Sunday, March 14, 2010
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Bob and I saw the Preservation Hall Jazz Band last night, on tour and here in Lake Charles. Great show. I learned this band started in 1961 as an effort to preserve the culture of New Orleans jazz music. Preservation Hall holds the heart of the Crescent City. It hasn't changed over the decades, no air conditioning, no alcohol, it's rough facade still welcomes visitors and regulars. Bob and I vacationed in New Orleans back around 1990. I remember strolling through the French Quarter, stumbling (literally, no doubt) across Preservation Hall, and standing outside staring in through the windows for several minutes. The place was too crowded to attempt going in. Check out their website, and take a listen. Come visit us sometime. We can road trip three hours east and you can see them in person.
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3 comments:
Nice post, Angie. BTW, the dance line led by the players is called Second Line (not Conga). Typically it is a funeral procession. My cousin, Tom Sancton, Jr. wrote a wonderful book about the history of Preservation Hall and its musicians called, "A Song For My Fathers." When other children were doing their homework, my great uncle took Tommy down to the Preservation Hall most nights. This was during the Civil Rights era when there was great tension between the races. Tommy learned to play the clarinet at the feet of some of the great masters of Louis Armstrong's generation. He was one of the few whites to do so. He went on to become a Rhodes Scholar and Bureau Chief with Time Magazine in Paris, France. His book is a great history for anyone interested in the subject.
Thanks, Luke! I find it all very fascinating.
I first heard the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (on TV) when I was a teenager. I loved it!
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