10/18/2024
Catch Preservation Hall at Toulouse Theater in November as our residency continues through the fall! Tickets available now at preservationhall.com/calendar
Preservation Hall
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Traditional New Orleans music, since 1961. *All performances from June 13th thru September 30th will be held at the Toulouse Theatre (615 Toulouse St.
(1238)
Address
726 Street Peter St
New Orleans, LA
70116
Opening Hours
| Monday | 5pm - 9:45pm |
| Tuesday | 5:30pm - 9:30pm |
| Wednesday | 5pm - 9:30pm |
| Thursday | 5pm - 9:30pm |
| Friday | 5pm - 9:30pm |
| Saturday | 5pm - 9:30pm |
| Sunday | 5pm - 9:30pm |
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The Story of Preservation Hall
Established in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter, Preservation Hall is a historic music venue founded in 1961 to honor one of America’s truest forms of art: Traditional New Orleans Jazz.
Although the Preservation Hall building at 726 St. Peter Street has served many purposes over the years, including a private residence as early as 1750, a tavern during the war of 1812 and a photo studio in the early 1900s, the story of Preservation Hall dates back to the 1950s, when the building housed a small gallery called Associated Artists. Owner Larry Borenstein found the business was curtailing his ability to attend the few remaining jazz concerts in New Orleans, so he began inviting local musicians to perform “rehearsal sessions” in the gallery itself. These sessions featured living legends of New Orleans jazz, including George Lewis, Punch Miller, Sweet Emma Barrett, Billie and De De Pierce, the Humphrey brothers and dozens more.
During this period, traditional jazz had taken a backseat in popularity to rock n’ roll and bebop, leaving many of these players to work odd jobs. Although concerted efforts by aficionados such as William “Bill” Russell succeeded in recording and documenting this fading art form during the “New Orleans Jazz Revival” of the 1940s, venues that offered live New Orleans jazz were few and far between. Despite this dip in popularity, before long, Borenstein’s sessions took on a life of their own; enthusiasts of the music gravitated toward the gallery, including a young couple from Pennsylvania named Allan and Sandra Jaffe.
The Jaffes arrived in New Orleans in 1960 on an extended honeymoon from Mexico City. During their visit, they conversed with a few jazz musicians in Jackson Square who were on their way to “Mr. Larry’s Gallery.” As avid fans of New Orleans jazz, the honeymooners followed the musicians and were introduced to Borenstein along with a number of living jazz greats that had gathered that evening for a jam session. Needless to say, they were enraptured by what they saw and heard. The music was pure and unaffected by the swaying of popular music. Most of these musicians were elderly, many of whom were contemporaries of Buddy Bolden and other early jazz practitioners. The Jaffes knew they stumbled upon something special, and moved to New Orleans permanently soon after.
