Growing up just blocks away from New Orleans Preservation Hall, Ben Jaffe has a deep intuition about the tradition behind today's Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He is now its creative director and tuba player, and his dad Allan founded the group in the 60s and played tuba in the band as well. But evolution is required to continue embodying the tradition with fresh performances and recordings.
"Ever since Hurricane Katrina, we've just been on sort of a journey to really ensure the future of our musical legacy and traditions that we were blessed to have grown up with in New Orleans," said Jaffe. "Part of that journey is also recognizing that traditions will evolve, and how will they evolve and how much will you be responsible for that evolution? ... It's a wonderful balancing act that we all do."
<iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fQExZiQnHsw" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band's last tour date until Dec. is on Oct. 20 at Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square in New Orleans. They've been performing new material recorded after a life-changing trip to the Havana Jazz Festival.
"It was so inspiring and the people we met were so beautiful," Jaffe shared. "The connection between Cuba and New Orleans runs so deep that we came back different people. You can really hear how that experience influenced and inspired our music."
Thanks to their ongoing evolution, the great tradition continues.
'On Location: New Orleans' Takes You To Birthplace Of Jazz And Bounce
