New Year's Eve At Preservation Hall In New Orleans

Images & Words by: Adam McCullough

12.31.17 :: Preservation Hall :: New Orleans, LA

2017 was the 56th year Preservation Hall was open and was one of its most successful. In addition to hosting nightly concerts of New Orleans’ best jazz musicians and continuing to showcase the traditional Dixieland jazz that the venue was initially opened to preserve in 1961, the Hall also hosted another seven sold-out nights during their Jazz Fest series called “Midnight Preserves.”

The Midnight Preserves series combines the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with musicians from various genres and musical styles, including such musicians this year as Amos Lee, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jonathon Batiste and more. This past fall, the Hall also started a new series called the “Salon 726 Series,” which was started to “bring together art, conversation, history and music in a collection of eclectic programs comprising the inaugural season.” To end this successful year, Preservation Hall hosted a New Year’s Eve soiree featuring the Preservation Hall Stars, headed by Wendell Brunious and featuring the “King Of Treme” Shannon Powell as well as up-and-coming trombonist David Harris. The evening included a second line from the courtyard into the venue, a trio of white-faced cat dancers and at midnight, the Hall’s iconic bass drum was dropped with a replica white cat, a homage to the various white cats that have lived at the hall.

Check out Adam’s photos from NYE at Preservation Hall: