Preservation Hall

Preservation Hall was established in 1961 to preserve, perpetuate, and protect traditional New Orleans Jazz. Operating as a music venue, a touring band (the Preservation Hall Jazz Band), a record label, and a non-profit organization, Preservation Hall continues their mission today as a cornerstone of New Orleans music and culture.

Situated in the heart of the French Quarter at 726 St. Peter Street, Preservation Hall presents intimate, acoustic New Orleans jazz concerts nightly featuring some of New Orleans' finest performers, showcasing a musical legacy dating back to the origins of jazz itself. The touring Preservation Hall Jazz Band presents the music of New Orleans worldwide with over 100 tour dates annually, which have included performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, the United Nations Headquarters, and Austin City Limits.

"Preservation Hall. Now that's where you'll find all of the greats." — Louis Armstrong

To this day, people from all around the world continue to visit New Orleans to share the intimacy and atmosphere of Preservation Hall. Preservation Hall presents concerts 7 nights a week, offering visitors and locals the best of Traditional New Orleans jazz. On any given night, one can witness this unique New Orleans musical legacy being passed down from generation to generation.

The story of Preservation Hall dates back to the 1950s at Associated Artists, a small art gallery at 726 St. Peter Street in New Orleans' French Quarter. Upon opening the gallery the proprietor Larry Borenstein found that it curtailed his ability to attend the few remaining local jazz concerts, and began inviting these musicians to perform "rehearsal sessions" in the gallery itself. These sessions featured living legends of New Orleans Jazz – 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. 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.

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Wikipedia