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Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Formed:
1961

  • Genre: Jazz
  • Active: '50s - 2000s
  • Major Members: Allan Jaffe, James Miller, Benjamin Jaffe, Wendell Brunious, Frank Parker, Rickie Monie

Biography

During the 1950s, although the traditional jazz scene in New Orleans had many top players, there was no one center for the city's veteran greats to play. In 1961, art dealer Larry Borenstein opened a building he called Preservation Hall. The young tuba player Allan Jaffe ran the hall and organized tours for the musicians who often performed there, naming the band after the venue. In the early days, the key musicians included, at various times, trumpeters Kid Thomas Valentine, Punch Miller, or De De Pierce; trombonists Louis Nelson or Jim Robinson; clarinetists George Lewis, Albert Burbank, or Willie Humphrey; and pianists Joseph Robichaux, Billie Pierce, or Sweet Emma Barrett. By the early '70s, trumpeter Percy Humphrey, his brother Willie on clarinet, and trombonist Jim Robinson (who, after his death in 1976, was succeeded by Frank Demond) usually comprised the front line. The deaths of the Humphreys and Percy's occasional fill-in Kid Sheik Colar in the mid-'90s signalled more lineup changes. In general, the group's best recordings were their early ones under the leadership of Barrett and the Pierces; they also cut three hit-and-miss albums for Columbia during 1976-1992. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band's worldwide tours resulted in a great deal of goodwill, permitting supporters to somehow ignore the group's very erratic musicianship. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Representative Songs:

"When the Saints Go Marching In," "St. Louis Blues," "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It"

Representative Albums:

The Best of Preservation Hall Jazz Band, New Orleans, Vol. 1, Preservation Hall Hot 4 With Duke Dejan

Similar Artists:

The Rhythm Kings, Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Olympia Brass Band, World's Greatest Jazz Band, Bob Wilber, Dr. Michael White, Michel Legrand, Percy Humphrey, Al Hirt, Heritage Hall Jazz Band, Firehouse Five Plus Two, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Kenny Davern, Eddie Condon, Alliance Hall Dixieland Band

Performed Songs By:

Spencer Williams, W.C. Handy

Followers:

Countdown Quartet
 
 
Wikipedia: 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 institution, admittance is affordable ($8 as of August 2007). Because of limited seating, crowds typically begin lining up well in advance of a performance (no reservations are accepted), and the line is typically quite long, although sometimes musicians will play for those waiting in line.

The Preservation Hall building, closed during the day
Enlarge
The Preservation Hall building, closed during the day

History

The origins of musical performances at Preservation Hall go back to the start of the 1960s and an art gallery run by local entrepreneur Larry Borenstein. Many older jazz musicians were then minimally employed, and Borenstein arranged for some of them to play for tips in the gallery to help draw in potential customers. More people started coming for the music than the art. Allan Jaffe took over running of the Hall, and made it into a famous institution in part by ignoring the then prevalent ideas of what was needed for a successful music business-- there was no dance floor, and no food or drinks were served, the focus being just on the music.

In addition to the French Quarter Hall, bands of New Orleans musicians tour the world under the Preservation Hall Jazz Band name.

In August of 2005, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced Preservation Hall to close for several months, although the building remained intact. The first post-Katrina performance at Preservation Hall took place on April 27-28, 2006, commemorating its 45th Anniversary.

History of the building

The building housing Preservation Hall, which survived the Great New Orleans Fire (1788) and also 1794, is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the Quarter. The building was built just five years after the oldest building in the Quarter (the Old Ursuline Convent at 112 Chartres Street, built in 1745). It was built in 1750 as a private residence. During the War of 1812, the building housed a tavern.

Further reading

  • Preservation Hall by William Carter
  • "Song for My Fathers" by Tom Sancton

See also

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

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Artist. Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ® , a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Preservation Hall".  Read more

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