Previous Page  16 / 132 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 16 / 132 Next Page
Page Background

TKH 3UHVHUYDWLRQ +DOO -D]] %DQG, OHG E\ AOODQ -DIIH RQ VRXVDSKRQH ,

ZDV D QHDUO\ DQQXDO SUHVHQFH DW RDYLQLD EHWZHHQ 1 6 DQG 1

Yo don’ hav

t b elate b

bloo —we’r elate

b communit , an

we’r elate b ou

histor , an that’

on o th thing

tha distinguishe

Ne Orlean .

incredible responsibility with what we do at Preservation Hall

because of the history of our music. It’s African American–

rooted, the long and sort of painful history of the South and

our country, and for us to be able to turn that into something

beautiful is amazing. I feel like that’s probably where I’ve le a

mark, bringing that history to people’s attention and honestly

and very joyfully giving back some of the blessings that I was

very fortunate to be given as a child, growing up around older

musicians who took me under their wing. Being able to play

with people like [ -year-old saxophonist] Charlie Gabriel on

a regular basis, that’s a blessing. In New Orleans, one of the

things that we value is passing those blessings on to the next

generation, to other people. You become in many ways a mis-

sionary for this gi that you’ve inherited.

When Hurricane Katrina caused so much devastation to

the city and even Preservation Hall, what gave the group

the resolve to rebuild and keep going?

It really speaks to how deep this music is to us. ere’s no

question that you would do anything and everything for your

family if put in a catastrophic position, and I believe that we

all feel that same way about New Orleans. You don’t have to

be related by blood—we’re related by community, and we’re

related by our history, and that’s one of the things that distin-

guishes New Orleans. It not only attracts but gives birth to a

certain spirit, and that’s what we were protecting. It’s a value

that my parents carried with them; it’s a value that I am passing

on to my daughter, and it’s something that, when you speak to

someone from New Orleans, they’re very, very—and rightfully

so—protective of this city. Everybody feels like New Orleans is

theirs, and without that, I don’t know that we would’ve come

back. I wonder about that, but in hindsight I know that inner

strength, that drive are the reasons why we couldn’t be any-

where else. ere’s nowhere else for us to go.

How is the current version of the group similar to the

original band and in what ways does it di er?

It’s very much the same in that it’s a continuation of the familial

history that’s been a part of New Orleans music from day

one. It’s as rich and vibrant as it’s ever been. ere’s a youthful

energy to what’s going on in the city; it’s beautiful to see it and

to think it’s a result of some of the work that you did in your

lifetime. I’ve always seen the Preservation Hall Jazz Band as

missionaries, not just to musicians and audiences outside of

New Orleans, but to New Orleans itself. Sometimes you have

to remind yourself and the people in your own backyard of the

value of what you already have. In New Orleans, the extraordi-

nary is our ordinary. It’s hard to even wrap your brain around,

going to the grocery store and encountering Allen Toussaint,

or going over to Fats Domino’s house for lunch or running into

Miss Irma omas or Dr. John. e guys in my dad’s band,

they’d be talking about, ‘Oh yeah, Buddy Bolden and Louie

Armstrong and King Oliver …’ I never want to lose sight of the

importance and beauty of what these people contributed to the

world and to myself.

Can you give us a glimpse of your latest recording,

So It Is

?

Since Hurricane Katrina, we’ve been on this musical journey

as a band to understand better who we are and what role we

play in the New Orleans continuum. All of the musicians that

I’ve admired—in New Orleans and in general—grew up in a

tradition and then le their own mark, advanced that tradition

JACQUELINE DURAND/RAVINIA

RAVINIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 20 – SE3TEM%ER 2, 2018

14