An Extraordinary Evening of Gospel and Jazz

The Blind Boys of Alabama w/ the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

January 8, The Warner Theater, Washington, D.C.

In the presence of great New Orleans jazz, your body cannot sit still; when there’s great gospel, your soul is moving too. Such was the case last night at the Warner Theater, where an incredible double bill featured Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Preservation Hall played a peppy set of traditional New Orleans jazz, including a sultry “St. James Infirmary,” and concluded with a traditional second-line parade, with some of the crowd (me included) getting in line behind the band, marching up the aisle, and getting on stage to boogie to a rousing “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Next up, the Blind Boys of Alabama took the stage and had the crowd clapping and swaying to their unparalleled gospel. They played several songs backed by Preservation Hall but mostly performed backed by organ, drums, guitar, and bass. The three singers (two of them second-generation members) harmonized, were funny and charming, and brimmed with soul.

And, as five-time Grammy winners, they played several songs from Grammy-winning albums, including Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” and “There Will Be a Light,” written by Ben Harper. In the last decade, the Blind Boys won a Grammy for best traditional gospel album four years in a row. Last year, they won one for their latest album, Down in New Orleans, a collaboration with Preservation Hall that also featured the legendary Allen Toussaint. Last year, they also were honored a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Both bands have had turnover throughout the years. In fact, three of the original singers of Blind Boys (founded in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind) are deceased; Jimmy Carter still fronts the boys (along with Bishop Billy Bowers and Ben Moore). Another founder, Clarence Fountain, no longer tours due to health reasons. Preservation Hall also has seen quite a bit of turnover in its five decades though clarinetist Charlie Gabriel and trombonist Frank Demond have been with the band for decades. And tuba player Ben Jaffe, the guy with the wild hair, is the son of founding member Allan Jaffe.

One highlight was a soulful version of Amazing Grace set to the music of the folk-rock classic “The House of the Rising Sun.” The encore, amplified by Preservation Hall’s horns, was a spirited version of the gospel classic, “Down by the Riverside.” The crowd left light-hearted, with a sprightly step and a smile.