King Britt's Sister Gertrude Morgan Remix featured in The Oxford American

This month, The Oxford American dedicated their music issue to the "Magnificent Variety of Musical Superstars from the State of Alabama."  Included in the list and accompanying CD: King Britt's 2005 remix album featuring the recorded work of Sister Gertrude Morgan.  


Check out this great review of the issue and accompanying CD on sync.arkansas.com!

The Oxford American tackles Alabama Music
Magazine's Southern Music CD No. 12 focuses on state's musical heritage. 
By Shea Stewart

LITTLE ROCK — When someone as famous as Charlie Louvin — one half of harmonizing The Louvin Brothers — says, "Let's start jammin'," it's time to jam. The spoken-word intro kicks off The Oxford American's Southern Music CD No. 12, a collection of 27 tunes featuring a "magnificent variety of musical superstars from the state of Alabama." And it does jam — in it's own weird way.
This is the second year the CD that accompanies The Oxford American's Music Issue (out Wednesday) focuses on the musical heritage of one Southern state in particular. The inaugural year Arkansas was the focus, and this year, OA editor Marc Smirnoff and company chose the Heart of Dixie for their musical exploration. The 27 tracks are either produced in Alabama, or written and performed by native Alabamians. (The actual Music Issue will also include a special editorial section with articles dedicated to the musicians and tunes on the album.)

Alabama doesn't have the rich musical history of a Memphis, New Orleans or Mississippi Delta region, but it does offer a deep and diverse musical bedrock. Hank Williams is an Alabamian. Emmylou Harris, too. Three of the original five Temptations — Eddie Kendricks. Paul Williams and Melvin Franklin — were born in Birmingham, and Dennis Edwards, the man who replaced Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, is also a native Alabamian. Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett — also Alabama. Of course, country music super band Alabama is from Alabama. Sun Ra was born there, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section backed some legendary bands at FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. The state is home to a contemporary sound as well, with three of the Drive-By Truckers having north Alabama roots, and Jamey Johnson calling Alabama his native state. Indie acts Vulture Whale, The Dexateens and A.A. Bondy have Alabama roots as well.

So that's a brief, incomplete history of the music of Alabama. But for a fuller, complete history of the state, one needs to turn to the Southern Music CD No. 12. Smirnoff and company are into the business of digging deeper, beyond the crust to the mantle, uncovering gems. None of the above artist are found on the Southern Music CD No. 12. Is the music present obscure? Yes, but it's important...

...But the penultimate track is perhaps the album's best: "Precious Lord Lead Me On" from the album King Britt Presents: Sister Gertrude Morgan. In 2005, Britt, a Philadelphia DJ and part-time performer with the Digable Planets, set the '70s recordings from Let's Make A Record of Alabama-born, New Orleans-based preacher, folk artist and musician Sister Gertrude Morgan to hip-hop beats. The result here is Morgan’s shimmying tambourine over a lush orchestra, creating a strange yet beautiful merger of electronica meets hymnal...

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE!

CHECK OUT ALL THE ARTISTS FEATURED ON THE CD HERE!

  

PHJB in Thailand: Royal New Orleans Jazz Celebration!

Last month, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band traveled to Thailand to unveil and celebrate the release of a brand new recording for His Majesty the King.  Featuring 14 of His Royal Majesty's compositions and performances on vibraphone by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.  Check out some of these fascinating articles, videos and photos from a tremendous visit!

Jazz Fit For A King
Bangkok Post - 12/01/2010
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band tells 'Outlook' about its new album in celebration of the King's 84th birthday

If the King loves music, it is well with the land, said Chinese philosopher Mencius (Mengzi) around 400 BC. This is true for Thailand today, over 2,400 years later. His Majesty the King loves, composes and plays music and is devoted to his country and people. His more than 30 musical compositions have long brought happiness to Thais.


As the musical king turns 84 next year, his favourite band, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, has joined the Thai people's celebrations with a special album featuring 14 royal compositions and a new song in the New Orleans Jazz style. What is extraordinary about the album is Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's role in playing the vibraphone with the band on two songs.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band was founded in New Orleans by Allan and Sandra Jaffe in 1961. Many of the band's founding members performed with jazz pioneers, including Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden and Jelly Roll Morton. They include Billie and De De Pierce, famed pianist Sweet Emma Barrett, and Wille and Percy Humphrey. The current band members follow in their footsteps.

The band's new album entitled, Royal New Orleans Jazz Celebration, features Thai composer and saxophonist Pathorn Srikaranonda, and the first album to feature His Majesty's 14 royal compositions played in the New Orleans jazz style. The 14 songs are Royal Marines March, Lay Kram Goes New Orleans, Smiles, Candlelight Blues, Lullaby, Love at Sundown, Can't You Ever See, Near Dawn, H.M. Blues, Never Mind the Hungry Men's Blues, Love in Spring, Friday Night Rag, New Year Greeting and When. A highlight is a new song, Royal Celebration 2011, co-written by Pathorn and the band's creative director and tuba player Benjamin Jaffe.

