AUG 17-20 | THE SOUND OF NEW ORLEANS
Aug 17 - Aug 20, 2023
Miner Auditorium
PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production
Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.
Original show description below.
“The past and promise of American music” (Rolling Stone), Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a true New Orleans institution that defines the tradition of Crescent City music. The 2018 SFJAZZ Gala honorees return to their West Coast home accompanied by special guest vocalist Tarriona "Tank" Ball and multi-instrumentalist Norman Spence II of the GRAMMY-nominated soul group Tank and The Bangas.
Founded in 1961 by tuba player Allan Jaffe, the PHJB was formed to preserve the city’s priceless musical heritage and give their veteran musicians a place to play, and it instantly attracted players linked to the glory days of the 1920s. Now run by Jaffe’s son, tuba player Ben Jaffe, the group features a wealth of New Orleans talent, including longtime-member and saxophonist Charlie Gabriel (who is celebrating his 91st birthday!), versatile singer and instrumentalist Clint Maedgen, trumpeter Brandon Lewis, pianist Kyle Roussel, drummer Walter Harris, and trombonist Ronell Johnson, who joined the band in 2012.
Hailing from New Orleans, Tarriona "Tank" Ball is the frontwoman of the two-timed GRAMMY-nominated group Tank and The Bangas. The four-piece group has a rare knack for combining various musical styles - fiery soul, deft hip-hop, deep-drove R&B, and subtle jazz - into one dazzling, cohesive whole that evokes the scope of New Orleans music while retaining a distinctive feel all its own. Tank has collaborated with artists like Norah Jones, Lalah Hathaway, Robert Glasper, Moonchild, Brasstracks, and many more.
Under the younger Jaffe’s direction, the band has remained timelessly relevant, recording and sharing the stage with the likes of Allen Toussaint, the Foo Fighters, Tom Waits, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Dr. John, My Morning Jacket, Beck, and others. For their tireless work in performance, promotion, and preservation of New Orleans music and their commitment to education initiatives, we honored Preservation Hall with the Lifetime Achievement Award at SFJAZZ Gala 2018.
The beloved New Orleans institution that defines the tradition of Crescent City music returns to SFJAZZ Center accompanied by members of Tank and The Bangas, and a special rare appearance from longtime-member and 91 year-old saxophinst Charlie Gabriel.
Deep roots, wide influences: PRESERVATION HALL AND TARRIONA "TANK" BALL COMBINE FORCES
August 1, 2023 | by Jonathan Curiel
Its room is no bigger than an airport lounge from the early 1900s. And its wooden floor boards are known to sag under the weight of visitors — a sign of just how old New Orleans' Preservation Hall really is. But the venue's unassuming interior belies the charged atmosphere that always erupts when the Preservation Hall Jazz Band performs there and catapults fans into a state of rousing pyrotechnics. Dancing. Shouting. Even fainting has occurred as jazz aficionados from around the world crowd into a venue that only holds about 100 people.
When the Preservation Hall Jazz Band appears at SFJAZZ from August 17-20, the only question will be how it conveys that same musical intensity in a different venue. The answer is straight out of the Preservation Hall playbook: They're adding even more of a New Orleans flavor. By performing with vocalist Tarriona "Tank" Ball, who fronts the New Orleans band called Tank and the Bangas, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is spotlighting a singer whose sound is grounded in everything from hip-hop to R&B to, yes, jazz. A century ago, New Orleans' unique cultural milieu gave birth to jazz music. Ben Jaffe, who's the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's Creative Director and also its tuba and bass player, tells me that his group — and jazz itself — has to keep evolving new ways of expression even as they honor the jazz sound that's always echoed from New Orleans' streets, parlors, and other public byways. Ball, who was born and raised in New Orleans — just like the 52-year-old Jaffe — is a generation younger than Jaffe.
"Tank is representative of the new music movement in New Orleans," he says. "They (Tank and the Bangas) have a reverence for and deep connection to New Orleans' music and traditions but also have all these modern, contemporary influences and inspirations, and are bringing all those to the table. To me, that's what keeps traditions alive, and keeps things relevant." That relevance was on display last year when the Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" with Ball before the tipoff of the NCAA men's basketball final at New Orleans' Caesars Superdome. Almost 70,000 people attended in person while 10 million watched on television and online, in what was one of the biggest non-jazz venues that Jaffe's group has ever performed for. The pressure to get the song just right — to have it swing with verve and pizzazz but also be respectful of its traditional orchestration — was immense. This was no recording session with multiple takes. This was live music in a social-media era where critics of all kinds could call them out in an instant.
Personnel
Charlie Gabriel saxophone, clarinet
Clint Maedgen saxophone
Branden Lewis trumpet
Ronnel Johnson trombone
Kyle Roussel piano
Ben Jaffe bass, tuba
Walter Harris drums
SPECIAL GUESTS
TANK AND THE BANGAS
Tarriona "Tank" Ball vocals
Norman Spence II bass, keyboards, guitar
The past and promise of American music...
Rolling Stone
Personnel
Charlie Gabriel saxophone, clarinet
Clint Maedgen saxophone
Branden Lewis trumpet
Ronnel Johnson trombone
Kyle Roussel piano
Ben Jaffe bass, tuba
Walter Harris drums
SPECIAL GUESTS
TANK AND THE BANGAS
Tarriona "Tank" Ball vocals
Norman Spence II bass, keyboards, guitar
The past and promise of American music...
Rolling Stone
Watch & Listen
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Keep Your Head Up (feat. Pell)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
That's It!
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Keep Your Head Up (feat. Pell)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
That's It!