The word “preservation” implies something kept under glass, unable to breathe if not simply dead—but the members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band swing so hard that “rejuvenation” would be a better way to describe their sound. Named for the Preservation Hall in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the PHJB assembled its original lineup in the early 1960s from older jazz musicians such as Sweet Emma Barrett (for whom Cannonball Adderley named his song “Sweet Emma”), George Lewis, De De and Billie Pierce, and Willie and Percy Humphrey.…
The word “preservation” implies something kept under glass, unable to breathe if not simply dead—but the members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band swing so hard that “rejuvenation” would be a better way to describe their sound. Named for the Preservation Hall in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the PHJB assembled its original lineup in the early 1960s from older jazz musicians such as Sweet Emma Barrett (for whom Cannonball Adderley named his song “Sweet Emma”), George Lewis, De De and Billie Pierce, and Willie and Percy Humphrey.…