TREME COMES TO PRESERVATION HALL

Playing at Preservation Hall has been a thrill for me ever since I first sat in with George Lewis in 1962. But yesterday's taping for the HBO Treme series was especially exciting—even if we had to play the same tune ten times.

Invited by trumpeter Wendell Brunious to join his band for the occasion, I found myself surrounded by some of the city's—no, the world's—top traditional jazzmen: Don Vappie on banjo, Gerald French on drums, Thaddeus Richard on piano, and Richard Moten on bass. New Orleans-born actor Wendell Pierce rounded out the band, miming the trombone part while Rebirth Brass Band trombonist Stafford Agee did the real playing off camera. (Pierce is not in this photo, taken during a run-through.)

The taping of our five-minute sequence took seven hours, allowing for numerous camera, lighting, and microphone changes as we played and replayed "My Bucket's Got a Hole in it" and several dozen technicians scurried around doing their thing. Their seven production vans lined St. Peter Street from the corner of Bourbon all the way down to Royal. There was a lot of down time, which allowed us to talk musician-trash among ourselves and chat with some of the people behind the great HBO series. I enjoyed talking with actor Wendell Pierce and learned that he, like Treme writer Lolis Elie, were both alumni of my high school, Benjamin Franklin. Despite the difference in our generations, it turns out they had some of the same teachers I had back in the 60s. Also got the chance to meet Treme's executive producer, Eric Overmyer, an unconditional fan of New Orleans music and culture, which he has done so much to honor and preserve with this series. Our sequence should run some time next fall. Stay tuned...

BABY IT'S COLD INSIDE!

The Classic Jazz Trio had a great time playing in the new performance space at the Old U.S. Mint on Saturday despite an air conditioning malfunction that kept temperatures in the 50s. Outside on the it was 75º. Fortunately, our fans (we have fans?) were not deterred by the chill. The place was packed and the response was enthusiastic. The state of the art performance space was wonderful to play in—the acoustics, lighting and sound system were all tops as was the helpful staff of National Jazz Park rangers, who run the weekly concert series at the Mint.

THE CJT HOLDS UP THE U.S. MINT

The Classic Jazz Trio makes another rare live appearance on Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm. For those who haven't checked out the new state-of-the-art performance space on the third floor, it's a good time to do so. Also a chance to visit the remarkable exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of Preservation Hall on the second floor. The CJT will be reprising tunes from our latest album (see photo) as well as a few new additions to the repertoire. The CD will be on sale, as well as copies of "Song For My Fathers."

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!

The concert was billed as "Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Friends." Touted in advance in the New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine, the event, a benefit for the Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program, filled Carnegie's Isaac Stern Auditorium to its full 2204-seat capacity. The performing "friends" included a star-studded cast of musicians ranging from Allen Toussaint, Tombone Shorty and Mos Def to My Morning Jacket, the Del McCoury Bluegrass Band, the Trey McIntyre Dance Project and the Blind Boys of Alabama. And of course, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, headed by Ben Jaffe, son of the founders and organizer of this exceptional show.

What am I doing at Carnegie Hall, I asked myself more than once. Nonetheless, when the show started, there I was onstage with the legendary festival promoter and pianist George Wein seated at the Steinway behind me. I recited a passage from my memoir, Song for My Fathers, and played "Burgundy Street Blues" as a tribute to George Lewis and the other great jazzmen who played at the Hall when it was founded half a century ago. Wein and I were onstage for all of eight minutes, but it was for me an unforgettable occasion. (See photo by Michael Jurick, whose wonderful pictures of the show are well worth viewing on his blog http://goo.gl/DZZJY)

The good thing about getting my bit over early was that I could enjoy the rest of the show from the wings. High points for me included meeting and chatting with the legendary Pete Seeger (whose grandson Tao Seeger performed in the show), watching the Trey McIntyre dancers, reminiscing with my old friend trombonist Frank Demond, talking shop with PHJB clarinetist Charlie Gabriel, and hearing the indie rock group My Morning Jacket bend its sound to the beat of a New Orleans jazz band on "Saint James Infirmary" then do its own thing on a folk-rock ballad "I Feel Wonderful." The cast party afterwards at the trendy downtown cabaret club called "The Box" was a bit hard on the ears, but I had a chance to chat there with Morning Jacket's lead singer Jim James, who told me he's taking up the clarinet. That was good news: if rock stars popularize the instrument, guys like me might still have a shot at the big-time at last!

(See Jon Pareles's review in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/arts/music/preservation-hall-jazz-band-at-carnegie-hall-review.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=preservation%20hall%20pareles&st=cse)

CARNEGIE HALL AT LAST!

Guy walks into a midtown Manhattan bar and asks the bartender, "Say, can you tell me how I can get to Carnegie Hall?" The bartender answers: "Practice, man, practice!"

Seriously, one of my life's ambitions will be achieved on Saturday, January 7, when I appear as a guest performer with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at their big 50th anniversary concert at Carnegie. The sold-out show is a fund raiser for the Preservation Hall Foundation and will feature a number of guest artists (including yours truly) in addition to the PHJB. Del McCoury's bluegrass group and the indie rock band My Morning Jacket will be on the bill, among others. Looking forward to this!

VANITY FAIR ARTICLE ON PRESERVATION HALL 50TH

[Here is the text of my "spotlight" piece as it appeared in the January 2012 print edition of Vanity Fair. This is only a teaser! The full 4600-word piece is on the VF website and iPad apps with music, photos, bells and whistles. Check the link at the end of this post.]

