It was the lack of expectations. Or it could have been the lack of light, of space, of seating. I sat on a cushion on the floor of a small, musty room.
The walls bore that single-line watermark, the signature of Hurricane Katrina. In the confined, dark space, strangers surrounded me. I had come to the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter to Preservation Hall to hear genuine jazz.
Sounds of Bourbon Street revelry reached me as I waited for the doors to open.
Once inside, the audience settled as elderly black musicians slowly took their places and lifted travel-worn instruments. They played, and my heart sang with every note.
Catastrophe hadn't silenced the music.
The hall, built in 1750, is a link to the past. A home, a tavern, an inn, a photo studio and an art gallery over the years, it has been a stronghold of a city's musical spirit since 1961.
Without glitter, without microphones, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band played rhythms passed from generation to generation. We leaned forward to listen. The singer leaned toward us.
Elbows wedged, knees touched, bodies pressed together.
Sitting at the feet of the musicians, our small group of strangers slipped into the intimacy of shared experience. The players' banter escalated as they moved from song to song, inviting the audience into their circle of music.
As the evening ended, I remained seated, my head on my knees, my eyes closed, chasing those last notes as they faded into the night.
- Jester of jazz guerrilla theater will be missed: Arts Entertainment: The Seattle Times
Sam BoyleThe last time I saw Charlie Gocher we were in line at Sea-Tac in December, waiting for a plane. Charlie and his trio, Sun City Girls, were on their way to an avant-rock festival in Somerset, England...
- Music Review: SF Jazz Collective demonstrates precision and orchestrated chaos -- the best of modern jazz
Travis RoyWhen the eight-person SF Jazz Collective performed at Chico State University's Laxson Auditorium last Thursday, it demonstrated the best of new movements in jazz, bringing original compositions and original arrangements of old compositions to an apprecia...
- John Pizzarelli doing his part to keep jazz spirit alive and swingin'
Wayne RooneyWith his Sinatraesque phrasing and confessed love of Nat "King" Cole, John Pizzarelli is the last musician you'd peg as one heavily influenced by "Frampton Comes Alive!" But, he says, it was while listening to Peter Frampton's 1976 live rock album that P...
- Musicians explore varied sides of jazz - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
RonaldinhoThey explore different sides of jazz, as they will show on the North Side this weekend, but they are alike in their restlessness for the job. They both have successful recording careers, but see the need for change...
- Utah Jazz 20 to 1 odds of winning the 2007 NBA Championship
Amber Swiftpushed, is Deron Williams. This is Utah's main man. The and his teammates. rookie. Against the Celts, he played and 26 points. He the attack zone, in a timely fashion, of the game. any indicators, the the season...
News RSS