[Dixielandjazz] Preservation Hall - San Francisco

[Stephen G Barbone]

Dave Richoux wrote: (polite snip)

"As it turns out, he's pretty good friends with Ben Jaffe, whose  
parents founded the New Orleans Music institution in the 1960s."


Dear Dave and list mates:

That is a myth having long legs and is believed by many of us. Me too,  
until I checked it out. Here is the real story of how Preservation  
Hall got started:

Larry Borenstein owned and ran The Associated Artists Gallery, at the  
current location of Preservation Hall in New Orleans. Every once in a  
while a busker, ukulele player Lemon Nash, would stop by for a glass  
of water, or to use the rest room. Out of gratitude for Borenstein's  
allowing him to use the facilities, Nash would play or sing a tune or  
two. The popular music of the day, not necessarily jazz and Nash knew  
hundreds of pop tunes of the 20s.

The gallery customers would listen, and then tip him. Nash started to  
make more money at the Art Gallery than he did busking so he started  
to play longer and longer there. He soon started bring musician  
friends along like Kid Thomas, Noon Johnson, Sam Rankins and others  
who started showing up on a regular basis.

An audience for the music , but not the paintings also started to show  
up on a regular basis. Larry Borenstein, being a good businessman  
noticed that the musicians were taking in  more money than the art  
was. And so he got rid of the paintings and made a music space out of  
the gallery.

Bornstein then asked impresario Al Rose to run the place but Al  
declined citing a lack of patience, personality and business acumen to  
make a real success out of the place.

Enter Allan Jaffe. A newly married young man, graduate of the  
University of Pennsylvania and with a budding career as an efficiency  
expert at the Holmes Department store in N.O. Rose had met Jaffe the  
first week the Jaffe's were in New Orleans during 1961 and was pleased  
to recommend him to Borenstein for the job as manager.

There is no question that Allan Jaffe was the perfect fit for  
Preservation Hall. He is responsible for its worldwide popularity, and  
gained enormous respect from the musicians. Jaffe marketed it and soon  
Borenstein sold it to him. Allan Jaffe's turning the hall into an  
International Shrine and his various help to musicians from financial  
to a shoulder to lean on, are to be admired.  However, when the hall  
started, it was Borenstein, Lemon Nash and the other musicians who  
"founded" it.

Cheers,

Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband