Concert Review: Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Severance Hall

Tonight we went to hear Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Severance Hall—a Sunday night concert at 7 pm, out by 9 pm, our favorite call time for any concert.

After a very stressful day of running around for child-related activities, it was a wonderful treat to be taken away, both to old memories, and in the present.

When Irad and I had been dating for three months we decided to get in a car and drive cross country. Irad was new to the USA then and wanted to see the land. Our second stop was New Orleans and of course I took him to Preservation Hall. It was a mind blowing experience for both of us—but especially for Irad, after a childhood devoted to the rigors of classical music training to be exposed to the free-wheeling and joyous improvisational style of New Orleans Jazz. It was a life changing experience for him and opened his mind to new forms of musical expression.

Tonight was equally wondrous for both of us. The cares of the day lifted as we were taken out of ourselves by the exuberance and joy of this group of musicians. The faces were mostly different but the spirit was the same. It made us feel like being a musician is one big party! Especially charming was Ronell Johnson, a big man who danced his way through the entire evening wrapped in a sousaphone, and Charlie Gabriel, still playing the clarinet at 81 years of age. Then there was the great trumpeter, the amazing trombonist, and wonderful drummer. And the brilliant pianist, who particularly shone in the encores. The ensemble was that perfect meld of people really making the same music together. The entire audience came to its feet many times.

It was also interesting to see how the band has made it into the mainstream in the past 28 years. Last time we heard them we sat on hard benches in a small quaint hall in the French Quarter and the sound was almost overwhelming. Tonight we sat in soft cushy chairs in a major concert hall... and the sound was almost overwhelming.

They have a recent release that is #1 on Billboard's Jazz list and was #2 nationally. Right behind Justin Bieber, as their director, Ben Jaffe, proudly shared.

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