Overview
On St. Peter Street, in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans, stands Preservation Hall, an institution unique in American cultural and musical life. Here traditional jazz has been played nearly every night since the early 1960s. Preservation Hall bands have also traveled worldwide. William Carter tells the story of the Hall itself, the personalities who ran it and 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 Luthjen's and Speck's Moulin Rouge. William Carter brilliantly captures the essence of this colorful chapter in America's musical history. Photographs by William Carter.