After nearly 15 months of silence, Preservation Hall will be reopening beginning Thursday, June 10. Reservations are now available for 45-minute performances at 5, 6:15 and 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays.
“It makes my heart sing that the esteemed musicians who are the earth, air, blood and heartbeat of this magical city will bring their joyous tradition to Preservation Hall after the longest period of silence in our 60-year history,” says Preservation Hall Creative Director Ben Jaffe.
The venue is currently only offering limited capacity performances to maintain social distancing within the venue, conducting temperature checks upon entry, sanitizing high-touch areas in-between each performance, and requiring all guests to wear a face covering for the duration of their visit. Masks will be provided for patrons who arrive to the hall without one of their own. Horn players will also utilize bell covers to ensure full safety. The venue no longer accepts cash at the door. All reservations for performances must be made online. In addition, Preservation Hall will not accept cash for merchandise purchases from its store. Due to current safety precautions, there will not be predetermined seating arrangements for groups with general admission reservations. Staff will direct visitors to bench-style seating upon arrival for an intimate, living room-style performance. All ages are permitted.
Preservation Hall’s last night of live performances prior to COVID-19 shutting down live music in New Orleans was on March 14, 2020. Upcoming shows aim to immediately restore the majesty of Preservation Hall. Performances will feature multi-generational band lineups with some of the world’s best jazz musicians yearning to make their return to the hallowed stage. Preservation Hall trumpeter and bandleader Wendell Brunious states, “It’s time to get back to playing our music and having fun. There’s no better place to do that than Preservation Hall.” He added, “Let’s get the party started once again. We’ve earned it!”
The opening week will include the Preservation Hall All-Stars featuring Wendell Brunious on June 10 and 12, Mark Braud on June 11, and the Preservation Hall Legacy Band featuring Gregg Stafford on June 13.
For tickets and additional information, visit here.
The story of Preservation Hall dates back to the 1950s at Associated Artists, a small art gallery at 726 St. Peter Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Upon opening the gallery the proprietor Larry Borenstein found that it curtailed his ability to attend the few remaining local jazz concerts, and began inviting these musicians to perform “rehearsal sessions” in the gallery itself. These sessions featured living legends of New Orleans jazz–George Lewis, Punch Miller, Sweet Emma Barrett, Billie and De De Pierce, The Humphrey Brothers, and dozens more.
During this period, traditional jazz had taken a backseat in popularity to rock n’ roll and bebop, leaving many of these players to work odd jobs. Although concerted efforts by aficionados such as William “Bill” Russell succeeded in recording and documenting this fading artform during the “New Orleans Jazz Revival” of the 1940s, venues that offered live New Orleans jazz were few and far between. Before long, Borenstein’s sessions took on a life of their own; enthusiasts of the music gravitated toward the gallery, including a young couple from Pennsylvania named Allan and Sandra Jaffe who, following an extended honeymoon in New Orleans in 1960, opted to move to the city and took over nightly operations of what became Preservation Hall. Following Allan Jaffe’s untimely passing in 1987, Preservation Hall and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band now operate under the leadership of the Jaffe’s second son, Benjamin, who also performs on tuba.
