Once I got home after seeing Stanley Clarke kick off the first night of the 2024 Montreal Jazz Festival, I suddenly wanted more live music this Canada Day long weekend.
After a few minutes of poking around the Jazz Fest website, I found a show that I wanted to, no, needed to see, and that was the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
In December 2022, I spent a week in New Orleans. A good friend recommended one thing that I must do while there. While it was a touristy thing to do, it was a must: visit Preservation Hall and see a performance live.
They were right; the experience was much more than I could have ever expected.
Sitting in a tiny venue on wooden benches, with a dirt floor and a band of accomplished musicians unamplified and feet away from me, was one of the best music experiences of my life.
It made me a lifelong lover of traditional New Orleans music and explained why I needed to attend this show.
So, the experience was different, the musicians were different, and the vibe was much bigger, but it made complete sense for the room and audience. My feeling is that no matter if you are a jazz fan or not, this is a band worth seeing just to understand what is so special about the music of New Orleans.
Place des Arts, Théâtre Maisonneuve
260 Blvd. De Maisonneuve Ouest 2nd floor, Montréal, QC H2X 1Y9
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