Preservation Hall Jazz Band

by Scott Yanow During the 1950s, although the traditional jazz scene in New Orleans had many top players, there was no one center for the citys veteran greats to play. In 1961, art dealer Larry Borenstein opened a building he called Preservation Hall. The young tuba player Allan Jaffe ran the hall and organized tours for the musicians who often performed there, naming the band after the venue. In the early days, the key musicians included, at various times, trumpeters Kid Thomas Valentine, Punch Miller, or De De Pierce; trombonists Louis Nelson or Jim Robinson; clarinetists George Lewis, Albert Burbank, or Willie Humphrey; and pianists Joseph Robichaux, Billie Pierce, or Sweet Emma Barrett. By the early 70s, trumpeter Percy Humphrey, his brother Willie on clarinet, and trombonist Jim Robinson (who, after his death in 1976, was succeeded by Frank Demond) usually comprised the front line. The deaths of the Humphreys and Percys occasional fill-in Kid Sheik Colar in the mid-90s signalled more lineup changes. In general, the groups best recordings were their early ones under the leadership of Barrett and the Pierces; they also cut three hit-and-miss albums for Columbia during 1976-1992. The Preservation Hall Jazz Bands worldwide tours resulted in a great deal of goodwill, permitting supporters to somehow ignore the groups very erratic musicianship.