[Dixielandjazz] Multiple Preservation Hall Jazz Bands

[Ron L'Herault]

Correct me if I am wrong but I don't think there is A Preservation Hall
Jazz Band.  Music played at the hall was (is) by whoever was free that
night or some such arrangement.  Personnel were not constant, not fixed.
It would be more proper to say the Bands from Preservation Hall.  When I
went to see them in the New England area in the 70s, I saw two different
bands at two different venues.  They were both good but both a bit
different.  I knew they were different ahead of time from advance
publicity.  

Ron L
-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of Stephen
Barbone
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2003 7:35 PM
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 7, Issue 32

Rob McCallum wrote:

> Having never had the opportunity to visit New Orleans I haven't
experienced
> Preservation Hall first hand, however, I have read that when the
Jaffes
> (sp?) opened it in the early 1960's the general opinion of the time
was that
> they were crazy.  Apparently no one thought that bringing the older
> surviving, mostly African-American,  N.O. musicians out of retirement
to
> claim their due would succeed and that the Jaffes were naive.
Preservation
> Hall didn't begin as an attempt to make a buck off the tourist trade,
> rather, I've read, it was more a labor of love.  The fact that it was
so
> wildly successful that it became a tourist stop and spawned touring
groups
> shouldn't be confused with the idea that it was created just to cash
in.  My
> understanding is that, even today, it remains a rather humble place
with
> very low cover.
>
> On another note, not long ago there was a concert from Preservation
Hall
> broadcast on public television.  The crowd seemed very focussed on the
music
> (though that might have been for the cameras - I've been told that
some in
> the tourist crowd are oblivious to the music and won't keep their
mouths
> shut).  The music was o.k.(if less than inspired) though there were
some
> glaring intonation problems that were distracting, but the crowd
seemed to
> really be enjoying it.

Right on Rob, it costs $5 to get in to Preservation Hall. No
reservations, you
must stand in line outside if the place is full. Listening only, no food
or
drink sold there.

Folks, having played on the same stage & same bill with Presevation
Hall's
touring band twice in the last 16 months at major jazz festivals.
(Berk's &
Clifford Brown) here are my thoughts.

They played well both times. They had large audiences both times.
(unless all
the people came to see Barbone Street) They got great crowd reaction. We
preceded them both times and a half hour break separated the two
performances.

As my ears heard them, they play better than many bands, and not as well
as
many bands. Personally, given our style, I thought we out played them.
But that
means nothing. The crowd loved them as well as us. We both had
supporters.

At Clifford Brown, for their last number, they played "Joe Avery Blues
aka
Second Line. Frank Demond and John Brunious marched out into the
audience, in
the rain, and led a second line around the park. The audience, with
their
umbrellas up, some shielding Brunious and Demond, marched right along
with
them. Want to guess the audience reaction? Would our elitist bands have
done
that?

Now, according to our jazz police, that couldn't have been "Preservation
Hall's
Band", because PHJB was playing at the same time in the "real"
Preservation
Hall in New Orleans. they were led by Greg Stafford there that night.
(an
excellent New Orleans Jazz trumpeter btw). Therefore what we saw in
Wilmington
were frauds.

Yeah, right. Tell that to the people who were there in Wilmington
Delaware
having a great time with Preservation Hall. Tell them they were
defrauded. Or
go to New Orleans and tell the people who were in Preservation Hall that
night
that Greg Stafford is a fraud.

These players are PROFESSIONALS. They deliver what their audience wants
and
they do it consistantly. Wake up folks and stop being jealous of their
achievements. They satisfy more audience every year than any other OKOM
band in
the USA, if not the world except, maybe, for Cullum. And I know some of
you
disparage Cullum because that band sometimes plays things you don't
consider
either OKOM or Jazz. Another mistaken belief.

Folks, in all our elitism we still need to realize that we 400 people on
the
DJML don't count in the jazz world. Not even a blip on the radar screen,
But,
bands like Cullum's and Preservation Hall do count. What they do is far
beyond
what we do.  And for us to bitch about PHJB is simply ludicrous prattle.

Don't like them? Don't like their web site? Fine, get your TS card
punched by
the Chaplin.

Cheers,
Steve





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