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Preservation Hall Jazz Band

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Preservation Hall Jazz Band
OriginNew Orleans, Louisiana
Genresjazz
LabelsPreservation Hall Recordings
Websitehttp://www.preservationhall.com

Preservation Hall Jazz Band derives its name from the Preservation Hall venue located in New Orleans’ French Quarter.The band is known for performing traditional New Orleans-style Jazz.

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.

Preservation Hall’s doors were closed through the fall and winter of 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. Although the building remained shut until Spring of 2006, the band continued to tour while the Hall was closed.

New Orleans Jazz vs. Dixieland Jazz

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 Early Years - 1960's

The popularity of Traditional New Orleans Jazz had waned leading up to the 60’s, putting many musicians out of work. There were few jazz connoisseurs actively capturing the traditions of New Orleans jazz during this time. New Orleans Jazz Historian, Bill Russell, was leading the traditional jazz revival through his persistent documenting and recording. When Allan and Sandra Jaffe transformed the 726 venue into Preservation Hall in 1961, they made it a point to integrate and high light jazz musicians who were present during the birth of jazz through hosting nightly performances. These musicians included Bunk Johnson, George Lewis, and ‘Sweet’ Emma Barrett.

During the time of Preservation Hall’s incarnation, New Orleans was a racially segregated community under Jim Crow laws. Preservation Hall was among the few venues in New Orleans that welcomed both Caucasian and African American musicians.

The nightly jazz concerts at Preservation Hall gathered a significant amount of press interest from its inception. As time went on, Allan believed the success of both the Hall and its mission of preservation would require these bands to tour, and in 1963, he organized the newly minted Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which was essentially The Kid Thomas Band (Kid Thomas Valentine, George Lewis, Louis Nelson, Emanuel Paul, Joe James, Joe “Twat” Butler, and Sammy Penn). Their first string of dates were set in the Midwest and included a performance at the Guthrie Theater, a venue that future Preservation Hall Jazz Bands would later record at.

The aftermath of Kid Thomas’ tour sparked interest in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the rediscovery of New Orleans music began stretching beyond the United States. International interest in Traditional New Orleans Jazz lead to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s second tour to Japan in 1964. The Japan tour featured The George Lewis Band.

During that same year, Allan sent Sweet Emma Barrett and her Preservation Hall Jazz Band to the Guthrie Theater to record a live performance. The subsequent recording turned into The Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s first record, Sweet Emma and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

In 1967, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed at a Bill Graham (promoter) production in San Francisco, CA, which featured The Grateful Dead, Carlos Santana, and Steppenwolf (band). This Preservation Hall Jazz Band performance was led by Billie and De De Pierce and Their Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The introduction of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to mainstream music festivals would prove to be only the beginning in future collaborations, as well as touring festival circuits.

Alphabetical lists of personnel

Current Members (2013)

Historic members

A partial listing of the musicians who have played under the "Preservation Hall Jazz Band" name includes:

DISCOGRAPHY

  • 1964 Sweet Emma and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band
  • 1966 Billie and De De Pierce and Their Preservation Hall Jazz Band
  • 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 (Re-release)
  • 2005 Songs of New Orleans
  • 2005 Best of the Early Years
  • 2006 Preservation Hall - Live at the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
  • 2007 The Essential Preservation Hall Jazz Band
  • 2007 Hurricane Sessions
  • 2009 New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1
  • 2009 Billie and De De and Their Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Digital Re-release)
  • 2009 St. Peter Street Serenade (Digital)
  • 2009 Here come the great Olympia Band (Digital Re-release)
  • 2010 Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program
  • 2010 Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Tom Waits 78” Limited Edition Vinyl
  • 2011 American Legacies: The Del McCoury Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
  • 2012 St. Peter & 57th St.
  • 2012 Preservation Hall Jazz Band Live at Carnegie Hall Limited Edition Vinyl
  • 2012 Preservation Hall Jazz Band 50th Anniversary Collection

References

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