September 2, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … After a long absence, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band swings back into Portland with a concert of New Orleans-style jazz presented by the Oregon Symphony on Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The Oregon Symphony does not perform. Media support provided by KINKfm102.
Beloved by audiences from coast to coast, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been performing classic jazz, spirituals, Dixieland and a sound known as the Big Easy since 1952. Over the last 25 years, they have toured the United States numerous times and have recently made appearances at Carnegie Hall, Boston's Symphony Hall, and Wolf Trap where they were presented with the Wolf Trap Medal for Excellence in the Performing Arts.
The band's repertoire includes early jazz standards, gospel and ragtime. They do not plan their concerts in advance, but instead improvise a song order on the spot, as they respond to the unique makeup of each individual audience. Some of their featured numbers include Basin Street Blues, Little Liza Jane, Just A Closer Walk with Thee, His Eye Is On the Sparrow, and of course no concert would be complete without an encore performance of When the Saints go Marching In.
Although the band's membership has changed over the past 50 years, they still produce the style and flavor of jazz from another era. Their current roster of musicians features both old-timers and some new young faces who continue to preserve the old traditional styles of music that have made the band a national treasure.
Tickets range in price from $21 to $72 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony's Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band got its name from Preservation Hall, one of the unmissable landmarks in New Orleans. The band has been referred to by one music critic as "a bridge across the ages - a link between the present day and the heyday of traditional New Orleans music." Some of the creators of this style of music are still with the ensemble. The musicians, who range in age from 29 to 88, seek to preserve the music that evolved in New Orleans around the turn of the century and to bring it to contemporary audiences.
Ben, the youngest member of the band, is a recent graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Although a newcomer to the band, Ben is very familiar with the sounds of New Orleans. Ben's parents, Allan and Sandra Jaffe, moved to New Orleans in 1960 and opened Preservation Hall the following year. Allan played tuba with the band and managed the Hall until his untimely death in 1987. Ben began his music studies in grammar school with his future bass teacher Walter Pay ton, also a musician at Preservation Hall. Besides performing with the band Ben also manages Preservation Hall.
David is a true musical veteran. He started playing the clarinet when he was 10 and continued to perform on this instrument through high school. In 1953, David joined the highly regarded Air Force Band and was stationed in Europe for three years. When he returned to New Orleans in 1957, David immediately began working with the top Rhythm and Blues bands of the day including such legends as Smiley Lewis and Bobby Mitchell. In 1976, David joined Harold Dejan's Olympia Brass Band and through them began performing at Preservation Hall. During the 1980' s, David began to tour with the band and now performs regularly at Preservation Hall on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The Lastie family is one of the largest and most highly regarded musical families in New Orleans; both of Joe's Grandfathers played drums, his mother plays piano and his Uncle's Melvin, David and Walter played trumpet, saxophone and drums respectively. Joe was given a set of drums by his Grandmother when he was only 8. He was a natural and immediately began performing in church services and with local gospel groups. In the early 1960's, Joe's family moved to New York where joined the pit orchestra for the New Orleans musical "One 'Mo Time". This job led to other musical opportunities and his eventual return to New Orleans. In 1989, Joe joined the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and has been a regular member ever since.
Rickie, an accomplished pianist and clarinetist, has been performing at Preservation Hall since 1982 when he first substituted for Sweet Emma Barrett. Rickie's first musical experiences took place in local churches where he accompanied New Orleans' finest choirs on piano. He pursued his love of music in college where he studied both clarinet and piano at Dillard University. After graduation, Rickie joined Dejan's Olympia Brass Band and performed with them regularly on clarinet and piano. Although he enjoys playing the clarinet, his true love has always been the piano. Today, Rickie can be heard playing at several churches in the New Orleans area as well as Preservation Hall.
Born Apri1 3,1933 in Los Angeles, CA, Frank became interested in New Orleans jazz when he heard the Kid Ory band in the 1940' s. His first instrument was the ukulele, but he soon taught himself banjo and trombone. During the late 1940's and into the 1950's, Frank performed with dozens of New Orleans musicians, such as Johnny St. Cyr, Alton Purnell, Ed "Montudie" Garland and George Lewis when they were working at clubs on the West Coast. At this time, Frank met Jim Robinson, who later became his teacher and dear friend for over twenty-five years. Also at this time, Frank would often sit in with Billie and DeDe Pierce and their Preservation Hall Jazz Band when they would perform at Stanford. Frank first came to New Orleans in 1968. He moved there permanently in 1974 to play regularly with Percy Humphrey at Preservation Hall. Frank can be heard on all of the Preservation Hall recordings. His mentor, Jim Robinson, can be heard on Sweet Emma and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Wendell Brunious is a "youngster" who exemplifies the Preservation Hall Jazz Band tradition of "preserving" New Orleans jazz. He was born in October 1954 into one of the most musical families in New Orleans. His father, John Sr ., played trumpet and wrote music for Billy Eckstein and Cab Calloway. Uncles Lester and Burnell Santiago are two of the oldest and most respected names in New Orleans jazz today. Wendell began performing at the Hall in the 1970's when he played next to the legendary trumpeter Kid Thomas Valentine for close to seven years. An extremely versatile and popular musician among his peers, Wendell has chosen to dedicate himself to the New Orleans style.
Born in New Orleans in 1956, Don developed an interest in music at an early age. His great-uncle, "Papa" John Joseph was one of Preservation Hall's original members. Since then, the Joseph family has continued to generate outstanding musicians. At 17, Don played guitar with Dick Stabile's Big Band backing such notables as Joel Gray, Carol Channing and Peggy Lee. During his early 20' s, Preservation Hall drummer, Cie Frazier, encouraged Don to play traditional jazz. Since that time he has performed and/or recorded with a number of musicians including Benny Waters, Danny Barker, Doc Cheatham, and Wynton Marsalis. Presently, Don performs regularly at night for Preservation Hall while serving during the day as an adjunct instructor in the Jazz program at the University of New Orleans.