Following Hurricane Katrina, Benjamin Jaffe salvaged master tapes of early Preservation Hall Jazz Band recordings from the legendary Sea-Saint studios, which had been flooded by 6 feet of water. The tracks, originally produced by his father Allan Jaffe (1936-1987), inspired Benjamin to create a musical and visual experience that bridges the bands past, present and future. The Hurricane Sessions is a collection of songs; some recorded Pre-Hurricane Katrina and some Post-Katrina that display the breadth and legacy of Preservation Hall. “Made in New Orleans demonstrates the significance of New Orleans Music as a timeless cultural art form," states Benjamin Jaffe.
Made in New Orleans: The Hurricane Sessions span decades of recordings by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band including the seminal track “Over in the Glory Land." This lost track was originally recorded by Allan Jaffe in 1976 and uncovered in the post-Katrina debris of Allen Toussaint's Sea-Saint Studios. By recording new vocals by current Preservation Hall Banjoist Carl Leblanc, Ben Jaffe created a seamless masterpiece. “The track 'Over in the Glory Land' was originally produced by my father; it is a great example of the never- ending bridge connecting our past with our present," explains Ben Jaffe. The CD also includes a prescient version of “Blow Wind Blow" with an introduction by folk artist and street preacher, Sister Gertrude Morgan, who first recorded at Preservation Hall in 1959 (before it was Preservation Hall). Current PHJB members John Brunious and Carl Leblanc augment the song with vocal accompaniment with special guest Stanton Moore of Galactic on Drums.
“Lord I Don't Want to be Buried in the Storm" is an unreleased number by Sister Gertrude Morgan whose title now seems prophetic. The playful “Eh La Bah" is a never before released live recording performed by the iconic husband and wife team of Billie & DeDe Pierce at Stanford University in 1972. On “Precious Lord," James “Sing" Miller performs with an all-star lineup of PHJB legends-Willie and Percy Humphrey, Narvin Kimball, Frank Demond, Josiah Cie Frazier and Allan Jaffe on tuba recorded in 1976. Adding a twist to the proceedings, Ben Jaffe 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 band's history and includes the first television appearance by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on the Brinkley News Hour in 1961. Rare concert footage from the Newport Jazz Festival and a live performance of the song “Red Wing" performed by George Lewis that was filmed in the mid-1960's at Preservation Hall provides a visual history of the band. Also included is the video for “Complicated Life." Directed by New Orleans native Henry Griffin, the video was shot in the French Quarter only months before the floods of 2005. The video follows Clint Maedgen as he cycles through the pre- Katrina French Quarter with a cast of revelers in tow, it ends at Preservation Hall where the journey of Made in New Orleans begins.
Founded in 1961 by Allan and Sandra Jaffe, Preservation Hall was created to provide legendary musicians a no-frills environment to perform New Orleans Jazz and to be appreciated by a new generation of music lovers. The 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. “Fortunately, my parents kept everything. After losing so much due to the floods, I realized how important it is to share our history with the world," states Ben Jaffe.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