Pathorn, who is also a member of His Majesty the King's Or Sor Wan Sook Band, and Jaffe, who represented the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, recently talked to 'Outlook' about the new album and also His Majesty's penchant for jazz.

click here for full interview!

 

Tom Waits with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on 78 - On Sale This FRIDAY at Preservation Hall!

 

For Sale This Friday at Preservation Hall,

726 St. Peter Street / NOLA 70116

from 10:00am - 5:00pm Central Standard Time

On Friday, this special recording, 

benefiting The Preservation Hall Junior Jazz and Heritage Brass Band, 

will be available for in-person purchase only.  

 

Please visit www.preservationhall.com/tomwaits78 for online sales

beginning at 12:01am CST on Saturday, October 20th.

At no time will we be accepting orders by phone!

This very special 78RPM recording will be available at two donation tiers:
$50 for the recording on its own,
~OR~
$200 for the recording packaged with a limited edition record player
celebrating Preservation Hall's 50th anniversary.
(turntable plays 78, 45, and 33 and features USB out)

 PLEASE NOTE:

While the 78s are signed and numbered by Ben Jaffe, we will not honor requests for specific numbers.  The numbered 78 you receive will be by luck of the draw, only.

A Very Special Celebration and Second Line for Walter Payton, Jr. (1942-2010)

PRESERVATION HALL ANNOUNCES

A VERY SPECIAL MEMORIAL AND SECOND LINE

CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF

WALTER PAYTON, JR.

(1942-2010)

Saturday, November 20, 2010 – 10:30am

On Thursday, October 28, 2010, the city of New Orleans lost a great man and a wonderful musician.  The world will not be the same without Walter Payton Jr.  Please join us at Preservation Hall on Saturday, November 20 at 10:30am as we pay tribute to the life and times of Walter Payton.  After a short memorial service, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will perform a very special Secondline through the French Quarter, down St. Claude Ave., and past McDonough 15 where Walt taught music for many years.

About Walter Payton:

Born and raised in New Orleans’ Uptown neighborhoods, Walter’s first brushes with Preservation Hall came in the early sixties when Allan Jaffe would lend him his sousaphone for gigs with the Eureka, Apollo, and Olympia Brass Bands.  After receiving advanced instruction from Robert Rohe at Xavier College, Walter went on to perform on several hit records, including Lee Dorsey’s “Working in a Coal Mine” and Aaron Neville’s “Tell It Like It Is.”  Walter Payton also served as a teacher in the New Orleans public school system for twenty-five years, where he had the opportunity to instruct a young Ben Jaffe in the ways of the bass.

A Second Line and Celebration for our Friend

Walter Payton Jr.

(1942-2010)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Memorial Service at 10:30 AM

Second Line Parade at 11:00 AM

Beginning at Preservation Hall / 726 St. Peter Street

Parade will begin at 726 St. Peter Street at 11:00am.

Parade will march from Preservation Hall,

Turn Right on Bourbon Street,

Turn Left on Barracks Street

Turn Left on St. Claude,

Turn Left on St. Philip Street,

Pause in front of McDonough 15 School, 721 St. Phillip Street,

Right on Royal Street,

Left on St. Ann,

Right at Jackson Square (crossing St. Louis Cathedral)

Right on St. Peter Street,

Finishing at Preservation Hall – 726 St. Peter Street.

~Please join us in celebrating the life of our dear friend~

Preservation Hall's 5th Annual Creole Christmas Celebration

It's Time to Deck The Hall!

  

Tickets are available NOW - Click the poster to get yours!

PHJB in Thailand!

Mourning the Passing of the Great Walter Payton

Walter Payton, longtime New Orleans jazz bassist and educator, dies at 68
Thursday, October 28, 2010, 9:06 PM
Keith Spera, The Times-Picayune 

Walter Payton Jr., the genial bassist who anchored the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and shaped generations of public school students, died Thursday at Kindred Hospital-New Orleans following a lengthy illness. He was 68.

 He grew up on Annunciation Street. As a boy, he played sousaophone and dismissed his grandmother's suggestion that he take up the string bass. "Naw, I don't see nothing but old men playing those things," he said, recalling the scene in a 2008 interview. "I don't want to do that."

But on Easter 1958, he attended a performance at the Municipal Auditorium by James Moody and Ellis Marsalis' New Orleans Jazz Quintet. "The bass players in both groups, they were having so much fun," he said. "More fun than anyone else in the band. There were literally dancing with their basses."

He was sold on the instrument. Decades later, he described its appeal. The upright bass is "shaped just like a lady," he said, laughing. "The hips, the waist. And the best thing is, she don't do nothing you don't tell her to. She don't talk back. If you press her in the right place, she says just what you want her to say. And no more."

Other than a brief time spent working in the cafeteria of Xavier University, he made a living in music. After graduating from Xavier with a degree in music education, he spent the next 25 years teaching in the New Orleans public school system. During his years at McDonogh 15 elementary in the French Quarter, he taught music and organized the school band; in the '70s, he conducted the young band at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

He influenced many aspiring musicians, including his future boss, Preservation Hall creative director Ben Jaffe. “When I was his student – and I still consider myself his student – Walter was a bit scary,” Jaffe once recalled. “But he had a lasting impact on me. He instilled in me a respect for music.”

