Preservation Hall Jazz Band

"The urge to move to their music is a contagion no one can resist ... They are masters of their instruments." - The Greenville (SC) News

New Orleans jazz was the first rock 'n' roll, bursting into public consciousness in the post-World War I years. It was the soundtrack for the Jazz Age, the irresistible, foot-tapping accompaniment for the cultural transformation known as the Roaring '20s. For nearly half a century, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has traveled worldwide on their mission to nurture and perpetuate this art form. Whether performing at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, for British Royalty or the King of Thailand, the band exudes a joyful, timeless spirit. Under the auspices of current director, Ben Jaffe, son of 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 Preservation Hall Jazz Band derives its name from Preservation Hall, the venerable music venue created in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter in 1961. At the time, older musicians - and with them a style of music - were disappearing simply because they didn't have a venue. That's what Preservation Hall was at the time - a room for older musicians to perform. Many of the musicians who started playing at Preservation Hall in the sixties had been born in the 1800s; some had performed with Buddy Bolden and in the clubs of Storyville. But time has gone on, and just as jazz evolved out of the African-American culture of New Orleans, music has evolved at Preservation Hall. New Orleans is still a complicated, multi-layered place - its music is a gumbo of cultures. When you listen to the Preservation Hall Band, you can't compare it to any other band in the United States. Wherever the celebrated Preservation Hall Jazz Band plays in its rambles throughout the world, the past seems to mingle with the music in the air, like echoes from some Buddy Bolden cadenza still ringing from a century ago.

Under the auspices of current director Ben Jaffe, Preservation Hall continues with a deep reverence and consciousness of its greatest attributes in the modern day as a venue, band, and record label.

During their visit to Appalachian State University, Preservation Hall will also present a special matinee performance for Watauga County School students in grades 6-9. This matinee performance is part of the Touring Arts Program, presented by the Watauga County Arts Council and the Watauga County Schools in partnership with the Performing Arts Series.