Albums : Preservation Hall Jazz Band : That's It!
Albums : Preservation Hall Jazz Band : That's It!
Listen To Preservation Hall Jazz Band : That's It!
Who is Preservation Hall Jazz Band?
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band derives its name from Preservation Hall, the venerable music venue located in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter, founded in 1961 by Allan and Sandra Jaffe. The band has traveled worldwide spreading their mission to nurture and perpetuate the art form of New Orleans Jazz. Whether performing at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, for British Royalty or the King of Thailand, this music embodies a joyful, timeless spirit. Under the auspices of current director, Ben Jaffe, the son of founders Allan and Sandra, Preservation Hall continues with a deep reverence and consciousness of its greatest attributes in the modern day as a venue, band, and record label.
The building that houses Preservation Hall has housed many businesses over the years including a tavern during the war of 1812, a photo studio and an art gallery. It was during the years of the art gallery that then owner, Larry Borenstein, began holding informal jam sessions for his close friends. Out of these sessions grew the concept of Preservation Hall. The intimate venue, whose weathered exterior has been untouched over its history, is a living embodiment of its original vision. To this day, Preservation Hall has no drinks, air conditioning, or other typical accoutrements strictly welcoming people of all ages interested in having one of the last pure music experiences left on the earth.
The PHJB began touring in 1963 and for many years there were several bands successfully touring under the name Preservation Hall. Many of the band's charter members performed with the pioneers who invented jazz in the early twentieth century including Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and Bunk Johnson. Band leaders over the band's history include the brothers Willie and Percy Humphrey, husband and wife Billie and De De Pierce, famed pianist Sweet Emma Barrett, and in the modern day Wendall and John Brunious. These founding artists and dozens of others passed on the lessons of their music to a younger generation who now follow in their footsteps like the current lineup.
That's It! Review
Ever since they covered a Kinks song (granted, a Kinks song already steeped in New Orleans jazz) on ’07s Hurricane Sessions collection, it’s been clear that the Preservation Hall Jazz Band was ready to go outside the traditional box. But not too far outside, and the venerable group maintained a tricky balancing act over the past few years—raising its profile to an all-time high with a string of unlikely collaborations, but still basing its repertoire on the time-honored tunes.
Marking their return to a major label, That’s It! is their boldest step yet, and arguably the first to show second-generation leader Ben Jaffe’s vision for the group. For the first time, all the songs are new originals (though some of the titles—“Yellow Moon,” “I Think I Love You”—may sound familiar). One of their highest-profile supporters, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, steps in to co-produce with Jaffe. It doesn’t sound rock, but it does sound modern: Though it was recorded at the Hall the instruments are sharply defined, without the room ambiance usually heard on PHJB’s studio albums. And while Jaffe has made the recent albums more tune and less solo-oriented, the concise song lengths here—more than half under four minutes—would’ve been unheard-of in the old PHJB.
The real news is the quality of the material (all written or co-written by Jaffe, save for one solo Clint Maedgen composition), which doesn’t have any trad slavishness about it. The title track opens the album with rumbling tom-toms and blasts of horns; it wouldn’t take much to make this a great surf instrumental. “I Think I Love You” sports a cool touch of Bacharach; “Yellow Moon” starts out old-timey (with the disc’s only prominent banjo) but turns into an elegant samba. The campy horror-themed “Rattlin’ Bones” suggests that a little of Tom Waits’ influence rubbed off; the crowded-but-right arrangement hinges on a piano lick that will probably make you think of Laurel & Hardy.
Maedgen’s “August Nights” is a torch ballad with a few hints of the theatrical, Billie Holiday could have sung it, but so could Nick Cave. And the advance single (already teased in Rolling Stone of all places) is a piano-driven gospel rocker, “Dear Lord (Give Me the Strength),” soulfully sung by tuba player Ronell Johnson. More joyful than its title suggests, it sounds like something Allen Toussaint might have cooked up for Ernie K-Doe.
None of this sounds like too big a stretch; the PHJB sounds like itself no matter what it’s playing. And in the middle of these experiments sits “Come With Me”, a proudly old-fashioned love song to the city played in the group’s ’60s-era style. It’s a hint that the PHJB are as interested in staying the same as they are in changing.
Contact Preservation Hall Jazz Band
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Sources : Preservation Hall Jazz Band Photo | Listen To That's It! | Preservation Hall Jazz Band Biography | That's It! Review
Purchase : iTunes | Amazon | Walmart | Best Buy Vinyl
Listen To Preservation Hall Jazz Band : That's It!