Throughout his teaching career, Mr. Payton also worked as a professional musician in a variety of settings. He marched with various brass bands, including the Eureka, Olympia. Treme and Apollo. He made his debut at Preservation Hall in 1965 and worked at the old Dew Drop Inn and the original Blue Room at the Fairmont Hotel.

After retiring from the school system in 1991, he plunged headlong into the life of a fulltime musician. With his Snap Bean and Gumbo File combos and with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, he traveled the globe. “I love being on the road,” Mr. Payton said in 2008. “I love it, love it, love it.”

Along the way he performed at Carnegie Hall, accompanied symphony orchestras and backed Robert Parker, Nancy Wilson, Harry Connick Jr., Clark Terry, Doc Paulin, the king of Thailand, and many more. He contributed to his son Nicholas' 2001 Louis Armstrong tribute "Dear Louis."

Mr. Patyon was a robust man who at one point was an avid kick-boxer and martial arts practitioner. Married four times, he was quick with a sly smile and an even slyer line.

“He always used to say to girls, ‘When did you leave heaven? You’re so beautiful,’” recalled Michael Paz, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's road manager.

Mr. Payton suffered a stroke in January while in Washington D.C. on tour with Preservation Hall. He eventually returned to New Orleans, but never recovered sufficiently to return to the road. He had been in and out of hospitals for several months.

“I saw him a couple days ago, and he spoke to me a little, which he hadn’t done the last few times I saw him,” Paz said.

He is missed.

Preservation Hall Announces the Return of The Preservation Hall Stage to the 2010 Voodoo Experience

PRESERVATION HALL presents

The Preservation Hall Tent at the 2010 Voodoo Experience 

Preservation Hall is proud to announce the return of The Preservation Hall Tent to the 2010 Voodoo Experience, October 29-31 at City Park in New Orleans.  Now in their fifth year presenting a festival stage showcasing the local inheritors to New Orleans’ rich musical legacy, as well as national performers with deep ties to the Crescent City’s traditional roots, the 2010 lineup continues to offer festival-goers an even more diverse representation of Louisiana’s musical heritage. This year’s lineup in the Tent features musical collaborations between some of the region’s finest including Stanton Moore performing with Anders Osborne & Robert Walter, Paul Sanchez with John Boutte, Brian Coogan Band with special guest Mike Dillon, Cedric Burnside with Lightnin’ Malcolm, and The Honey Island Swamp Band with guests Gal Holiday and The Soul Rebels.  Also joining in the festivities are local favorites Theresa Andersson, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Treme Brass Band featuring Uncle Lionel Batiste, DJ Soul Sister, and many more.

The Preservation Hall Tent also welcomes to town gospel trio Como Mamas, afro-beat rockers Toubab Krewe,  and latin-fusion wildmen Locos Por Juana.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29^TH

DJ T-Roy, Cedric Bursiade and Lightnin’ Malcolm, Honey Island Swamp Band with Gal Holiday and the Soul Rebels Horns, Rose Ledet, Stanton Moore Trio plus Anders Osborne and Robert Walter, Creole String Beans, Coot

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30^th

DJ Quickie Mart, Locos Por Juana, Theresa Andersson, Paul Sanchez Rolling Road Show ft. John Boutte, Treme Brass Band, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Fatter Than Albert

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31^st

DJ Soul Sister, Brian Coogan Band with Mike Dillon, Toubab Krewe, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Como Mamas, Leo Jackson and the Melody Clouds, MarchFourth Marching Band

Here it Comes: Preservation Hall to release LIMITED EDITION (504) 78RPM Format of Tom Waits / PHJB Collaboration!

On November 19th, 2010, Preservation Hall Recordings will release 504 LIMITED EDITION, hand numbered, 78rpm format vinyl records featuring two tracks by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with very special guest Tom Waits. The proceeds from the sales of this very special project will benefit the Preservation Hall Junior Jazz & Heritage Brass Band, the cornerstone of the Preservation Hall music outreach program in partnership with The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.

“In New Orleans, our musical traditions, are passed down from one generation to the next. I was very fortunate to grow up at the feet of so many masterful musicians.  It’s one of Preservation Hall’s missions to ensure the future of our musical heritage. Our music outreach program guarantees our musical legacy will live on through another generation.” says Creative Director of Preservation Hall and son of the Hall’s founders, Ben Jaffe.

Mr. Waits traveled to New Orleans to record two songs with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for the critically-acclaimed project PRESERVATION: An Album To Benefit Preservation Hall and the Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program, “Tootie Ma Was A Big Fine Thing”  and “Corrine Died On The Battlefield”. Originally recorded by Danny Barker in 1947, these two selections are the earliest known recorded examples of Mardi Gras Indian chants.

