European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 15, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Any on out ing Lor a Bare room a band a rapt audience and new Orleans jazz played by musicians such As Homer Eugene left on trombone and Banjo St Emanuel Sayles. 25 years of jazz Sybil Crider associated Pressl Ouis Nelson puckers up to gel a Good grip on his Szorc bought Loolah to stands Lills a trombone and slides a hoarse soil blues phrase into the sweaty darkness beyond the Bare bulb lights the kid Sheik band six very senior citizens from the Early Days of jazz is in full flight. We Are in preservation Hall the magic room of the French Quarter of new Orleans and it is packed with no room inside tourists queue up on the sidewalk trying to poor through windows that Wear the grime of decades tourists itching to pay two Bucks a head and gel in Nelson skids lightly through a Solo brushing it Oil in a couple of bars in order to resume his seat and a conversation with Judith Forster a tourist irom Tokyo he s been lolling me whore he has been and where he is going Forster reports during a break. I think the trumpet player is getting a bit irritated with him he simply does t care " at the age of 83, working in an ancient and shabby Hall and playing a piece he has played a thousand limes Nelson s interest in jazz is not at its Peak he is thinking instead of the Cool winds of Snow capped Switzerland an Early Stop on a concert tour on which he was to embark the next Day As a member of the kid Thomas band. But flexibility is one of the marvelous things about new Orleans jazz forerunner of every form of jazz known to Man Nelson s airy disinterest is easily papered Over by the other musicians. The crowd does not notice it is a hot night and the Hall is innocent of air conditioning a big electric fan humming on a Pedestal behind the upright piano barely stirs the humid air. Bui the acoustics Are splendid the amiable relaxed ambience is unique and thicker than swamp fog Resa Lambert perches on a tall Stool beside the fought Iron carriageway Gate at the sidewalk. She collects from people coming in. Dropping Bills into a Wicker Basket full of Money a Ligor striped Alley cat looks on indifferently there is no stage just a Cluster of chairs for the musicians beneath a couple of lights dangling from the ceiling. Wooden benches Seal 40. Give or take a few. When these fill up. People sit Cross legged in rows on the dirty floor in front or stand along the Walls clogging the two doorways a few Liko footer. Snag a chair right up front with the band they come and go. Seven nights a week. A few jazz lovers stay the full Lour hours but most people Are in and out in 20 minutes or so. Headed for wicked Bourbon Street a Low doors away it s a Dull Ghl when the Hall in t full this Marks the 25lh year that this incredible tourism Gold mine has been paying off Lor Allan Jaffe and the 75 musicians who rotate through the Hall or make its International concert hours. Imitators have gotten nowhere even those that hired the same bands and strove to give their premises the same look uns wept. Splinter floors peeling paint old Brick. Unwilling to tinker Wilh Success Jaffe has not changed anything since 1961 thai s when he converted the Hall which is not much bigger than a two car garage from an Art gallery to a music museum. It would be stretching it to say Jaffe saved new Orleans style jazz. But he sure came in Handy for hundreds of old Black musicians Here. Jazz was on its upper in 61 musicians who took part in the birthing of jazz could hardly earn a dime with their horns. They Laboured on the docks swept floors or did Odd jobs until Jaffe came along from Philadelphia a jazz Lover Wilh a degree in systems analysis and business administration. He picked new Orleans for his Home because it was As foreign a place As i could think of that still spoke English " Jaffe traced musicians who were part of the creative ferment the men and women who made musical history by producing jazz this nation s Foremost native Art right Here in River City. He made an instant hit by paying Good Money. He insisted on an integrated Hall probably the first in the wednesday. October 15, 1966 Quarter. That was no Small thing in the Early 60s when necessary he dried out Defeated but talented u d clinks bought false Teeth provided instruments in its heyday the Hall was an extraordinary place. Sid Moody an press in scr who passed through during the Early Days had a Nice line on it me whole that a trip to preservation Hall is like going to the circus and finding nol elephant b it woolly alive prancing and Calina peanuts " time gels us All and not Many Wooll mammoths still it acc today. Many of the White haired Blacks on preservation i Tail bands nowadays Are the Small Fry from the great Days As youngsters they watched and listened now they play the same music. From the beginning everything about the Hall clicked though it sits amidst the glitter and Glitz of a night crawling area. The Hall s famous sign had the simplicity of Art. A trombone Case hangs Over the sidewalk by the Gate a smaller clarinet Case Slung beneath it brass letters from a Marine hardware store were nailed on to spell out preservation Hall. Nelson having agreed to go on the Wagon in Exchange for a Promise of regular work provided the trombone Case for the original sign it has Long since weathered into junk. Jaffe carefully made this sign exactly like the first one. Now the second sign is on its last legs despite the nightly crowds the Hall is really just the foundation Lor the concert Tours by bands that travel the world usually combos of piano drum Bass clarinet trumpet trombone and Banjo Jaffe the systems analyst is a jazz Lover who grunts away on a Luba in some of the bands but also has the Eye for business. I knew from the Start thai the Only Way we were going to do it was by he says i would go to new York and spend weeks sitting in Hie offices of booking agents. I wrote looters to them All Day Long. In 1963. We landed a tour of Japan and Drew Good crowds. Then we ran a three week tour of midwestern colleges. Good crowds. Thai s All it the stars and stripes Page 15