Who is Preservation Hall Jazz Band?
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band derives its name from Preservation Hall, the venerable music venue located in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter, founded in 1961 by Allan and Sandra Jaffe. The band has traveled worldwide spreading their mission to nurture and perpetuate the art form of New Orleans Jazz. Whether performing at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, for British Royalty or the King of Thailand, this music embodies a joyful, timeless spirit. Under the auspices of current director, Ben Jaffe, the son of founders Allan and Sandra, Preservation Hall continues with a deep reverence and consciousness of its greatest attributes in the modern day as a venue, band, and record label.
The building that houses Preservation Hall has housed many businesses over the years including a tavern during the war of 1812, a photo studio and an art gallery. It was during the years of the art gallery that then owner, Larry Borenstein, began holding informal jam sessions for his close friends. Out of these sessions grew the concept of Preservation Hall. The intimate venue, whose weathered exterior has been untouched over its history, is a living embodiment of its original vision. To this day, Preservation Hall has no drinks, air conditioning, or other typical accoutrements strictly welcoming people of all ages interested in having one of the last pure music experiences left on the earth.
The PHJB began touring in 1963 and for many years there were several bands successfully touring under the name Preservation Hall. Many of the band's charter members performed with the pioneers who invented jazz in the early twentieth century including Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and Bunk Johnson. Band leaders over the band's history include the brothers Willie and Percy Humphrey, husband and wife Billie and De De Pierce, famed pianist Sweet Emma Barrett, and in the modern day Wendall and John Brunious. These founding artists and dozens of others passed on the lessons of their music to a younger generation who now follow in their footsteps like the current lineup.
That's It! Review
Ever since they covered a Kinks song (granted, a Kinks song already steeped in New Orleans jazz) on ’07s Hurricane Sessions collection, it’s been clear that the Preservation Hall Jazz Band was ready to go outside the traditional box. But not too far outside, and the venerable group maintained a tricky balancing act over the past few years—raising its profile to an all-time high with a string of unlikely collaborations, but still basing its repertoire on the time-honored tunes.
Marking their return to a major label, That’s It! is their boldest step yet, and arguably the first to show second-generation leader Ben Jaffe’s vision for the group. For the first time, all the songs are new originals (though some of the titles—“Yellow Moon,” “I Think I Love You”—may sound familiar). One of their highest-profile supporters, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, steps in to co-produce with Jaffe. It doesn’t sound rock, but it does sound modern: Though it was recorded at the Hall the instruments are sharply defined, without the room ambiance usually heard on PHJB’s studio albums. And while Jaffe has made the recent albums more tune and less solo-oriented, the concise song lengths here—more than half under four minutes—would’ve been unheard-of in the old PHJB.
The real news is the quality of the material (all written or co-written by Jaffe, save for one solo Clint Maedgen composition), which doesn’t have any trad slavishness about it. The title track opens the album with rumbling tom-toms and blasts of horns; it wouldn’t take much to make this a great surf instrumental. “I Think I Love You” sports a cool touch of Bacharach; “Yellow Moon” starts out old-timey (with the disc’s only prominent banjo) but turns into an elegant samba. The campy horror-themed “Rattlin’ Bones” suggests that a little of Tom Waits’ influence rubbed off; the crowded-but-right arrangement hinges on a piano lick that will probably make you think of Laurel & Hardy.
Maedgen’s “August Nights” is a torch ballad with a few hints of the theatrical, Billie Holiday could have sung it, but so could Nick Cave. And the advance single (already teased in Rolling Stone of all places) is a piano-driven gospel rocker, “Dear Lord (Give Me the Strength),” soulfully sung by tuba player Ronell Johnson. More joyful than its title suggests, it sounds like something Allen Toussaint might have cooked up for Ernie K-Doe.
None of this sounds like too big a stretch; the PHJB sounds like itself no matter what it’s playing. And in the middle of these experiments sits “Come With Me”, a proudly old-fashioned love song to the city played in the group’s ’60s-era style. It’s a hint that the PHJB are as interested in staying the same as they are in changing.
Contact Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Website | Twitter | Mr. Carter Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | MySpace | Google+ | Email
Contact OffBeat Magazine
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | YouTube | Email
Sources : Preservation Hall Jazz Band Photo | Listen To That's It! | Preservation Hall Jazz Band Biography | That's It! Review
Purchase : iTunes | Amazon | Walmart | Best Buy Vinyl
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