Inspired by the original recordings, the two recently recorded tracks are being released in a beautifully designed, limited-edition 78 rpm format vinyl record, each signed and numbered by Preservation Hall Creative Director Ben Jaffe. The first one hundred records will be accompanied by a custom designed Preservation Hall 78rpm record player(also plays 33 1/3 & 45 rpm records, see specs beow) as part of a Deluxe Donation package. The remaining four hundred and four will be available as a standalone record for the Basic Donation package.

Both packages will be available for IN-PERSON PURCHASE at Preservation Hall in New Orleans on November 19, 2010 at 10:00am Central and for purchase online at http://www.preservationhall.com on November 20, 2010.  Packages will be limited to one per person.

-Deluxe Donation Tier: $200 – INCLUDES: Limited Edition 78rpm record
AND the limited edition, custom-made Preservation Hall 78 record player(#1-100)

-Basic Donation Tier: $50 – INCLUDES: Limited Edition 78rpm record only (#101-504)

-----------

Record Player Specifications:
USB Enabled For Connection to Windows Equipped PC and Mac
Software Suite For Ripping And Editing Audio Content
Belt Driven Turntable Mechanism
Plays 3 Speeds - 33 1/3, 45 And 78 RPM Records
Plays 7", 10" & 12" Records
Fully Automatic Return Tone Arm
Diamond Stylus Needle
Auxiliary Input
Adjustable Tone Control
Dynamic Full Range Stereo Speakers
Vinyl-Wrapped
Chrome Snap Closure
Corner Guards
Metal And Resin Handle

PHJB and The Del McCoury Band On The Road: American Legacies Tour, 2010-2011

Preservation Hall Jazz Band and
The Del McCoury Band announce
The American Legacies Tour, 2010-2011

With a combined 100 years of musical influence in the genres of American Bluegrass and Traditional New Orleans Jazz, The Del McCoury Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band are true legacies of roots Americana.  Independently, they represent the very best of their respective formats.  Together on stage, the parallel evolution of these two purely American art forms becomes immediately and joyously evident.  With mutual roots in blues and spiritual music and a thematic focus on the trials and tribulations of the American everyman, the live marriage of the high lonesome sound of the Appalachians and the hot and lively music native to the Crescent City create a seamless blend of soul-lifting traditional harmonies guaranteed to bring audiences dancing into the aisles.

Back in 2009, Del McCoury was the first guest vocalist to record a track with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for their critically-acclaimed 2010 release Preservation: An Album To Benefit Preservation Hall and the Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program, which also featured guest artists Merle Haggard, Tom Waits, Yim Yames, Andrew Bird and over a dozen more.  In the year and a half since that first meeting, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and The Del McCoury Band have forged an artistically fruitful creative partnership that has yielded not only a host of exciting performances, but a fully collaborative album as well.  Recorded in San Francisco this past July, this exciting new recording will feature the two groups performing together through a selection of traditional jazz and bluegrass standards along with original material by both the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and The Del McCoury Band.

Saturday, October 23, 2010  /  The Family Arena  /  St. Charles, MO (POSTPONED)

Thursday, October 28, 2010  /  Jefferson Center  /  Roanoke, VA

Friday, October 29, 2010  /  Appalachian State University  /  Boone, NC

Saturday, October 30, 2010  /  Duke University  /  Durham, NC

Sunday, November 21, 2010  /  Philharmonic Center for the Arts  /  Naples, FL

More dates to be announced soon!

A Special Midnight Performance featuring MC SWEET TEA! (10.28.10)

Preservation Hall presents a midnight show featuring

MC SWEET TEA

At Preservation Hall, October 28^th, 2010

[Tuesday, October 12^th, 2010] In anticipation of her performance at the 2010 Voodoo Experience, Preservation Hall will be welcoming back former New Orleans performance artist/rapper MC Sweet Tea to the Crescent City for a special midnight performance at Preservation Hall on Thursday, October 28^th. 

Currently based out of Austin, Texas, Tiana Hux performs/directs musical theatre under the stage moniker MC Sweet Tea.  These performances span Burlesque, Puppet Theatre, Hip Hop and Performance Art.  Musically, the shows blend Rap/Spoken Word, with elements of rock, electronic, pop and classical music genres.  Her 2005 release, Story, remains an underground classic while her much anticipated new work, Animal Ball, will find its world premiere at Preservation Hall and Voodoo Fest in New Orleans this Halloween, 2010.

MC Sweet Tea will be joined by:

Marcus Bronson (Mr. Go, The Actioneers Band, Skin Berb, Walkaway Parde) - Programming, Bass, Keyboard, Trumpet

Jeff Pagano - Piano

Mykia Jovan - Vocals

Meaghan McDermott (The Atomic Bombshells) - Choreographer/Dancer

Judy Boltin (Quintron and Miss Pussycat) - Dancer

Sarah Borealis - Dancer

~Buy tickets for this special Midnight Performance HERE!~

Manno Charlemagne, Haitian Folk Singer & Activist, To Play Preservation Hall / 11.13.10

ATTENTION:

THIS SHOW HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Please click THIS LINK to purchase tickets for this rescheduled appearance.

