Preservation Hall Jazz Band, founded in 1961 as the house band for a venue of the same name in New Orleans' French Quarter, has been a revolving door for some of the city's most qualified and talented musicians. So it's no surprise that their appearance at the Montreal Jazz Festival was anything short of a spectacularly deft display of musicianship.
Appearing as an eight-piece at the Jean-Duceppe Theatre in Montreal's Place des Arts, the band played far too short a set for the New Orleans lovers among us (myself included). The hour-and-a-half long set featured both original material and covers, with the only disappointment being the absence of gospel standard "I'll Fly Away."
Still, the band made a point of including some of their most iconic songs, including their take on "Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing," originally recorded by Danny Barker in 1947, before sending everyone home with a mandatory rendition of "When The Saints Go Marching In."
The band also took the opportunity to play material from the upcoming That's It!, their first full-length of original material in their entire 52-year history. Sung by trombone player Freddie Lonzo, "Rattlin' Bones" is a haunting romp down Frenchmen Street, while tuba player Ronell Johnson delivered the Latin-flavoured "Halfway Right, Halfway Wrong."
The venue, a dark (and air-conditioned!) theatre, was fine, though it left little room for people to get up and dance. Even so, by the start of the second encore, everyone was standing anyway.
Appearing as an eight-piece at the Jean-Duceppe Theatre in Montreal's Place des Arts, the band played far too short a set for the New Orleans lovers among us (myself included). The hour-and-a-half long set featured both original material and covers, with the only disappointment being the absence of gospel standard "I'll Fly Away."
Still, the band made a point of including some of their most iconic songs, including their take on "Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing," originally recorded by Danny Barker in 1947, before sending everyone home with a mandatory rendition of "When The Saints Go Marching In."
The band also took the opportunity to play material from the upcoming That's It!, their first full-length of original material in their entire 52-year history. Sung by trombone player Freddie Lonzo, "Rattlin' Bones" is a haunting romp down Frenchmen Street, while tuba player Ronell Johnson delivered the Latin-flavoured "Halfway Right, Halfway Wrong."
The venue, a dark (and air-conditioned!) theatre, was fine, though it left little room for people to get up and dance. Even so, by the start of the second encore, everyone was standing anyway.