Jazz lovers have the opportunity to catch one of the great icons of the New Orleans jazz tradition this Sunday at Kentucky Center's Bomhard Theater. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will perform a concert that begins at 7 p.m.
PHJB's latest album, "That's It," was produced by My Morning Jacket's Jim James and engineered by Louisville's Kevin Ratterman, a collaboration that came together in 2013, featuring a stellar line-up of musicians and a fresh, new take on the PHJB sound. Recently, PHJB has performed and recorded with My Morning Jacket, Tom Waits, Merle Merle Haggard, Pete Seeger, and the Del McCoury Bluegrass Band.
You are likely to encounter a number of jazz styles besides the well-known Dixieland. Some of the songs on the recent album sound like what you would imagine Hemingway and Fitzgerald heard in smoky, Parisian clubs. Others will remind you of the big band swing of Duke Ellington. And in addition to the dazzling instrumentalists, many of these new songs feature vocals as well.
The band lineup includes Creative Director Ben Jaffe on tuba, Mark Braud on trumpet and vocals, clarinetist Charlie Gabriel, saxophonist and vocalist Clint Maedgen, drummer Joe Lastie, Jr., pianist Rickie Monie, and Ronell Johnson on tuba, trombone and vocals. Young and old, all are jazz veterans, steeped in tradition.
PHJB performs at Bomhard Theater on Sunday, March 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online or by calling the Kentucky Center Box Office at 1.800.775.7777.
Check out the spectacular dance moves in the video for the title song, "That's It":
