fall and winter of 2005. Although the building remained shut until April 2006, the band continued to tour while the Hall was closed.
Music groups performing at Preservation Hall predated the name "Preservation Hall Jazz Band". The late Allan Jaffe
, a young tuba player who had taken over running the hall, organized tours for the musicians who often performed there, naming the band after the venue. He often played tuba in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. His son, Ben Jaffe, a double bass
player and tubist
, now leads and performs with the band.
The band has been touring the United States for more than twenty-five years. They seek to preserve the distinctive music that evolved in New Orleans and to bring it to contemporary audiences.
Although similar music sometimes is described now as "Dixieland Jazz", there are distinct characteristics of traditional New Orleans jazz that are not shared among performances often bearing the "Dixieland" label. The latter often is considered as commercial exploitation and distortion of a pure tradition and, therefore, a strict differentiation between the two is made by admirers of what they recognize as "New Orleans Jazz". One may find the term used among traditional New Orleans musicians prior to the change in perception.
The band made a brief appearance in the 1965 film The Cincinnati Kid
, including a close-up of pianist and vocalist Emma Barrett.
In 2006, the band was awarded the National Medal of Arts
. In 2007, the band accepted an invitation to participate in Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
, contributing their version of "When The Saints Go Marching In
", with Theresa Andersson
. On July 19, 2011 Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed "I'll Fly Away" live on Late Show with David Letterman
with Del McCoury Band
.
Dixieland Jazz
Dixieland Jazz was a Canadian music television series which aired on CBC Television in 1954.-Premise:The series host was Trump Davidson, a cornet player. He also hosted a radio music series on CBC's Trans-Canada Network.-Scheduling:...
and traditional jazz bands at Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall is a noted jazz performance hall located at 726 St. Peter Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It hosts nightly concerts featuring a rotating roster of bands. The bands of Preservation Hall typically perform jazz in the New Orleans style.Despite the fame of the...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and on tours as organized by the Preservation Hall. The purpose of the Hall has been to preserve the heritage of both New Orleans traditional and Dixieland jazz music born in New Orleans and common to the Riverboats plying the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, which spread throughout the South until the early 20th century.
The musicians in the groups have varied during the years since the founding of the hall in the early 1960s.
Bands of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band perform at Preservation Hall on 726 St. Peter Street in the French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
, and tour around the world for more than 150 days a year.
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, however, forced Preservation Hall to close through the fall and winter of 2005. Although the building remained shut until April 2006, the band continued to tour while the Hall was closed.
Music groups performing at Preservation Hall predated the name "Preservation Hall Jazz Band". The late Allan Jaffe
Allan Jaffe
Allan Phillip Jaffe was an American jazz tubist and the entrepreneur who developed Preservation Hall into a New Orleans jazz tradition....
, a young tuba player who had taken over running the hall, organized tours for the musicians who often performed there, naming the band after the venue. He often played tuba in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. His son, Ben Jaffe, a double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
player and tubist
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, now leads and performs with the band.
The band has been touring the United States for more than twenty-five years. They seek to preserve the distinctive music that evolved in New Orleans and to bring it to contemporary audiences.
Although similar music sometimes is described now as "Dixieland Jazz", there are distinct characteristics of traditional New Orleans jazz that are not shared among performances often bearing the "Dixieland" label. The latter often is considered as commercial exploitation and distortion of a pure tradition and, therefore, a strict differentiation between the two is made by admirers of what they recognize as "New Orleans Jazz". One may find the term used among traditional New Orleans musicians prior to the change in perception.
The band made a brief appearance in the 1965 film The Cincinnati Kid
The Cincinnati Kid
The Cincinnati Kid is a 1965 American drama film. It tells the story of Eric "The Kid" Stoner, a young Depression-era poker player, as he seeks to establish his reputation as the best...
, including a close-up of pianist and vocalist Emma Barrett.
In 2006, the band was awarded the National Medal of Arts
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...
. In 2007, the band accepted an invitation to participate in Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino is a 2007 tribute album by various artists to Fats Domino, issued by Vanguard Records.-History:In contrast to an earlier tribute album, That's Fats: A Tribute to Fats Domino , which mostly contained previously released cover versions, Goin' Home: A Tribute to...
, contributing their version of "When The Saints Go Marching In
When the Saints Go Marching In
"When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as "The Saints", is an American gospel hymn that has taken on certain aspects of folk music. The precise origins of the song are not known. Though it originated as a spiritual, today people are more likely to hear it played by a jazz band...
", with Theresa Andersson
Theresa Andersson
Theresa Andersson is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-General:Andersson came to New Orleans in 1990 to play violin with fellow singer-songwriter and Swede, Anders Osborne. Nine years later, she left the band...
