A half century ago, several New Orleans lovers decided to present performances of some of the living masters of traditional New Orleans Jazz in a setting removed from the hucksterism that was part of the Bourbon Street scene at the time. It was an opportunity to present such artists as George Lewis, Jim Robinson, Billie and DeDe Pierce, Sweet Emma Barrett, Alton Purnell, Kid Howard, Percy Humphrey and so many others in a setting that gave them a respect their artistry merited. These concerts evolved in what we know as Preservation Hall, and while these artists became legendary in traditional jazz and have all passed on, Preservation Hall and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band have become iconic and institutions.
Celebrating a half century is a new box set on Columbia/Legacy by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The 50th Anniversary Collection. It is taken from several sources including three of the albums Atlantic issued in a series of Jazz at Preservation Hall along with recordings made by Preservation Hall itself and some of those issued on CBS (later Sony). From recordings documenting the bands that played at Preservation Hall to the contemporary editions of the Preservation Hall, one has a richness of music and performances. Also included are some of collaborations with artists from outside Preservation Hall that were on some of the more recent recordings of the Hall. There are some previously unissued recordings among the 57 tracks that are spread across the 4 CDs in this box.
Old and new are intermixed throughout. For example, the first disc opens with the late Allan Jaffe introducing the band on tour followed by a rollicking Eh La Bas by Billie and DeDe Pierce from 1966, followed by the 1986 Band with Percy and Willie Humphrey on Oh Didn’t He Ramble. Then we hear from the same 1986 session Narvin Kimball singing I Get the Blues When It Rains, which is followed by a 2008 recording of St. James Infirmary, with Clint Maedgen with a hyperactive vocal and a hot latin-infused groove. Then there is a 2009 rendition of Ice Cream, a perennial of the George Lewis and other bands half a century ago and then we go back to 1967 for a marvelous rendition of the Humphrey Brothers led band doing the Leroy Carr classic In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down), with pianist James ‘Sing’ Miller handling the vocal, and George Lewis’ 1962 recording of Down By the Riverside.
Here is the Preservation hall Jazz Band performing at Wolf Trap National Park in Virginia
There is such a richness of material here that I will only reference some of the gems that include the marvelous rendition of In the Evening, referred to above; I’m Alone Because I Love You, featuring the irascible Sweet Emma Barrett; a wonderful Do Lord from 1994 featuring Wendell Brunious singing and on trumpet and a band that included Ellis Marsalis on piano, and Dr. Michael White on clarinet; Billie and DeDe Pierce’s St. James Infirmary, with Billie’s vocal, and George Lewis’ clarinet; Pete Seeger and friends joining for a spirited We Shall Overcome; Tuba Fats’ vocal on His Eye Is On The Sparrow; Nellie Gray, a marvelous vocal by Percy Humphrey on a previously unissued 1986 recording; a rendition of Lil Liza Jane, with Louis Jones on trumpet and benefiting from Shannon Powell’s R&B tinged drums and vocal; Kid Howard’s vocal on the George Lewis Band’s rendition of In the Sweet Bye and Bye; and I’ll Fly Away, from the 2010 collaboration with the Del McCoury Band.
Other gems include Blue Yodel #9, a revival of the Jimmie Rodgers country recording that Louis Armstrong played on the original; George Lewis’ hauntingly beautiful Burgundy Blues; Sweet Emma leading the group on Chimes Blues, originally recorded by King Oliver’s at a historic 1923 session for Gennett; a marvelous take on “Sing On,” a staple of the Brass Bands repertoire; the spirited 1976 take of Joe Avery; Shake That Thing, a revival of a late twenties Sam Morgan recording with a vocal by Clint Maedgen and nice interplay between Charlie Gabriel on clarinet, Freddie Lonzo on trombone and Mark Braud on trumpet; the lovely 1966 Freight Train Blues, with Billie Pierce’s heartfelt vocal and clarinet by George Lewis; and Punch Miller’s 1962 rendition of the languid Nobody Knows The Way I Fell This Morning.
