Last Saturday, we celebrated the life of Mr. Brunious with a second line parade. The band was led by Wendell Brunious, and included an all-star New Orleans lineup including
Gregg Stafford, Ernest 'Doc' Watson, Mark Braud, Leroy Jones, Kermit Ruffins, Fred Lonzo, Joe Lastie, Shannon Powell, William Smith, Corey Henry, Taneo Hingle, Rob Espino, Kerry 'Fatman' Hunter, Kenneth Terry, Michael Pierce, Katja Toivola, Ben Jaffe, Uncle Lionel, Burnell Brunious, Robert Harris,Aaron Lambert, Benny Jones, Elliot 'Stackman' Callier, Darryl Adams, and many more. Here are some photos by Erika Goldring.
Welcome to Made In New Orleans!
Hello everyone and welcome to the Preservation Hall Made in New Orleans Blog! We put this up with the intentions of creating a dialogue with you about New Orleans and New Orleans Music, in addition to a place to post questions, answers, and comments about the latest Preservation Hall Jazz Band release, MADE IN NEW ORLEANS: The Hurricane Sessions.
Each week, Benjy and I will post on a variety of topics; everything from what’s been happening here at the Hall, features on Preservation Hall musicians of the past/present, responses to your questions/comments, and personal accounts of life in our fair city of New Orleans. We’d like for you to contribute your stories and memoirs as well. Tell us about that time you stumbled off Bourbon Street and into the Hall and saw Billie & Dede Pierce in 1963. Or maybe that time when the Preservation Hall Band played in your hometown. Tell us your New Orleans story. We welcome it.
For those of you who’ve purchased MADE IN NEW ORLEANS, please feel free to drop in with any questions or feedback about your sets. As you may or may not know, each box is unique and contains a variety of Preservation Hall memorabilia. Our initial plan was to create a page on our website displaying all the possible contents of the sets along with a brief description of each item. In the process, we realized that the stories surrounding these items and people are beyond what a caption can summarize. I can speak personally when I say that every week I’m learning something new about the Hall, the venerable musicians who’ve played here, and New Orleans. So ask away. If we can’t answer you right away, we’ll look it up for you. So tell us what ya got. For more info on MADE IN NEW ORLEANS or PRESERVATION HALL, ask us or visit www.preservationhall.com.
Have a lovely day. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Ronnie Numbers & Ben Jaffe
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Second Line Parade for Mr. John
Monday, February 25, 2008
JOHN BRUNIOUS: HONORING A LEGEND
JOHN BRUNIOUS:
October 12, 1940 – February 12, 2008
HONORING A LEGEND
It is with great sorrow and heavy hearts that Preservation Hall announces the passing of one of our cherished band members, trumpeter, Mr. John Brunious. An accomplished musician both on trumpet and piano, John Brunious served as the bandleader for The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Growing up in a family of gifted musicians, Mr. Brunious was introduced to New Orleans Jazz at a young age, by his father, John “Picky” Brunious and others such as drumming legend Paul Barbarin. He began taking lessons from his father at age ten but mostly taught himself to play by listening to records and emulating what he heard; inspired by Dizzy Gillespie and Maynard Ferguson, he developed a flair for flashy, high-note solos that earned him work at gigs and on record sessions in a variety of styles.
Dedicating his life to music, Mr. Brunious had a flourishing career, spanning decades, multiple continents and some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. His talent took him far and wide, landing him into the halls of royalty and world leaders. Performing for British Royalty, The King of Thailand, U.S. presidents and everyone in between, he loved to share his passion for music.
A pioneering member of the PHJB, John Brunious was with the band for over 20 years as bandleader. He was an inspiration to his fellow band members as well as his fans. As Mr. Brunious carried on the grand tradition and musical culture of his forebears in the Crescent City, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will celebrate him in continuing this incredible American art form for years to come. Creative Director of Preservation Hall, Ben Jaffe remarks, “John Brunious was living history. One of the last things John told me was, ‘There’s another Louis Armstrong somewhere out there in New Orleans. I’m going to find them and teach them all I got.’ It’s now in our hands to carry on his message and legacy the way he carried the torch for so many years.”
Mr. Brunious passed away in Casselbury, Florida with his family. He is survived by his wife Terri Brunious, a son John, Jr., 2- stepdaughters, a granddaughter, 3-brothers, and 4-sisters.
Please take the time to visit our John Brunious tribute page:
CLICKHERE
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