PRESERVATION HALL presents

Haitian Folk Legend MANNO CHARLEMAGNE
At Preservation Hall 
Saturday, November 13, 2010 
(Midnight Show)

Preservation Hall is proud to welcome the beloved Haitian musician, activist, and former Mayor of Port Au Prince, Mr. Manno Charlemagne for an intimate midnight performance on Saturday, November 13th, 2010. 

 Often referred to as “The Bob Marley of Haiti,” Mr. Charlemagne has been the vocal conscience of Haiti for over 30 years. Performing politically charged folk ballads in French and Creole, Manno used his voice and guitar as weapons in the fight against the brutal Jean-Claude Duvalier regime in the 1970s and 1980s and was consequently exiled from Haiti until the regime’s downfall in 1986.

Upon his return to Haiti in ‘86, Charlemagne became immediately active in the political and roots music scene. Manno enlisted more musicians to form Koral Konbit Kafou, a live band which included a group of drummers from a Voudou temple. The band’s performances served as a soundtrack for political change in the late 1980s. Again, Manno’s grassroots mission caught the eye of the Haitian military. After receiving a series of death threats, Manno was forced into exile once again, this time taking refuge in the Argentine embassy in Port-au-Prince. News of his situation soon spread to the U.S. and then on to film director Jonathan Demme, who united with Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, James Earl Jones, and Robert DiNiro to lobby on Manno’s behalf. These efforts ultimately won the activist musician his freedom and gained him political exile in the United States where he went on to perform concerts in Miami, New York, and Montreal to rally support from Haitian expatriate communities in support of Haitian democracy.

Manno returned to Haiti in 1994 following a United Nations intervention to restore the constitutional government. In 1995 he won a landslide victory to become mayor of Port-au-Prince for what was for the most part an unsuccessful and short-lived career as a politician. Charlemagne returned to his true calling as a musician shortly thereafter.

Adversity struck Charlemagne and the country of Haiti once again on January 12, 2010 when a catastrophic earthquake struck just outside of Port-au-Prince, killing over 200,000 people, injuring over 300,000, and rendering 1,000,000 homeless. Manno’s home was leveled in the quake.
From November 1st thru November 15th, Mr. Charlemagne will take a brief residency in Louisiana. The goal of the residency is to give Manno an opportunity to network with Louisiana's music and arts community, share his breathtaking music, and to tell his story which is the story of the struggle of the Haitian people. The residency will be part fundraiser, part networking opportunity, part performance, and part social activism.

MANNO CHARLEMAGNE
With Helen Gillet
Saturday, November 13th, 2010
At Preservation Hall 726 St. Peter Street, New Orleans
Doors 11:30 pm, Show at Midnight
Tickets $25, advance tickets available at
http://www.ticketweb.com

Manno Charlemagne links:

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manno_Charlemagne

NPR story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123784163
on Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/mannomyspace

Offbeat article:
http://www.offbeat.com/2010/06/22/charlemagne-coming-to-new-orleans/

Preservation Hall Hot 4 "St. James Infirmary" animated video-Official Selection @ New Orleans Film Fest 2010

Preservation Hall is excited to announce that the animated music video for "St. James Infirmary" is an official selection for the 2010 New Orleans Film Festival! Stop by The Contemporary Arts Center at 4pm on Saturday, October 16th. See you there!

Jambands.com Interview with Ben Jaffe

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Essence of New Orleans
Published: 2010/09/21
by Mike Greenhaus

As its name suggests, Preservation Hall Jazz Band is committed to preserving the culture and musical heritage of its native New Orleans. In addition to regular performances at its own Preservation Hall in the French Quarter, the ensemble has served as ambassadors for the Big Easy through appearances at festivals and shows across the country. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Preservation Hall Jazz Band appeared at numerous benefits for the city, including gigs at Radio City Music Hall and Bonnaroo.

Earlier this year the group released the all-star benefit collection Preservation, which features collaborations with the likes of Pete Seeger, Tom Waits, Andrew Bird, Dr. John, Steve Earle, Blind Boys of Alabama, Merle Haggard, Richie Havens, Jason Isbell and Jim James, as well as an archival recording by Louis Armstrong. The group supported the project by touring with My Morning Jacket and playing modern music festival such as the Hangout. Below, Preservation Hall Jazz Band tuba player/spokesman Ben Jaffe—whose father Allan Jaffe led the group for years—discusses the band’s future plans and current collaborations...

FULL INTERVIEW HERE!

Pictures from Last Night's PHJB Show @ The Jazz Kitchen (Indianapolis)

Check out this great photoset at Metromix Indianapolis!

Preservation Hall Jazz Band at The Jazz Kitchen, 09/14/10

PHJB On The Road: In-Studio Performance, IndyStyle.tv, Channel 8, Indianapolis!

 

A nice interview with Ben, followed by Bourbon Street Parade

and When The Saints Go Marching In... enjoy!

ESPN at Preservation Hall?

ESPN's The Next Round recently visited Preservation Hall

for a lively conversation about football and stuff!