More gems include the bluesy collaboration with Tom Waits of an old Mardi Gras chant Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing; a nice rendition of Paul Barbarin’s Bourbon Street Parade; Ralph Johnson’s clarinet rendition of Sidney Bechet’s Le Petit Fleur; One More ‘Fore I Die, another collaboration with the Del McCoury Band with lovely clarinet by Clarinet Gabriel and mandolin by Ronnie McCoury; Percy Humphrey vocal on the spirited Shake It and Break It; the beautiful funeral march Westward Dirge that is played straight with little improvisation; and Richie Haven’s moving vocal on Trouble on Mind, with considerable restraint shown in the Band’s backing. In addition to the music, Bruce Boyd Raeburn provides an overview of Preservation Hall’s history. Current Hall Creative Director, Ben Jaffe whose father Allan had a similar role with the Hall for several decades, provides his own commentary on each of the selections contained in this box set. My advance copy only had the booklet's text, so I cannot comment of any photos or other graphic material included in the accompanying booklet. I trust these will complement the excellent music.
This is a joy and soulfulness of all of the performances here (not simply the ones I have highlighted) on this celebration of 50 years of what is truly a cornerstone of American culture, not simply music. I was provided an advance copy to review from Legacy Media Relations. It is scheduled to be in stores today, which is when this review is posted. Here are the Preservation hall Jazz Band and the Del McCoury Band from the David Letterman Show.
Another in Smithsonian-Folkways “Classic” series, the anthology Classic Sounds of New Orleans from Smithsonian Folkways compiles a variety of recordings that were issued by Folkways when it was under the auspices of the late Moses Asch. This compilation by Robert H. Cataliotti mines the recordings of New Orleans music by Frederick Ramsey, Jr., and Samuel Barclay Charters along with other recordings make for a varied grouping of performances, that includes jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, gospel, spirituals and other roots music expressions.
The music on this opens and closes with the Eureka Brass Band who kick things off with the classic hymn, Just a Closer Walk With Thee, and ends with their propulsive rendition of Lord, Lord, Lord. The latter number may be familiar to fans of todays Crescent City Brass Band such as the Tréme Brass Band that have recorded it, but the performances by Eureka harken back to what many would think of the classic traditional New Orleans Jazz sound. Eureka Brass Band was an amazing group and I would recommend either of their releases on the American Music label. Also representing the Brass Band tradition is the late Doc Paulin’s renditions of We Shall Walk Through The Streets of the City, both as a dirge and as a march with a second line rhythm. The melody is the same as Red River Valley, and Doc Paulin’s sons still carry on the family tradition in the Paulin Brothers Band.”
Street music is represented by an anonymous shoeshine boy vocals and hand slapping on Shine - Hambone, the solo harmonica rendition of Tiger Rag by Freddie L. Small, and Dora Bliggen’s call of a fruit vendor on the streets, Blackberries! It is followed by Red White and Blue Got the Golden Band, by Mardi Gras Indians from assorted tribes. Certainly this 1956 recording is amongst the earliest of this tradition. It is followed by several spirituals/gospel performances including Dark Was the Night by Reverend Lewis Jackson and Charlotte Rucell.
New Orleans Jazz is represented with Kid Punch Miller (with Sam Charters on piano) doing Bucket’s Got a Hole In it, and an absolutely brilliant drum solo, Spooky Drums #1 by Baby Dodds. Clarinetist Emile Barnes leads an enthusiastic rendition of Milenberg Joys, while The Six and Seventh Eighths String Band of New Orleans are heard on Clarinet Marmalade, which should delight fans of skittle bands. Two celebrated New Orleans guitarists, Snooks Eaglin and Lonnie Johnson, are heard on celebrated New Orleans classics. Eaglin turns the classic High Society Rag, into a brilliant solo guitar showcase while Johnson does a nice Careless Love, recorded in 1967, long after he had left his native city. Billie and De De Pierce, another couple mainstays of the New Orleans scene in the fifties and sixties are heard on a nice blues Lonesome Road, warmly sung by the pianist Billie Pierce. It is followed by Kid Clayton’s Corrine, Corrina, with the famed pianist Sweet Emma Barrett part of his group.
