The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

 

All his life my father has wanted to visit New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. Since Hurricane Katrina has ravaged New Orleans and time has ravaged my father’s health I’m afraid his dream will never come true. When I heard The Preservation Hall Jazz Band was coming to town I decided to give him the next best thing, front row seats to the concert. No other living act represents the culture and spirit of New Orleans like the PHJB. For more info go to http://www.preservationhall.com/2.0/

 

After waiting four months for the day to finally arrive, my plan was nearly scuttled when my dad took a nasty fall. He said he was distracted by the fact Man. Utd. beat Roma 7-1 in UEFA Champions League play. He also said that his love of football had also saved him because it taught him how to fall. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that his love of sport probably had a lot to do with why he fell in the first place.

 

The concert was fantastic with standout performances of Basin Street Blues (written by Spencer Williams best known for playing Andy in the Amos ‘n’ Andy show), Tiger Rag, Shake That Thing, and I Wish I Could Shimmy (Like My Sister Kate). Trumpeter, John Brunious said that NOTHING had been done to repair New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina before launching into a melancholy Do You Know What It Means (To Miss New Orleans). The sombre mood was dispelled by the raucous medley of The Second Line and When the Saints Go Marching In that had delirious members of the audience following the horn-players of the band around the venue and up to the stage to dance with wild abandon.  

 

I brought my dad home at 11:00 pm, a good two hours past his bed-time, I’m sure. I loaded the CD I bought at the concert into his player and he said, "Turn the volume up to 12, the neighbour works nights."

 

Mission accomplished.