 

The Next Round, hosted by Scoop Jackson, gives sports fans a front-row seat 

at the most exciting table in town. It features Scoop and celebrity guests 

discussing sports and pop culture topics.

Great Video: Cory Chisel w/ Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ Newport Folk Festival!

Check out this great backstage footage of PHJB's rehearsal and subsequent performance of "Some Cold Rainy Day" with Cory Chisel at this year's Newport Folk Festival!

"It Ain't My Fault" Remix Contest-the submissions thus far...

The Gulf Aid Allstars "It Ain't My Fault" remix contest continues! Check out the submissions by DoctorEternal, Scalez The Ancient, Howard Lambert, Arze Kareem, and more.

Listen to and vote for the remix submissions thus far at:

http://www.gulfaidremix.com

Performance Review: The LAist Reviews PHJB at The Hollywood Bowl, 08/18/10

Neville Brothers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band @ Hollywood Bowl 8/18/10
Preservation Hall Jazz Band are one of the city’s oldest institutions, formed in the early sixties with the express purpose of keeping old jazz alive, right at the time when such a notion couldn’t have been more unhip. But they’ve remained active, as both a band and a building, ever since, preaching the tradition of the Armstrong era. I’ve seen them a handful of times, including in their current Bourbon Street home, and figured we were in for a predictable, toe-tapping half hour or so of good old Dixieland music, and the first four or five songs seemed to bear that notion out. No matter how often those old songs get repeated, they’re still a treat to hear when played by masters of the craft.

But the second half of the program, a collaboration with modern dance troupe the Trey McIntyre Project, was shockingly powerful. The first few pieces were fun and upbeat, and worked surprisingly well - skeletons dancing around to “Heebie Jeebies” and that sort of thing. But the fourth piece was a funeral dirge, played at an unearthly slow tempo, and it became evident that the skeletal figures were re-enacting Hurricane Katrina - I saw a flash of a man perched on the roof of his house as another went floating past, after which every image resonated with footage of the disaster. This was followed by dances to a series of old spirituals, some performed with just a voice and a tambourine (which I believe to be by Sister Gertrude Morgan, whose record was released on Preservation Hall Records and has recently has been rediscovered thanks to an update from hip-hop producer King Britt, leading to the use of her "New World In My View" on HBO’s True Blood.)

It was unexpected, audacious and while I can hardly claim to be a modern dance expert, on an emotional level I have to rate that performance as one of the most stunning I’ve seen all year. It’s impressive that current leader Ben Jaffe, son of original founders Allan and Sandra Jaffe, has found a way to do something genuinely modern, so successfully, while continuing to honor the music they were founded on.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Preservation Hall on Fox News-Crescent City Music Rising

In observance of the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Fox News visited New Orleans and Preservation Hall. Click the photo above to view interviews with Preservation Hall's Carl LeBlanc and Rickie Monie.

Five Years Later, a Musical Post-Storm Retrospective from NPR

It's been five long years since the catastrophic failure of the Federal levee system in New Orleans incited an exodus and diaspora that called into question the resiliency of our culture and collective soul. Please take a few minutes to listen to All Things Considered's conversation with Nick Spitzer of American Routes as they discuss what we've gained and what we've lost, how we've grown and where we are today, all through the prism of one of our most vital natural resources: Music.

Additionally, be sure to check out American Routes this weekend on your local NPR outlet, or online at www.AmericanRoutes.org as Mr. Spitzer holds court through conversation and song with a variety of New Orleans natives and musicians about their lives after the storm. The program will feature tracks from Dejan's Olympia Brass Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, as well as "It Ain't My Fault" by the Gulf Aid Allstars!

MMJ talks Charity and New Orleans

My Morning Jacket talks to Causecast about being mislabeled when they started, donating $1 from every ticket of every show to a local charity, working with Air Traffic Control to learn about the good local charities, and how New Orleans is the creative music center of the universe.

"It Ain't My Fault" Remix Contest

Preservation Hall and Gulf Aid call on artists worldwide to create remixes of the Gulf Oil Spill Crisis anthem “It Ain’t My Fault”

On May 12th, 2010, Mos Def and Preservation Hall’s Ben Jaffe met in New Orleans to collaborate on a song to benefit The Gulf Relief Foundation, an organization providing relief for those affected by the Gulf oil spill catastrophe.

In an all-night jam session less than 12 hours later, they recorded the song at Preservation Hall with the newly formed Gulf Aid Allstars: Mos Def, Lenny Kravitz, Trombone Shorty, Tim Robbins and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

The result: a remake of the New Orleans rhythm and blues classic “It Ain’t My Fault”.

Originally written and composed by legendary New Orleans artists Wardell Quezergue and Smokey Johnson, this exciting new version of the New Orleans brass band standard features poignant lyrics by hip-hop superstar Mos Def protesting the passing-of-blame for what is now the largest environmental catastrophe in U.S. history. Backed by the horns of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Trombone Shorty, along with the deft guitar work of Lenny Kravitz, "It Ain't My Fault" sings as an anthem of dissent in the midst of this ever-expanding crisis.