. On July 19, 2011 Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed "I'll Fly Away" live on Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
with Del McCoury Band
Del McCoury Band
The Del McCoury Band is a bluegrass band. Originally Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals with Del on guitar and his brother Jerry on bass, the band went through a number of changes until the 1980s when the band solidified its line-up, adding McCoury's sons, Ronnie and Robbie on mandolin and banjo,...
.
Current members (2009)
- Lucien BarbarinLucien BarbarinLucien Barbarin is an American trombone player, born July 17, 1956, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Barbarin tours internationally with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and with Harry Connick, Jr....
- trombone - Mark Braud - trumpet
- Frank Demond - trombone
- Charlie Gabriel - clarinet and saxophone
- Ben Jaffe - bass & tuba
- Leroy JonesLeroy JonesLeroy Jones is a jazz trumpeter from New Orleans, Louisiana. Born February 20, 1958, Jones began playing trumpet at the age of ten, and by the time he was 13 was leading the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band, a group of young musicians organized by guitar- and banjo-player Danny Barker...
- trumpet - Joseph Lastie, Jr - drums
- Carl Le Blanc - banjo
- Freddie Lonzo - trombone
- Clint MaedgenThe New Orleans Bingo! ShowThe New Orleans Bingo! Show is an interactive theatrical cabaret and musical band from New Orleans, Louisiana. The show features original music by New Orleans singer and songwriter Clint Maedgen who created the show in 2002. The show also features original short films, comedic skits and a live game...
- vocalist - Rickie Monie - piano
- Walter PaytonWalter Payton (musician)Walter Payton, Jr. was an American jazz bassist and sousaphonist.Payton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He played with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the French Market Jazz Hall Band and the Young Tuxedo Brass Band, and led his own group called the Snap Bean Band...
- bass player - Shannon PowellShannon Powell”The King of Treme” Shannon Powell is an American jazz and New Orleans jazz virtuoso drummer. He has toured internationally and played with Ellis Marsalis, Danny Barker, Willie Metcalf Jr., Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis & the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Diana Krall, Earl King, Dr...
- drums - Mari Watanabe - piano
Historic members
A partial listing of the musicians who have played under the "Preservation Hall Jazz Band" name includes:- "Sweet Emma" Barrett - pianist
- John BruniousJohn BruniousJohn Brunious Jr. was a jazz trumpeter and the bandleader for the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.Brunious was the son of John Brunious Sr, a jazz musician in his own right and also his teacher. Brunious's initial inspirations were Dizzy Gillespie and Maynard Ferguson, but he had a continued interest...
- trumpeter - Wendell BruniousWendell BruniousWendell Brunious is an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader.Brunious's father was John "Picket" Brunious, who was a trumpeter who studied at Juilliard, played with the Onward Brass Band, Young Tuxedo Brass Band, and Paul Barbarin, and arranged for Billy Eckstine and Cab Calloway...
- trumpeter - Greg StaffordGreg StaffordFrancis Gregory Stafford , usually known as Greg Stafford, is an American game designer, publisher and shaman.-Glorantha and gaming:...
- trumpeter - Albert BurbankAlbert BurbankAlbert Burbank was an American dixieland clarinet player.Born in New Orleans Albert Burbank was taught clarinet by Lorenzo Tio, one of that cities most famous clarinet players. He stayed in the New Orleans area throughout the 1920s playing wherever his services were needed...
- clarinetist - Raymond BurkeRaymond Burke (clarinetist)Raymond Burke was a U.S. jazz clarinetist.Burke was born as Raymond Barrios in New Orleans, Louisiana. He seldom left the city limits, as he disliked traveling...
- clarinetist - Maynard Chatters - trombonist
- Kid Sheik Colar - trumpeter
- Manny Crusto (Manuel Mitchell Crusto) - clarinetist (died March 18, 2002 at age 83)
- Lars EdegranLars EdegranLars Ivar Edegran is a Dixieland jazz musician and bandleader. He most often plays piano, guitar, or banjo, but has also played mandolin, clarinet, and saxophone....
- Piano - Josiah "Cie" FrazierCie FrazierJosiah "Cie" Frazier was an American jazz drummer.Frazier studied drums under several New Orleans jazz musicians, including Louis Cottrell, Sr., Red Happy Bolton, and Face-O Woods. He joined the Golden Rule Band with cousin Lawrence Marrero in 1921, and played in Marrero's Young Tuxedo Orchestra...
