Preservation Hall Foundation Announces Second Annual Preservation Hall Ball

Following up last year's sold-out, inaugural Preservation Hall Ball, the Preservation Hall Foundation is proud to announce the 2nd annual event at the Civic Theatre in New Orleans (Saturday, October 3rd) in addition to an expansion event at the historic Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco (Friday, November 6th). Confirmed collaborators with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for these concerts include Meshell Ndegeocello, Corey Glover of Living Colour, Deacon John Moore, Pinettes Brass Band, and Beats Antique with more special guests to be announced in the upcoming weeks.

All proceeds from the Preservation Hall Balls will directly benefit The Preservation Hall Foundation. The Preservation Hall Foundation's mission is to "protect, preserve and perpetuate the music and heritage of New Orleans." The Foundation's music education programs serve underprivileged children in the greater New Orleans area with classes by master jazz practitioners that perform regularly at Preservation Hall. The Foundation sponsors a wide array of community programs ranging from school field trips, master classes, free community performances, and private lessons. For more information on programs and how to get involved, click here.

"The Preservation Hall Ball is a celebration of our musical past, present and future. The musicians who perform at the Hall, most of who I grew up with and learned under, are the bedrock that we all stand on. The Ball is a celebration of them and in their families' legacy. It's a way for us to acknowledge and celebrate these important time-honored traditions and the musicians and families who have nurtured New Orleans music for over a century" says Ben Jaffe, Creative Director of Preservation Hall.

In addition to the shows, a special patron package will be available to Foundation donors. Patron pass holders are invited to a special after show event. Tickets for Preservation Hall Ball go on sale this Friday, July 17th at 3pm EST. Tickets and more information about VIP packages are available at preservationhallball.org

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band derives its name from Preservation Hall, the venerable music venue located in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter, founded in 1961 by Allan and Sandra Jaffe. The band has traveled worldwide spreading their mission to nurture and perpetuate the art form of New Orleans Jazz. Under the auspices of current director, Ben Jaffe, the son of founders 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 foundation.

The PHJB began touring in 1963 and for many years there were several bands successfully touring under the name Preservation Hall. These founding artists and dozens of others passed on the lessons of their music to a younger generation who now follow in their footsteps like the current lineup. The band has also taken part in collaborations with a variety of artists including My Morning Jacket, Foo Fighters, Alabama Shakes, Arcade Fire, and the Black Keys to name a few.

Current Lineup:
Ben Jaffe - Creative Director, Bass, and Sousaphone
Mark Braud - Trumpet and Vocals
Charlie Gabriel - Clarinet and Vocals
Clint Maedgen - Saxophone and Vocals
Joe Lastie, Jr. - Drums
Rickie Monie - Piano
Ronell Johnson - Trombone, and Vocals

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a New Orleans Jazz Band, NOT a Dixieland Jazz Band. While both music styles originated in New Orleans around the same time, the connotations and history are radically different. "Dixie's Land" and "Dixie" were racist songs of the late 19th century that came out of the post-Civil War blackface minstrelsy fad. The words were written in comic, and exaggerated versions of the African American vernacular, and tell the story of a freed black slave pining for the plantation of his birth. It is because of these significantly hateful, and racist, roots that the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is opposed to any reference to "Dixie" in describing their music and heritage.

Tour Dates
July 17 at Revolution Hall in Portland, OR
July 19 at Pemberton Music Festival in Pemberton, BC
July 31 at Freeman Stage at Bayside in Selbyville, DE
August 1 at Musikfest Cafe at Arts Quest in Bethlehem, PA
August 2 at Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, CT
August 4 at Celebrate Brooklyn in Brooklyn, NY
August 8 at Marciac Jazz Festival in Marciac, France
August 12 at NJ State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ
August 13 at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA
August 15 at Levoy Theatre in Milleville, NJ
August 16 at The Peach Music Festival in Scranton, PA
September 27 at Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin, TN
October 18 at Lake Eden Arts Festival in Asheville, NC

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