PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND BRINGS CRESCENT CITY SOUND TO THE CLARK

For Immediate Release

June 10, 2013

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA—The Preservation Hall Jazz Band brings its legendary energy to the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute on Friday, June 28 at 8 pm. Tickets are available in advance for $42 ($38 for members of the Clark and students), or the day of the performance for $45. Tickets may be purchased online at clarkart.edu or by calling 413 458 0524.

A New Orleans-themed three-course dinner will be served in the Clark Café at 6 pm for $27 (does not include beverage, tax, or gratuity). The menu includes either soup or salad, a choice of Southern-inspired entrées, including a chicken and ham jambalaya or blackened catfish with Cajun remoulade, and dessert. Vegetarian options will be available. Space is limited; reservations are required. Please call 413 458 0524 or email Maria Gamari at [email protected] to reserve.

Perhaps no city in America is more associated with jazz than New Orleans, and few bands are more intimately linked with New Orleans than the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which has brought New Orleans-style jazz to the world since it began touring fifty years ago.

Now celebrating a half-century on the road, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band was founded in 1963 to keep traditional New Orleans jazz alive. The group is still based in Preservation Hall in New Orleans, a legendary concert venue founded by Allan and Sandra Jaffe in 1961. The band is currently directed by their son, Ben Jaffe.

“There’s a lot of history, struggle, and oppression that contributes to what we now call New Orleans music,” Jaffe said. “There’s history, tradition, and meaning to the way we dance and celebrate. There’s so much cultural depth to what we play. That’s why it’s unique.”

Their music is characterized by polyphonic collective improvisation—both lyrical and instrumental—as well as by a reverence for the music and stylistic approach of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Buddy Bolden, and other jazz giants. The band also enjoys collaborating with modern artists, as their recent Grammys performance alongside the Black Keys demonstrates.

“We’re so old we’re new again,” Jaffe said.

The group will release their new album That’s It! on July 9, which is the first album of entirely original compositions in the band’s history.

The band’s signature enthusiasm is sure to ignite the Clark’s intimate auditorium. The concert was originally planned for February 8, but was postponed due to severe winter storm conditions.

About the Clark

Set amidst 140 acres in the Berkshires, the Clark is one of the few major art museums that also serves as a leading international center for research and scholarship. The Clark presents public and education programs and organizes groundbreaking exhibitions that advance new scholarship. The Clark’s research and academic programs include an international fellowship program and conferences. Together with Williams College, the Clark sponsors one of the nation’s leading master’s programs in art history. The Clark receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council
The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open daily in July and August (open Tuesday through Sunday from September through June), 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $15 June 1 through October 31; free November through May; and free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413-458-2303. The Clark’s library is closed for renovation through September 3, 2013.

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