The track and accompanying music video of the session are now available for download exclusively on iTunes with all proceeds to benefit The Gulf Relief Foundation. As an extra incentive, your purchase of the single gets you a free 1-year subscription to Spin Magazine, just enter your iTunes receipt number at SPIN.COM/PreservationHall

Since the release of the track, the collaborations continue. Response to the cause and the track have spawned remixes of “It Ain’t My Fault” by noted artists nationwide, including Mark Farina, Chuck Love, King Britt, and more.

Now it’s your turn to collaborate for the cause.

We’re now offering you the chance to engage the issue and the music artistically by giving you access to the music and allowing you to remix it with complete artistic freedom. Whether you are a singer, producer, dj, musician or all the above, make this track yours. All music must be 100% original content.

Visit: http://www.gulfaidremix.com/

All you have to do is visit the site and grab the stems for "It Ain’t My Fault".When you are finished with your remix, upload it! You and other fans can then vote on your favorite. Spread the Word!

About the Gulf Relief Foundation(Gulf Aid):
Gulf Aid, a 501(c3) nonprofit corporation, has been established in response to what has been called one of the biggest oil spills in history just 50 miles off of the Louisiana Coast. The mission of the Gulf Relief Foundation is to provide relief to the fishing community of the Gulf Coast and their families, and to address the long-term challenge of restoring and protecting America’s coastal wetlands.

Links:
http://www.gulfaidremix.com
http://www.gulfaid.org/
http://www.preservationhall.com/
http://www.mosdef.com
http://www.lennykravitz.com/
http://tromboneshorty.com/

PHJB in August Issue of Playboy Magazine!

It's true.  This month's Playboy Magazine features a fashion spread with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.  Check out your favorite New Orleans Jazz Band decked to the nines at the Hall and at the St. Louis Cemetary.  And shot by photographer Danny Clinch no less.  Get your copy today!

Another Nice Performance Review from Minneapolis

From Preservation Hall to the Dakota:
The Saints Are Marchin’ in High Fashion
Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor, Jazz Police
Friday, 23 July 2010

They don’t call it “Preservation Hall” for nothing. The first time I set foot in what might be the world’s tiniest commercial jazz venue in 1981, I recall my wonder that five or six musicians could make such vibrant music night after night for an audience crammed wall to wall. Back then, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band was comprised of a handful of septu- and octogenarians, meaning they could have been cohorts of Louis Armstrong in his early days. Now the popularity of the PHJB extends far beyond the early 19th century building on St. Peter Street in the French Quarter, and there are perhaps more than a dozen jazz musicians who rotate playing in the hall or on tour. One of those tours brought the band to the Dakota Jazz Club, a much larger venue than their home base, and a much smaller venue than their usual tour stop. In the Twin Cities, PHJB has appeared at the old Guthrie Theater (where they recorded their first commercial album) and at Orchestra Hall, but this week was their first club gig here. And it was an ideal way to enjoy the band and their deep reverence for the birthplace of jazz—comfortably intimate.

The contrast to Preservation Hall was rather extreme—the Dakota stage is larger than the entire Hall; Dakota patrons sit at tables and order food and drink, while in the Hall, mostly tourists line against the walls or sit on the floor with no amenities beyond the music and the smell of history. But regardless of context, this was purely New Orleans music, and most of the tunes (including “Whenever You’re Lonesome,” “Tiger Rag,” “You Are My Sunshine,” and of course “When The Saints Go Marchin’ In”) have been in the PJHB repertoire since the band first formed in the early 60s. The musicians themselves spread across more generations than the original band, with bassist/tuba player/director Ben Jaffe apparently the youngest (in his late 30s). The son of the Hall’s founders, Jaffe grew up literally on the knee of the PHJB members, and joked that one of his former students is none other than trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, now artistic director for jazz at Orchestra Hall and in the audience for Tuesday night’s final set. Well, he was not in the audience for long, coming on stage to join the band and duke it out with the other horns...

FULL ARTICLE HERE

"Historic Preservation at the Dakota" (performance review, Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Historic Preservation at the Dakota
for The Minneapolis Star-Tribune
by Chris Riemenschneider

It’s always a tad disappointing seeing Dixieland kings the Preservation Hall Jazz Band perform anywhere besides their namesake French Quarter venue/hole-in-the-wall, but last night’s third of four gigs at the Dakota still felt closer to the real thing than their usual Orchestra Hall appearances. This week’s shows were (somewhat amazingly) the PHJB’s first stint at the Dakota. As the Dakota’s Lowell Pickett noted in his introduction, “They don’t usually play venues this small … except in their hometown.”

The intimacy certainly added a level of magic to some of the slower, softer numbers, including a bluesy rendition of “My Sweet Substitute” led by clarinetist Charlie Gabriel and a heart-string-pulling instrumental version of “A Closer Walk to Thee.” Other highlights included a slightly Latin-jazzed take on “St. Louis Blues” by trombone player Freddy Lonzo and, best of all, a spirited tear through “Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing,” which Tom Waits sings on the new all-star PHJB charity CD, “Preservation.”

