American Legacies: Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Del McCoury Band
Recorded in 1964:
Sweet Emma and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band (2CD)
Released in 2009:
New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1 - Buy It HERE!
PHJB on NPR!
PRESERVATION Preview on All Songs Considered!
PHJB on WNYC!
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 Music & Culture and latest happenings of Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Each week, we 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.
Have a lovely day. We look forward to hearing from you.
Friday, December 25, 2009: This Friday, when you're done opening presents, don't forget to tune-in to World Cafe on NPR! This year, National Public Radio is giving you the gift of Traditional New Orleans Jazz as they feature the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's in-studio performance for the first hour of World Cafe from WXPN in Philadelphia. In the second hour? Aqua Teen Hunger Force. So really, you're getting a little bit of everything, wouldn't you say?
Tickets are still available for our Christmas Eve presentations of A Creole Christmas at Preservation Hall! Call (504) 522-2841 for tickets to this Thursday's 2pm or 4pm performance!
Richie Havens is gifted with one of the most recognizable voices in popular music. His fiery, poignant, always soulful singing style has remained unique and ageless since he first emerged from the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960’s. It’s a voice that has inspired and electrified audiences from the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair in 1969, to the Clinton Presidential Inauguration in 1993 -coming full circle with the 30th Woodstock Anniversary celebration, "A Day In The Garden," in 1999.
For over three decades, Richie has used his music to convey messages of brotherhood and personal freedom. With more than twenty-five albums released and a touring schedule that would kill many a younger man, he continues to view his calling as a higher one. As he told The Denver Post, "I really sing songs that move me. I’m not in show business, I’m in the communications business. That’s what it’s about for me."
Born in Brooklyn, Richard P. Havens was the eldest of nine children. At an early age, he began organizing his neighborhood friends into street corner doo-wop groups, and was performing with The McCrea Gospel Singers at 16. At the age of 20, Richie left Brooklyn to seek out the artistic stimulation of Greenwich Village. "I saw the Village as a place to escape to in order to express yourself,” he recalls. "I had first gone there during the beatnik days of the 1950’s to perform poetry, then I drew portraits for 2 years and stayed up all night listening to folk music in the clubs. It took awhile before I thought of picking up a guitar." Nina Simone was a key vocal influence early on, and Fred Neil and Dino Valenti were among the folksingers who had an impact on Richie during this period.
Richie’s reputation as a solo performer soon spread beyond the Village folk circles. He recorded two albums worth of demos for Douglas International in 1965 and ’66, though none of the tracks were released until his first two albums caused a stir. After joining forces with legendary manager Albert Grossman, Richie landed his first record deal with the Verve label, which released Mixed Bag in 1967. This auspicious debut album featured standout tracks like "Handsome Johnny" (co-written by Richie and future Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett , Jr.), "Follow,” and the striking version of Bob Dylan’s "Just Like A Woman" that earned him the reputation of being a premier interpreter of Dylan’s material.
Something Else Again (1968) became Richie’s first album to hit the Billboard chart, and also pulled Mixed Bag onto the charts. That same year, Douglas International added (unapproved) instrumental tracks to his old demos and released two albums, Richie Havens’ Record and Electric Havens. Less than a year later, Richie’s first coproduction, the two-disc Richard P. Havens, 1983 (Verve 1969), gave fans a taste of his exciting live sound.
It was, in fact, as a live performer that Richie first earned widespread notice. By decade’s end, he was in great demand in colleges across the country, as well as on the international folk and pop festival circuit. Richie played the 1966 Newport Folk Festival, the 1967 Monterey Jazz Festival, the 1968 Miami Pop Festival, the 1969 Woodstock Festival, the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival, and the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970.
Richie’s Woodstock appearance proved to be a major turning point in his career. As the festival’s first performer, he held the crowd spellbound for nearly three hours, called back for encore after encore. Having run out of tunes, he improvised a song based on the old spiritual "Motherless Child" that became "Freedom,” a song now considered to be the anthem of a generation. The subsequent movie release helped Richie reach a worldwide audience of millions...
THE SONG: "Trouble in Mind" Richie Havens - vocals, guitar Walter Parks - guitar Mark Braud - trumpet Charlie Gabriel - clarinet Clint Maedgen - tenor sax Freddie Lonzo - trombone Carl LeBlanc - banjo Walter Payton - string bass "9th Ward" Joe Lastie - drums
"TROUBLE IN MIND" as performed by SISTER ROSETTA THARPE:
BIOGRAPHY by Heather Phares from AllMusicGuide.com Chicago singer/songwriter/violinist Andrew Bird updates the traditions of small-group swing, German leider, and New Orleans jazz, mixing gypsy, folk, and rock elements into his distinctive style. Bird's projects include his group the Bowl of Fire (which also includes drummer Kevin O'Donnell, bassist Josh Hirsch, and guitarist Colin Bunn) and performing as an auxiliary member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers; in turn, the Zippers' Katharine Whalen and James Mathus appeared on the Bowl of Fire albums Thrills and Oh! the Grandeur. Bird has also recorded with artists like Pinetop Seven and Lil' Ed Williams, teaches music at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and performed on the score and soundtrack from the 1999 Tim Robbins film The Cradle Will Rock. His third album, 2001's The Swimming Hour, surprisingly found the Bowl of Fire turning to pop music, and with excellent results. As bandmembers remained active in their various other projects, the band continued and work on a follow-up began in 2002. To tide fans over, Bird self-released a limited-edition EP, Fingerlings, which documented live performances of some old and new songs by the band and solo. Early 2003 brought the release of another LP, Weather Systems, on the independent Grimsey label. Bird debuted on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe imprint in 2005 with Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs. He switched to Fat Possum for 2007's Armchair Apocrypha and 2009's Noble Beast, both of which were ambitious and eclectic albums even by Bird's standards.
