Louisiana Book Review - Preservation Hall
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Preservation Hall | |
| Author: | Eve Abrams | |
| Photographer: | Shannon Brinkman | |
| Publisher: | Louisiana State University Press | |
| Publication Year: | 2011 | |
| ISBN: | 978-0-8071-3726-0 | |
| Pages: | 130 | |
| Cost: | $24.95 | |
New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz and Preservation Hall is the place to hear authentic New Orleans jazz seven days a week. Located at 726 St. Peter Street, Preservation Hall sits in the heart of the French Quarter. For years, Preservation Hall has been a venue for jazz musicians, young and old, and a popular destination for locals and visitors, alike. Through interviews and photographs, Preservation Hall offers a unique glimpse of the Hall and the musicians who frequent it.
Tom Sancton, novelist, noted Jazz musician and Preservation Hall band member, supplies the forward. Sancton says, “This was not just a club where you went to hear music. It was much, much more than that.” It still is.
Preservation Hall does not allow videos, sound recordings and flash photography of the band, making this book quite unique. Bringing Preservation Hall to life in the pages of this resource are Eve Abrams, who shares interviews with Preservation Hall band members, and Shannon Brinkman, who provides rich black and white and color photographs of the musicians and the Hall in which they play. There are more than 150 images and interviews with more than 45 band members. The book is divided into two sections – Preservation Hall and The Players. Both offer a unique look at the men and women who are keeping jazz alive and the Hall in which they play. There is no index, but The Players section is alphabetical by musician.
A trip to New Orleans is not complete without a visit to Preservation Hall. For those who cannot visit Preservation Hall, this resource is the next best thing. Preservation Hall is a must-have for any library’s jazz collection and would be an excellent gift for the jazz musician or jazz aficionado.
Charlene Bonnette is the Head of the Louisiana Department of the State Library of Louisiana.