On St Peter Street, at the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans, stands Preservation Hall: an institution unique in American cultural and musical life. In a historic building, complete with carriageway and patio, the pioneers of traditional jazz have played their music nearly every night since the early 1960s. Preservation Hall bands have also travelled worldwide almost constantly. William Carter tells the story of the Hall itself, the personalities who ran it and, above all, the music and musicians of New Orleans.
Preservation Hall has played host to jazz fans from all parts of the world, musicians and listeners alike. In this lavishly illustrated book, a series of vignettes is interwoven with the narrative, covering, for example, many of the great personalities of early jazz, the story of early recording pioneer William Russell, and the steamy dance halls of Luthjens and Specks' Moulin Rouge. The author brilliantly captures the essence of this colourful chapter in America's musical history.