"Shake It And Break It" Andrew Bird - lead vocals, violin, whistling Mark Braud - trumpet Charlie Gabriel - clarinet Clint Maedgen - tenor sax Lucien Barbarin - trombone Carl LeBlanc - banjo Ben Jaffe - tuba Joe Lastie - drums
SONY RED DISTRIBUTION ANNOUNCE PRESERVATION: AN ALBUM BENEFITING PRESERVATION HALL AND ITS MUSIC OUTREACH PROGRAM
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 16, 2010: Over the last year, more than 20 of American music's most exciting artists have traveled to Preservation Hall in New Orleans to collaborate with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on classic New Orleans repertoire. The end result is a timeless and joyous celebration of New Orleans music. Proceeds from the sale of the project will benefit Preservation Hall and The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program. The album is set for release on Fat Tuesday, February 16, 2010 in standard CD, deluxe edition, and double-LP collectible formats.
The mission of Preservation Hall, to showcase and nurture one of America's greatest indigenous, national, cultural treasures - New Orleans Jazz - is as important today as it was when Preservation Hall officially opened its doors in 1961.
"Our community is deeply rooted in a tradition of using music to rejoice, heal, and overcome adversity. We play music at our funerals to uplift our spirits during our deepest and darkest emotional moments," says producer Ben Jaffe, PHJB Creative Director and son of Preservation Hall founders Allan and Sandra Jaffe. "My goal on this project was to create new works steeped in the New Orleans Tradition with artists from diverse musical genres and backgrounds who all share a mutual admiration and deep appreciation for our cultural heritage."
From Brandi Carlile's take on the gospel classic "Old Rugged Cross" to Tom Waits' arrangement of the earliest known recorded Mardi Gras song, "Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing," each artist was able to perform their interpretation of these classics within the warm confines of Preservation Hall's famous performance space. Even New Orleans' own legendary Louis Armstrong, who once said, "Preservation Hall, now that's where you'll hear all the greats," is transported through the decades and can be heard trading licks and vocals on an updated version of his classic "Rockin' Chair."
The complete roster of artists includes: Louis Armstrong, Andrew Bird, Terence Blanchard, Pete Seeger, Dr. John, Blind Boys of Alabama, Brandi Carlile, Cory Chisel, Ani DiFranco, Steve Earle, Merle Haggard, Richie Havens, Jason Isbell, Jim James, Angelique Kidjo, Amy Lavere, Anita Briem, Del McCoury, Buddy Miller, Paolo Nutini, and Tom Waits.
Preservation Hall, located in the French Quarter just three blocks from the Mississippi River, remains the intimate veune it originally was when it opened in 1961 as a performance space dedicated to honoring, celebrating and perpetuating New Orleans jazz. Originally erected as a Spanish Tavern in the 1750s, Preservation Hall is a modest French Quarter structure. The building has no running water or air conditioning, and the only seating accomodations are six benches and a few cushions strewn about the worn wooden floor. Its raw and weather-beaten exterior remains unpainted.
A half-century later, Preservation Hall continues to ensure the cultural legacy and the future of this beautiful tradition by allowing young and old to collaborate together. in the spirit of New Orleans, legendary and emerging artists donated their time to travel to New Orleans to record this special compilation album benefiting Preservation Hall and the Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program. Preservation was spearheaded by RED Distribution, who approached Preservation Hall for their blessing and collaboration. "We're honored to be the driving force behind a tribute to this iconic body of music and the mission to restore the legendary Preservation Hall and its Music Outreach Program," said Bob Morelli, president, RED Distribution in announcing the album. "We hope this project continues to keep philanthropy at the forefront of the music industry, and restores faith that each of us can make a difference with just the purchase of a single CD. We thank all the wonderful artists who contributed their time and talent."
Ladies and Gentlemen, Another year has come and nearly gone. Which means that it's time once again to vote for your favorite musicians, groups, and recordings for Offbeat Magazine's annual Best Of The Beat awards! The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is nominated once again for Best Traditional Jazz Artist, as well as Best Traditional Jazz Album for this year's New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1. Additionally, PHJB members Charlie Gabriel, Clint Maedgen, and Ben Jaffe are all up for awards in various categories. Please take a few moments a vote for your favorites!
