Preservation Hall Jazz Band Heads West: Multiple Dates Planned For California In June & July

New York, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Shore Fire Media) - This month, New Orleans' legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band heads west, with a handful of California dates. Since 1961, the band has served as a steward of the city's vibrant cultural and musical heritage. The PHJB has been touring regularly since 1963, bringing New Orleans music to the world.

In 2008, Preservation Hall nears the end of its first half-century with renewed vigor, mindful of its role as keeper of the flame even as it helps to shape the music's future. In recent months, the Hall has introduced new players, new releases and new projects - some that shine a light on the band's storied past, and some that look toward a bright future.

This year, the Hall mourned the loss of trumpet player John Brunious, Jr., who led the PHJB for more than two decades. Carrying on a formidable family legacy of New Orleans' music his nephew, 34-year-old Mark Braud leads the ensemble. Vocalist and saxophone player Clint Maedgen, who came to Preservation Hall from cabaret-act, The New Orleans Bingo! Show, also continues to bring the tradition forward - in January 2008, he sang the national anthem with the PHJB at the prestigious BCS college football championship at the New Orleans Superdome.

Last spring, Preservation Hall Recordings released Made in New Orleans: The Hurricane Sessions, a treasure trove of previously unreleased recordings by the PHJB, some salvaged from New Orleans' flooded Sea Saint Studios. It also included performance footage of the PHJB, from their first 1961 appearance on the Brinkley News Hour to a 2005 music video for their cover of the Kinks' "Complicated Life," featuring a carnivalesque pre-Katrina French Quarter bicycle parade. The Hurricane Sessions audio CD from the box set will be on sale at all performances on the July tour. This spring, creative director Ben Jaffe unveiled "Preservation Hall Presents," the Hall's latest recording project - a series of recordings by PHJB members that will showcase the many individual talents that make up the collective face of the venerable band.

THE PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND LINEUP:
Mark Braud: Trumpet/Vocals
Freddie Lonzo: Trombone
Shannon Powell: Drums
Elliott "Stackman" Callier: Sax
Walter Payton: Bass
Rickie Monie: Piano
Clint Maedgen Vocals/Tenor Sax

TOUR DATES
June 27: Irvine Barclay Theatre Irvine, CA
June 29: Lou Bredlow Pavillion Woodland Hills, CA
June 30: Madrid Theater Canoga Park, CA
July 2: Wingfield Park Amphitheatre Reno, NV
July 4: Marin County Fair San Rafael, CA
July 5: Robert Mondavi Winery Oakville, CA
For full bios on the PHJB members, visit www.preservationhall.com.