It is arguably the best-known address in New Orleans: 726 St. Peter Street, even better known as Preservation Hall. Since its opening day, June 10, 1961, more than two million people have walked through its gate, including presidents, prime ministers, movie stars, and rock idols. Every night, tourists and locals form long lines to pony up the $12 entrance fee and sit on rough wooden benches and threadbare cushions in a musty, un-air-conditioned, 31-by-20-foot room. The attraction? Three sets of traditional New Orleans jazz played by five to seven musicians in black suits, white shirts, and black ties. The place and the routine are exactly as they were in the 60s, but some things have changed: the all-black bands are now racially mixed; the average age of the players is considerably younger; the crowds are much bigger. The most amazing thing is that this music—rooted in blues, ragtime, and march- es from the turn of the 20th century—is still being played at all. Before the hall was launched, in a former art gallery, the aging ranks of the city’s black jazz musicians seemed headed for extinction. Under the skillful man- agement of Pennsylvania transplants Allan and Sandra Jaffe, Preservation Hall soon gave these old jazzmen and their music a new lease on life and ultimately turned the nickel-and-dime-kitty hall—where the band played for tips dropped into a wicker basket—into a thriving business. But as the end nears for this golden-anniversary year—marked by major exhibitions at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the old U.S. Mint museum, a spate of publications, and a series of high-profile concerts around the country—the current keepers of the flame face daunting questions: With all of the original musicians dead and gone, an aging audience base, and a popular culture invested more in hip-hop than in old-time jazz, what are you preserving? And how long can you keep it up? Ben Jaffe, 40, son of the founders, has an optimistic answer: “This anniversary is about the next 50 years.”

For the full-blown version, follow this link:

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/01/preservation-hall-201201

PIRATED "LONG DISTANCE BLUES" ON YOUTUBE

Among the rules at Preservation Hall are no video or sound recording of the band, and no flash photos. Drummer Shannon Powell does his best to enforce this by shouting loudly at patrons each time he sees a red light on a cell phone or camera. To no avail. Musicians are mercilessly pirated each night, and much of this low-quality fare winds up on YouTube. There doesn't seem to be much help for it, and it's not exactly like someone is going to make commercial CDs or DVDs from their cellphone recordings. So probably the best thing for us is to grin and bear it. And some folks might actually enjoy seeing these souvenirs of our performances, like this version of "Long Distance Blues" by my New Orleans Legacy Band, recorded on Novemer 26 and posted on YouTube less than 24 hours later: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLNboSEZUQI

TOMMY SANCTON SCHEDULE THROUGH MARCH 2012

Wednesday, February 15: Palm Court, 1206 Decatur Street 7:30 - 10:30 pm. With Lars Edegran All Stars Featuring Topsy Champan, vocals.

Wednesday, February 21— MARDI GRAS: Norwegian Seamen's Church, Prytania Street, noon to 2 pm with Lars Edegran and Seva Venet.

Sunday, February 26: Preservation Hall, 726 St. Peter Street, 8 - 11 pm. With Lars Edegran's All Stars.

Wednesday, February 29: Palm Court, 1206 Decatur Street 7:30 - 10:30 pm. With Lars Edegran All Stars Featuring Topsy Champan, vocals.

Sunday, March 4: Preservation Hall, 726 St. Peter Street, 8 - 11 pm. With Tommy Sancton's New Orleans Legacy Band.

Sunday, March 11: Preservation Hall, 726 St. Peter Street, 8 - 11 pm. With Lars Edegran All Stars.

Wednesday, March 14: Palm Court, 1206 Decatur Street 7:30 - 10:30 pm. With Lars Edegran All Stars Featuring Topsy Champan, vocals.

Thursday, March 16: In concert with Classic Jazz Trio. Details to be announced.

Sunday, March 18: Preservation Hall, 726 St. Peter Street, 8 - 11 pm. With Tommy Sancton's New Orleans Legacy Band.

Wednesday, March 21: "Song For My Fathers" stage show with Preservation Hall Jazz Band, at the Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade, 8 p.m. Kickoff event of Tennessee Williams Literary Festival.

Sunday, March 25: Preservation Hall, 726 St. Peter Street, 8 - 11 pm. With Lars Edegran All Stars

Wednesday, March 28: Palm Court, 1206 Decatur Street 7:30 - 10:30 pm. With Lars Edegran All Stars Featuring Topsy Champan, vocals.

THE CLASSIC JAZZ TRIO DOES THE OGDEN

The Classic Jazz Trio played at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Thursday, November 17, as part of the museum's "After Hours" music series. John Rankin (guitar), Tom Fischer (clarinet and tenor sax) and myself (clarinet) played selections from our "Classic Jazz Trio" CD and talked about our group andour music with WWOZ d.j. Sally Young. The turnout was good and the setting, the majestic entrance hall of the Ogden, was inspiring if a bit echoey (not sure that's a word). An extra treat was the excellent gumbo served by Linda Green, a.k.a. "the Ya-Ka-Mein Lady" of Jazzfest fame.

CLASSIC JAZZ TRIO AT THE COLUMNS

Had a great time at the Columns last night with John Rankin and Tom Fischer as we regrouped our Classic Jazz Trio and reprised most of the tunes on our recent CD "Classic Jazz Trio." With Fischer on clarinet and tenor sax, myself on clarinet, and Rankin on acoustic guitar and vocals, the trio seeks to create a close-knit chamber music feel along with the swing and spice of New Orleans jazz. The turnout was impressive and everybody there seemed to have good time—especially the three of us. For those of you who missed it, the Classic Jazz Trio will appear at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Thursday, November 17, from 6 - 8 pm.