After these performances, another Snooks Eaglin performance, of Saint James Infirmary, makes the transition to the blues although this recording and other contemporaneous ones of Eaglin gave the mistaken impression that he was a solo street singer when he know he played rhythm and blues and contemporary jazz at the time. In any event Eaglin’s guitar playing is marvelous, even if acoustic. A medley of pianist HJ Boiusseau provides a glimpse into a the period between ragtime and jazz. Like Lonnie Johnson, Champion Jack Dupree left his home city when young, yet the influence of some of the pianists who taught him was always evident in his playing including the second line rhythms in Rattlesnake Boogie. In contrast to Dupree, the great Roosevelt Sykes grew up in Arkansas and Delta and moved to St. Louis, becoming one of the greatest of all blues pianists, but he moved to New Orleans in1962 where he became a fixture of the music scene. His adaptation of Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone, displays a technical facility and sophistication that many celebrated blues pianists would be unable to match.
A nice Jimmy’s Blues by trumpeter Kid Clayton has some fine clarinet from Albert Burbank, tailgating trombone from Kid Avery and barrelhouse piano from Sweet Emma, followed by another splendid solo performance by Lonnie Johnson, C.C. Rider. Another staple of the traditional New Orleans repertoire, Shake It and Break It, is heard in a performance by Billie Pierce, with Lawrence Tocca, not her husband De De, on trumpet. Sam Charters noted at the time this recording was first issued that it was one of the most exciting recordings done in new Orleans in years.
All in all, this is a splendid compilation of a wide range of New Orleans music. In includes a marvelous booklet with a concise overview of the collection as well as observations on all of the included recordings. It is a terrific introduction to traditional New Orleans music.
Smithsonian Folkways provided an electronic download for my review.
Preservation Hall has in its years achieved iconic status, but alas today the musicians for who it was established have passed on being replaced by musicians whose musical backgrounds are perhaps a bit more modern and while they may pay homage with their performances, it is not quite the same. Preservation Hall though has plenty of musical memories that have been archived from a variety of performances. A typical one is the double CD, “Sweet Emma and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band” (Preservation Hall Recordings) that was remastered in 2004 from a 1964 Minnesota concert with a band that included Sweet Emma Barrett on piano and vocals; Alcide ‘Slow Drag’ Pavageau on bass; Emanuel Sayles on banjo; Joseph ‘Cie’ Frazier; Jim Robinson on trombone; Willie Humphrey on clarinet; and Percy Humphrey on trumpet. Despite the crediting of Sweet Emma, a case could be made for Percy Humphrey as leader as he makes some of the introductions and chats with the audience (he was also leader of the legendary Eureka Brass Band at the time). But that isn’t a significant issue as annotator William Russell notes Bunk Johnson’s observation, “That all real New Orleans musicians know this style, and at a moment’s notice can play with one another anywhere they meet. Yet most New Orleans Bands also have their own unique style.”
In any event the music on this CD is a pretty solid and representative sample of traditional New Orleans jazz as would have been heard during the sixties and seventies. The repertoire is standard even including “The Saints,” but there is a spirited “Chimes Blues” that King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band recorded in 1923 taken at a nice relaxed tempo along with the spiritual “Closer Walk With Thee,” with a vocal from Sweet Emma, followed by a spirited “Didn’t He Ramble,” with the Humphrey Brothers handling the vocals on a song that would be played coming back from the cemetery after a funeral. Throughout Sweet Emma plays her rollicking, percussive piano style reinforced by Sayles clipped banjo with Willie Humphey’s serpentine clarinet lines contrasting with Jim Robinson’s gruff tailgate trombone and Humphrey’s growling trumpet (especially on “Panama”). Even when the tempo is quick, there is a relaxed rhythmic feel to the performances even during the most frantic and frenzied ensemble sections such as with the rendition of “Little LIza Jane,” with its second line rhythms. In contrast, St. James Infirmary,” taken at a slow parade tempo. Of course “When The Saints Come Marching In,” drew an enthusiastic audience response.
This is not cerebral music, but music of the heart. There are sour notes heard and the ensemble portions have a sweet and sour flavor, and the vocals may sound amateurish. This does not detract from the soulfulness and feeling in the performances coming through and one’s feet are tapping the floor throughout This is music that will lift your spirits if you are in a funk. I purchased this CD several years ago and I happily note that it still is in print. Among other sources, it is available from amazon and Preservation Hall’s own website.
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