If you’ve never had the privilege of visiting Preservation Hall in New Orleans, here’s what happens. As early as an hour and a half before doors, patrons begin lining up down St. Peter, standing in front of the rugged shutters of windows and weather-worn doors. At 8:00 the doors open and the crowd begins filing in. The show is all-ages and is $15-$20 depending on the night. Patrons sit on only a few wooden benches, crowd around on the floor in front of the band, or stand in the back of the room. The whole place only holds a little over a hundred folks. Intimate doesn’t begin to describe the vibe in this legendary club. The evening features three sets of New Orleans jazz music and focuses on the kind of jazz that made New Orleans famous.
If you can’t make it to New Orleans, seeing the band at Austin’s historic Paramount Theater is one way to circumvent the problem. Last Friday night, the band performed their dixieland jazz to an enthusiastic crowd. Although the venue might have been a bit larger than historic Preservation Hall, the band brought all the ambiance their shows possess, including the traditional formats of dixieland jazz.
At the center of the band is Mark Braud’s trumpet, and the various players take turns performing solos and riffing on the songs’ main refrains. The spirit of community that ripples through the audience when applause breaks out between solos is amazing. And the sudden surge of energy when the entire band moves from solos into complete ensemble is truly breathtaking. At that moment, the music feels like a living thing, bouncing and breathing as the piano tinkles, trombone notes blare, drums clatter in careful rhythm, and the trumpet plays in triple-time. In the background, tuba player Ronell Johnson shuffles joyfully, and the whole crowd is enthralled.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the music they not only create but also preserve means a great deal to the city of New Orleans but also to music at large. While this blog fiercely pursues new, progressive, and original creative endeavors, it’s important to look back with great respect on the legacies of music that have come before. Preservation Hall Jazz Band signifies one vital era of American music.
This review may seem out of place on a blog that primarily covers independent label rock and pop, but it’s precisely that presumption that makes it significant. While Austin is an incredible hotbed of musical experience, affording the ability to see great music any night of the week, the various tentacles of this monster don’t always interact. I would be surprised to hear folks proclaiming the incredibleness of small local shows up and down Red River discussing how great Austin Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Brahms’ 2nd was earlier this month. And I’m aware that on some level, we’re talking about socio-economic differences, but more importantly, these kinds of performances don’t even enter the conversation.
