New Orleans Jazz Comes to DC's Lincoln Theatre

Preservation Hall Jazz Band
at the Lincoln Theatre, June 20

photo: A New Orleans artist
melts old images on tiles, like this one of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band that hangs in my living room, out of roof slabs that fell off during Hurricane Katrina.

The Lincoln Theatre in DC’s U Street Corridor, which opened its doors in 1922, boasts a long legacy of black heritage. The 1,200-seat theatre welcomed a range of films and entertainment to its stage, including legendary jazz artists from Louis Armstrong to Ella Fitzgerald, having catered exclusively to an African-American audience. Closed in 1979, the theatre re-opened in 1994, fully restored to its original grandeur.

This theatre provided the perfect setting for a legendary jazz band visiting from the still-struggling city of New Orleans. Taking the stage for two long sets, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band played a mix of Dixieland and classic jazz, rag, and a touch of blues. The exceptional seven-piece band featured piano, upright bass, banjo, horns (trumpet, trombone, sax) and drums. The combination was soulful and joyful as the crowd toe-tapped, snapped, clapped, and occasionally sang along to the chorus.

Bandleader and trumpeter John Brunious did a stellar job leading the band. Tunes included Basin Street Blues; Louisian-I-A; Tiger Rag; and a jazz funeral. The upbeat finale was a medley that had everyone on their feet dancing, some joining a conga line that followed the horn section back onto the stage. The medley concluded with the natural choice: “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The band then came out for an encore, performing a somber ballad, titled, “What it Means to Miss New Orleans.”

The band derives its name from Preservation Hall, a tiny, renowned music room on Bourbon Street with no air conditioning that does not serve any food or drinks. It just serves up incredible music.

Long live New Orleans jazz!