- drummer - Percy HumphreyPercy HumphreyPercy Gaston Humphrey was a jazz trumpet player and bandleader in New Orleans, Louisiana.In addition to his own jazz band, Percy Humphrey and His Crescent City Joymakers, for more than thirty years he was leader of the Eureka Brass Band. He also played in the band of the pianist Sweet Emma Barrett...
- trumpeter - Willie HumphreyWillie HumphreyWillie James Humphrey was a New Orleans jazz clarinetist. Willie Humphrey was born in a musical family, the son of prominent local clarinetist and music teacher Willie Eli Humphrey; his brothers Earl Humphrey and Percy Humphrey also became well known professional musicians.After establishing...
- clarinetist - Allan JaffeAllan JaffeAllan Phillip Jaffe was an American jazz tubist and the entrepreneur who developed Preservation Hall into a New Orleans jazz tradition....
- tuba player - Ralph H. Johnson, Sr. - clarinet (d. 7 December 2009)
- Jeanette Kimball - pianist
- Narvin KimballNarvin KimballNarvin Kimball was a jazz musician who played banjo and string bass and was also known for his fine singing voice....
- banjo player - George LewisGeorge Lewis (clarinetist)George Lewis was an American jazz clarinetist who achieved his greatest fame and influence in the later decades of his life.-Ancestry:...
- clarinetist - Punch MillerPunch MillerErnest Miller aka Punch Miller or Kid Punch Miller , was a Dixieland jazz trumpeter.Miller was born in Raceland, Louisiana. He was known in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was based from 1919 to 1927 when he moved Chicago...
- trumpeter - Sing MillerSing MillerSing Miller was an American jazz pianist. He was a longtime performer on the New Orleans jazz scene....
- pianist - Louis NelsonLouis NelsonLouis Nelson was a trombonist most associated with the jazz originating in New Orleans near the turn of the twentieth century, sometimes referred to as Dixieland music....
- trombonist - Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau - bass player
- Walter PaytonWalter Payton (musician)Walter Payton, Jr. was an American jazz bassist and sousaphonist.Payton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He played with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the French Market Jazz Hall Band and the Young Tuxedo Brass Band, and led his own group called the Snap Bean Band...
- double bass - Billie PierceBillie PierceWilhelmina Goodson, better known as Billie Pierce was an American jazz pianist and singer.She was born in Marianna, Florida, United States one of seven piano-playing sisters , born to a mother and father who both themselves played piano...
- pianist - De De PierceDe De PierceDe De Pierce was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist. He is best remembered for the songs "Peanut Vendor" and "Dippermouth Blues", both with Billie Pierce....
- trumpeter and cornetist - James Prevost - bass
- Joseph Robichaux - pianist
- Jim RobinsonJim Robinson (trombonist)Jim Robinson, also known as Big Jim Robinson was an American jazz musician, based in New Orleans, renowned for his deep, wide-toned, robust "tailgate" style of trombone playing, which enabled him to achieve a wide swoop between two notes as he moved the slide—while continually buzzing air...
- trombonist - Emanuel SaylesEmanuel SaylesEmanuel Sayles was an American jazz banjoist chiefly active in the New Orleans jazz scene.Sayles played violin and viola as a child, then taught himself banjo and guitar. He went to high school in Pensacola, Florida, then relocated to New Orleans and played with William Ridgely's Tuxedo Orchestra...
- banjo player - Kid Thomas ValentineKid Thomas ValentineThomas Valentine, commonly known as Kid Thomas was a jazz trumpeter and bandleader.Kid Thomas was born in Reserve, Louisiana and came to New Orleans in his youth. He gained a reputation as a hot trumpet man in the early 1920s. Starting in 1926 he led his own band, for decades based in the New...
- trumpeter - Papa DonVappie - banjo
- Dr. Michael White -clarinetist
Partial discography
- 1964 Sweet Emma and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band
- 1966 Billie and De De Pierce and Their PHJB
- 1977 New Orleans, Vol. 1
- 1982 New Orleans, Vol. 2
- 1982 When the Saints Go Marchin' In (New Orleans, Vol. 3)
- 1987 New Orleans, Vol. 4
- 1989 The Best of Preservation Hall Jazz Band
- 1992 Live
- 1996 In the Sweet Bye and Bye
- 1997 Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans, La
- 1998 Because of You
- 2001 Marching Down Bourbon Street
- 2004 Preservation Hall Hot 4 With Duke Dejan
- 2004 Shake That Thing
- 2005 Sweet Emma
- 2005 Songs of New Orleans
- 2006 Preservation Hall - Live At the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
- 2007 The Essential Preservation Hall Jazz Band
- 2009 New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1
- 2010 Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program
- 2011 American Legacies: The Del McCoury Band with Preservation Hall Jazz Band