Bassist/sousaphonist Ben Jaffe, whose parents founded the hall/band in 1961, noted the group’s historical ties to Minneapolis during Tuesday's early set: It was the first place they performed outside of Louisiana, and they recorded their first CD, “Sweet Emma,” at the original Guthrie Theater in 1964. Jaffe also told a sweet story about being a kid and taking a call from legendary New Orleans trumpeter Al Hirt – whose name he thought was pronounced “Hoyt” – in honor of Hirt’s widow Beverly, a local resident watching from one of the booths. New Orleans and Minneapolis seem to grow closer every year.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Free Subscription to Spin Magazine! ("Ain't My Fault")

A GREAT DEAL FOR A GREAT CAUSE!

To encourage more music fans to pitch in and help the effort to clean up the ongoing crisis in the Gulf Coast, Spin Magazine is now offering a free, one-year subscription to anyone who purchases "Ain't My Fault" from iTunes.

In other words, for 99 cents, you get a great song, a subscription to one of the worlds premier Music Magazines, and the knowledge that you've done a small part to aid in the clean-up of the worst oil disaster in American history.

PURCHASE YOUR DOWNLOAD FROM iTUNES TODAY!

New "Ain't My Fault" video on Yahoo! Music

Today on Yahoo! Music, check out the premiere of the NEW EDIT of the music video for "It Ain't My Fault," the benefit track by the Gulf Aid Allstars featuring Mos Def, Lenny Kravitz, Trombone Shorty, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. This new edit by Richard Gonzalez and Dean Gonzalez combines shocking never-before-seen images from the ongoing Gulf Oil Spill Crisis with the footage from the live recording session at Preservation Hall in New Orleans.



Don't forget, “Ain’t my Fault” is still available for download via iTunes as a single (99 cents) or video ($1.99). All proceeds are being distributed by the Gulf Relief Foundation (GulfAid.org) to support organizations focused on wetlands/coastal environmental issues and the regional seafood industry. Please CLICK HERE to visit iTunes and support this important cause!

"PRESERVATION" in Relix Magazine!

A nice review from Relix magazine. It's on newsstands now, if you'd like a copy for keepsies!

PRESERVATION
reviewed by Mike Greenhaus
for Relix Magazine
published on 07/09/10

New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the latest group to receive a reboot with the help of some famous friends on the all-star benefit album Preservation.
Notably better than the average collaborative effort, Preservation succeeds because the lauded ensemble remains commitment to traditional, Dixieland New Orleans jazz. Though the album’s celebrity guests are associated with such diverse styles as indie-folk ( Andrew Bird, Cory Chisel ), alt-country ( Jason Isbell, Steve Earle ), singer/songwriter ( Richie Havens, Ani DiFranco ), American roots music ( Pete Seeger, Del McCoury, Blind Boys of Alabama ) and places in between ( Tom Waits, Angelique Kidjo ), each performer essentially curbs his individual voice to fit with Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s distinctive sound. Album highlights include Jim James’ delivery of “Louisiana Fairytale” through a retro-New Orleans bullhorn, and a lost recording by jazz pioneer Louis Armstrong.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

July 4th - Del McCoury and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on American Routes!

Whatever your plans are for this Fourth of July weekend, make sure you tune into American Routes for a rebroadcast of their show featuring Ponderosa Stomp, Del McCoury Band, and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Hour two of the program features a performance of PHJB and the Del McCoury Band recorded live at Preservation Hall's 2009 Midnight Preserves series. It's the perfect blend of Americana for your holiday weekend!

Radio Broken?
Now you can listen online!
Just do like the radio says - Click to listen!

St. James Infirmary video wins an ADDY!

Congratulations to James Tancill and Jeffrey Lush for picking up a SILVER ADDY for Special Effects in Video or Film at this year's National ADDY Awards for their work on the Saint James Infirmary (King Britt Remix) video!
The ADDY Awards is the world’s largest advertising competition, bringing in over 60,000 entries each year. It is arguably the world’s toughest advertising competition with entries of all media types coming from anywhere in the world. It is conducted by the American Advertising Federation, a not-for-profit industry association that contains 200 member advertising clubs and 15 districts.

Haven't watched it lately? Check it out again - it's a winner!

And don't forget -
The video is still available for purchase on iTunes as part of the
Preservation Hall Hot 4 / St. Peter Street Serenade package!
Five songs and Three videos for $3.99!

More info about University of Louisiana Faculty members
James Tancill and Jeffrey Lush at ultoday.com!

PHJB wins Best Local Musician Website in 2010 Best of New Orleans Web Awards!

With heaps of gratitude to our handsome and talented webmaster, Mike Cammarata of Cammami Design, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is pleased as punch to accept the title for this year's Best Local Musician Website!

When you have a moment, make sure to check out all the other websites that were up for the various awards this year. They're all remarkably well-executed and informative, whether you live in New Orleans or want to know more about we who do!