Take a whole lot of influence from early French American, deep southern culture, add a generous dose of talent, mix well and enjoy. That’s the recipe for what promises to be an uplifting and one-of-a-kind experience Sunday evening at Sheboygan’s Stefanie Weill Center as New Orlean’s Preservation Hall Jazz Band presents “Creole Christmas”.
We spoke with Branden Lewis, trumpeter for the band that was founded in the early 1960s by tuba player Allan Jaffe after Milwaukee art dealer Larry Borenstein took over management of Preservation Hall in New Orleans in the 1950s and invited local musicians to hold jam sessions there. The rest, as they say, is history…but this history comes alive on Sunday night.
Lewis describe “Creole” for us as “a different thing in different places, but historically New Orleans is a mix between the white and the black populations. Mostly the French and the black populations.”
The preservation in the band’s title reflects the mission behind the Jazz Band’s concerts. “A big part of it is the stewardship of this culture, this traditional New Orleans music. It’s something we can carry on with pride, and a big part of it is just that this music was handed down to us, for lack of a better term, from all the people who’s shoulders that we stand on top of, and who have mentored us along the way.
Although Sunday’s is a Christmas concert, the audience will hear the music in a way not likely heard around here before. Lewis said that “there will be a couple that people are going to recognize, and then definitely a couple that people may, or may not recognize. We’re taking a step off the beaten path for some of our Christmas repertoire.”
New Orleans Jazz is known for its improvisation and joy. Lewis said that no song ever comes out the same twice, and the back-and-forth between the audience and the musicians can be so good that people get up and dance. He said that “It is definitely allowed and permitted. And depending on how I’m feeling I like to remind the audience of that. Of course we’re going to come with a certain amount of energy, because that’s what we do as performers, but we have no choice but to reciprocate every bit of energy that we get from the audience. So, if it makes you want to get up and ‘shake that thang’, or if you want to clap along or sing along, you know, then by all means, it is a group effort.”
Lewis then turned the tables on us, asking us what there is to do in Sheboygan. I suggested they check out Lake Michigan, the vibrant riverfront and Harbor Centre. And with me thinking about a Sheboygan Bratwurst on a hard roll, I asked if he liked sausage…and without hesitation he said: “All these people that don’t like sausage…where do they live?” And so this Creole band may just have another color to add to their already brilliant palate.
A Creole Christmas at the Weill Center is at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets and more information is available at Weillcenter.com.
