New Orleans’ historic Preservation Hall will be the recipient of the 2018 SFJAZZ Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony will take place on February 1, 2018 and will feature performances by Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Ellis Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Chucho Valdés, SFJAZZ Collective, Pedrito Martinez, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Big Freedia, Daymé Arocena, Saul Williams, Airto Moreira, and other special guests. There will also be an after party with Galactic and the Original Pinettes Brass Band.
Pres Hall’s nomination comes as no surprise, considering the role the venue has played in preserving authentic New Orleans music and culture. According to a press release announcing the event, SFJAZZ selected Preservation Hall as the recipient for myriad reasons, including its “steadfast dedication to music education and a devotion to the spirit of collaboration with artists of all genres and disciplines,” adding “Preservation Hall is one of few instances when a place devoted to creativity, a tangible human-made structure, becomes synonymous with the soul of the art form it houses. The uniquely American expression now known as jazz has its origins in New Orleans’ African-American community, and today, the living heart of this musical culture resides in the French Quarter within the hallowed walls of Preservation Hall, where it has been perpetuated for over five decades.”
“Preservation Hall is a model of how a cultural institution can become an integrated part of a city’s identity – an idea that inspires us, and a goal that we continually work towards,” says SFJAZZ Founder and Executive Artistic Director Randall Kline. “Though the environs of Preservation Hall and the SFJAZZ Center are as physically different from each other as can be, we recognize that they have a rare quality in common: as places where the beauty of the moment can be felt and the soul of this music comes to life.”
“From day one, San Francisco has been the second home for Preservation Hall – from Frost Amphitheater to the Fillmore to annual shows in Marin, Napa, at Stern Grove and the Fairmont Hotel,” says Ben Jaffe, Creative Director, Preservation Hall and Bass/Tuba player, Preservation Hall Jazz Band. “It has been our home away from home for over 50 years. It will always be a great source of pride to now call SFJAZZ Center home and receive this Lifetime Achievement Award!”
VIP Packages include an intimate seated dinner for 150 people with featured artists and an exclusive private pre-event honoring Preservation Hall. Luminary tickets include a private cocktail hour featuring the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Combo performing with featured celebrity artists. Gala tickets feature a New Orleans inspired reception. A limited number of After Party tickets featuring simultaneous sets with Galactic and The Original Pinettes Brass Band are available at $145.00 for SFJAZZ Members and $170.00 for general public.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band will also perform an extended run of shows at the SFJAZZ Center from Friday, February 2 to Sunday, February 4, 2018.
For more information, please visit SFJAZZ’s official website.
