Preservation Hall Bridges Past with Present in its New Release, 'Made in New Orleans: The Hurricane Sessions'

New Orleans, LA (Billboard Publicity Wire) June 29, 2007 -- Preservation Hall Recordings (www.preservationhall.com) is proud to announce the national release of Made in New Orleans: The Hurricane Sessions featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on Tuesday, July 24, 2007. The band is currently on a summer tour playing select dates througout the country.

Made in New Orleans is a musical, visual and historical exploration into the history of Preservation Hall. After Hurricane Katrina, Benjamin Jaffe, Creative Director of Preservation Hall, salvaged master tracks of early Preservation Hall Jazz Band recordings from the flooded debris of the legendary Sea-Saint Studios. The rescued tracks, which were originally produced by his father Allan Jaffe in the early 70's, inspired Benjamin to bridge the past with the present. As a collaborative co-production between Allan Jaffe (1936-1987) and Benjamin Jaffe, Made In New Orleans is a meeting between the classic Preservation Hall Jazz Band lineup and the contemporary ensemble of John Brunious, Carl Leblanc, Rickie Monie, Joseph Lastie Jr., Walter Payton, Frank Demond, and Ralph Johnson. According to Jaffe, "Made in New Orleans demonstrates the sustainability of New Orleans Jazz as a timeless cultural art form."

More than just music, the box set is a treasure trove of rare recordings, original photographs, a DVD and includes such peerless artifacts as candid unreleased tour snapshots, promotional photos from the 60's, 70's, and 80's, assorted memorabilia and a few surprises. Manufactured in New Orleans and hand assembled at Preservation Hall in the French Quarter, the retro-design was created by New Orleans-based graphic artist Casey McAllister.

The CD is a moving compilation of vintage recordings and new expressions that hark back to the golden era of New Orleans Jazz. The seminal track Over in the Glory Land, originally recorded in 1970 by Allan Jaffe, was discovered in the post-Katrina debris of Sea Saint Studios. Re-recorded with current Preservation Hall Jazz Band banjo player Carl LeBlanc, the song is a delicate interplay between Leblanc and the original PHJB ensemble. Blow Wind Blow, a prescient song that was originally recorded in 1959 by folk artist and street preacher Sister Gertrude Morgan is augmented by current PHJB bandleader John Brunious, Carl Leblanc and special guest Stanton Moore of Galactic on Drums. Also by Sister Gertrude Morgan, the previously unreleased Lord I Don't Want to be Buried in the Storm, now seems prophetic. Eh Lah Ba, a playful duet song in Creole, was also a lost live recording performed by the iconic husband and wife team of Billie & De De Pierce at Stanford University in 1972. On Precious Lord, Sing Miller calls out for the Lord with an all-star lineup of PHJB legends-Willie and Percy Humphrey, Narvin Kimball, Frank Demond, Josiah Cie Frazier and Allan Jaffe on tuba. In a modern twist, Ben Jaffe also arranged and produced a remake of the Kinks classic Complicated Life featuring guest vocalist Clint Maedgen of the New Orleans Bingo! Show.

The DVD chronicles the history of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and includes the first television appearance in 1961 by the band on the Brinkley News Hour, rare concert footage from the Newport Jazz Festival and video of Preservation Hall filmed in the early sixties. In a contemporary ode to New Orleans the DVD also includes the Complicated Life video. Directed by New Orleans native Henry Griffin and shot in the French Quarter, the one camera video follows Clint Maedgen cycling through pre-Katrina French Quarter. A cast of revelers in tow, Maedgen ends his errand at Preservation Hall where the journey of Made in New Orleans began.

Founded in 1961 by Allan and Sandra Jaffe, Preservation Hall ushered in a jazz revival and gave birth to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Today, under the Creative Direction of their son, Benjamin Jaffe, Preservation Hall Recordings carries this tradition into the 21st Century. "My parents kept everything, they protected the archives and never let the public see it, so instead of locking them up forever I decided to open them and show the breadth and extent of the artistic and cultural history of Preservation Hall", states Jaffe.

The box set comes in two versions, a Limited Edition and Deluxe version. With only 504 numbered and signed sets, the Limited Edition sets include original photographs, archival documents, an unreleased 7" vinyl record of The Olympia Brass Band and one original Polaroid photo of New Orleans shot by Benjamin Jaffe. Available only in New Orleans at Preservation Hall and Louisiana Music Factory, the Limited edition sets include a letter of authenticity and purchasers are encouraged to register their box sets by calling Preservation Hall. The Deluxe Box Set consists of reproductions of the original materials along with the CD and DVD and will be released nationally on July 24 in retailers nationwide.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band Upcoming Summer Tour:

June 30 Robert Mondavi Winery Summer Music Festival, Oakville Napa Valley

July 1 70th Season of the Stern Grove Festival, San Francisco

July 2 Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz - Two Shows 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm

July 5 The Mint LA, CA

July 6 Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine, CA - 8:00 pm

July 8 Lou Bredlow Pavillion, Woodland Hills, CA

July 9 Madrid Theatre, Canoga Park, CA - 10:00 am Children Concert

July 19 Boarding House Park, Lowell, MA

July 20 Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT

July 21 Wildflower Music Festival, White Mills, PA

July 22 Music Haven Stage, Schenectady, NY

July 25 Kresge Auditorium, Interlochen Center for Arts, Interlochen, MI

August 4 Big Summer Classic, Salem, MO

September 16 Austin City Limits, Austin, TX

September 28 Performing Arts Hall, Olathe, KS

About Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Dedicated to preserving New Orleans Jazz, the world-renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band derives its name from the venerable music venue--The Preservation Hall which is located in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1961 by Allan & Sandra Jaffe, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band tours the world serving as emissaries of New Orleans Jazz, the original American art form. The band received the 2006 National Medal of Arts from the United States. Privately held, Preservation Hall consists of the French Quarter venue, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Preservation Hall Recordings and preservationhall.com. For more info, visit www.preservationhall.com. Founded by Benjamin Jaffe and Sarah Borealis after Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Musician Hurricane Relief Fund (Renew Our Music) is a non-profit economic development organizations that provides direct assistance to musicians, businesses and organizations within the cultural economy of New Orleans.

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