Group Members:
Similar Artists:
World's Greatest Jazz Band,
Bob Wilber,
Firehouse Five Plus Two,
Kenny Davern,
Eddie Condon,
The Rhythm Kings ,
Olympia Brass Band,
Dr. Michael White,
Percy Humphrey,
Heritage Hall Jazz Band,
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band,
Alliance Hall Dixieland Band,
The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra,
Michel Legrand,
Al Hirt
Followers:
Performed Songs By:
Formal Connection With:
- Formed: 1961, New Orleans, LA
- Genres: Jazz
- Representative Albums: "New Orleans, Vol. 1," "The Best of Preservation Hall Jazz Band," "Preservation Hall Hot 4 With Duke Dejan"
- Representative Songs: "When the Saints Go Marching I," "St. Louis Blues," "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It"
Biography
Although New Orleans' traditional jazz scene had many top players in the 1950s, there was no one center for the city's veteran greats to play. In 1961, local art dealer Larry Borenstein opened a building in the French Quarter 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 Hall's 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. Four decades after the group's genesis, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band continues to honor the musical traditions of New Orleans, despite these switches in personnel.In general, the group's best recordings are their early records under the leadership of Barrett and the Pierces; they also cut three hit-or-miss albums for Columbia during 1976-1992. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band's worldwide tours have resulted in a good deal of goodwill, and the band remained on the road throughout much of 2005 and early 2006, due to the temporary closure of Preservation Hall in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Although the hurricane devastated the city, it left some of the band's archival recordings unscathed, resulting in the release of Made in New Orleans: The Hurricane Sessions in 2007. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
