Preservation Hall was established in 1961 to preserve, perpetuate, and protect traditional New Orleans Jazz. Operating as a music venue, a touring band (the Preservation Hall Jazz Band), a record label, and a non-profit organization, Preservation Hall continues their mission today as a cornerstone of New Orleans music and culture. Situated in the heart of the French Quarter at 726 St. Peter Street, Preservation Hall presents intimate, acoustic New Orleans jazz concerts nightly featuring some of New Orleans’ finest performers, showcasing a musical legacy dating back to the origins of jazz itself. The touring Preservation Hall Jazz Band presents the music of New Orleans worldwide with over 100 tour dates annually, which have included performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, the United Nations Headquarters, and Austin City Limits. (More from Wikipedia)
Among my most memorable concerts are seeing the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on different trips to New Orleans ages ago. My first trip in 1972 for a friend’s wedding is a haze of Hurricanes and Pat O’Brien’s and wonderful food and just one jazz club after another down Bourbon Street. (What I have seen these days are mostly places to get a drink handed to you). When we first went to Preservation Hall, the “Bell Gal”, Sweet Emma Barrett was the de facto bandleader and the only vocalist. She absolutely captivated us; I have managed to find three albums by her over the years – all since I moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast – and at least one I have cleaned up and back in my stacks.
There was a sign on the wall in Preservation Hall about requests (still is, in fact); you could put in a request for $1 or $2 – but if you wanted to hear “Saints”, that would cost you $5.
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Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters have been traveling to music meccas across the country, making short films of their stays there and writing and performing a song to mark the occasion. They are now playing on HBO, and 60 Minutes also had a piece on their efforts a week or so back. Their sojourn to New Orleans is particularly enjoyable; they tell the history of Preservation Hall and how it is now fulfilling its mission of preserving jazz in the city. Highly recommended.
(June 2015)
