The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will release So It Is—their second full album of all-new original music—on April 21 via Legacy Recordings. The follow up to 2013’s That’s It! Finds the septet inspired by a number of new influences, particularly their “life-changing” 2015 trip to Cuba.
“In Cuba, all of a sudden we were face to face with our musical counterparts,” says bandleader/composer/bassist Ben Jaffe. “There’s been a connection between Cuba and New Orleans since day one – we’re family. A gigantic light bulb went off and we realized that New Orleans music is not just a thing by itself; it’s part of something much bigger. It was almost like having a religious epiphany.”
So It Is was produced by TV on the Radio co-founder David Sitek, who has worked with artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Santigold. Sitek brought a modern perspective to the material, which was largely penned by Jaffe and 84-year-old saxophone legend Charlie Gabriel. Upon arriving in New Orleans, the producer accidentally stumbled upon a second-line parade while wandering the city with Jaffe.
“I was struck by the visceral energy of the live music all around, this spontaneous joy, everything so immediate,” Sitek says. “I knew I had to make sure that feeling came out of the studio. It needed to be alive. It needed to sound dangerous.”
So It Is features longtime Preservation Hall Jazz Band members Jaffe, Gabriel, Clint Maedgen (sax, percussion) and Ronell Johnson (trombone), as well as recent additions Walter Harris (drums, percussion), Branden Lewis (trumpet) and Kyle Roussel (keys). This young blood has helped the band explore new sonic territory, and has contributed to the rejuvenation that has taken place in recent years as the group has worked with cutting edge artists like My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire and the Black Keys.
Today’s announcement was accompanied by the album’s second track, a new tune called “Santiago.” Give it a listen below.
So It Is Tracklist:
1. So It Is
2. Santiago
3. Innocence
4. La Malanga
5. Convergence
6. One Hundred Fires
7. Mad
