The Preservation Hall Jazz Band usually performs nightly at Preservation Hall in New Orleans, and tours around the world over 150 days a year. Hurricane Katrina, however, forced Preservation Hall to close through the fall and winter of 2005, and the building remained shut until April 2006. The band continued to tour while the hall was closed.
Art dealer Larry Borenstein opened an art gallery in a building he called Associated Artists Studio in 1961. This evolved into Preservation Hall. A young tuba player, Allan Jaffe, ran the hall and organized tours for the musicians who often performed there, naming the band after the venue. The late Allan Jaffe was often in the Preservation Hall band; his son string bass player Ben Jaffe often is now.
The group has been touring the United States for more than 25 years. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band seek to preserve music evolved in New Orleans, and to bring it to contemporary audiences.
In 2006, the band was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
Current members include: Lucien Barbarin (trombone), Mark Braud (trumpet), Frank Demond (trombone), Charlie Gabriel (clarinet & saxophone), Ben Jaffe (bass & tuba), Leroy Jones (trumpet), Joseph Lastie, Jr (drums), Carl Le Blanc (banjo), Freddie Lonzo (trombone), Clint Maedgen (vocalist & saxophone), Rickie Monie (piano), Walter Payton (bass), Shannon Powell (drums), Mari Watanabe (piano)
A partial listing of the musicians who have played under the Preservation Hall Jazz Band name includes:
* Kid Thomas Valentine - trumpeter
* Punch Miller - trumpeter
* De De Pierce - trumpeter
* Percy Humphrey - trumpeter
* Kid Sheik Colar - trumpeter
* Louis Nelson - trombonist
* Jim Robinson - trombonist
* Frank Demond - trombonist
* George Lewis - clarinetist
* Albert Burbank - clarinetist
* Willie Humphrey - clarinetist
* Raymond Burke - clarinetist
* Joseph Rochambeau - pianist
* Billie Pierce - pianist
* "Sweet Emma" Barrett - pianist
* Jeanette Kimball - pianist
* Sing Miller - pianist
* Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau - bass
* Narvin Kimball - banjo
* Emanuel Sayles - banjo
* Josiah "Cie" Frazier - drums
* Walter Payton - bass
* Clint Maedgen - saxophone, clarinet, vocals
* Shannon Powell - drums
Rattlin' Bones
Preservation Hall Jazz Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You might steer clear on St. Josephine
The graveyard bones make a rattlin' sound
The dead get up and start walkin' around
You might not believe me but I'll tell you it's true
And you would too, it can happen to you
I spent the night in a graveyard on a dare
Rattlin' bones
Rattlin' bones
Creepin' from behind those headstones
And if you don't want to see them
You better stay home
There ain't no runnin' from
Them rattlin' bones
The lyrics of Preservation Hall Jazz Band's "Rattlin' Bones" is a spooky tale about the supernatural phenomena that takes place in St. Josephine, a part of New Orleans. The opening lines of the song act as a warning to those who might wish to visit the place as it is plagued with rattling bones that make a frightening sound. The singer suggests that the sound is not coming from any ordinary source, but from the bones of the dead who have risen from the grave and started walking around.
As the song progresses, the singer presents himself as a witness to the terrifying events that take place in the graveyard. He admits that initially, he did not believe in the stories about the rattling bones. However, after spending a night in the cemetery out of a dare, he saw the horrifying sight of the dead rising from their graves. The chorus is an ominous warning to those who might venture near the St. Josephine graveyard, with the rattling bones creeping up behind the headstones, effectively sealing the fate of any curious visitors.
Line by Line Meaning
If you ever get down New Orleans way
If you ever go near New Orleans
You might steer clear on St. Josephine
You might want to avoid going to St. Josephine
The graveyard bones make a rattlin' sound
You can hear the bones of the dead rattling in the graveyard
The dead get up and start walkin' around
The dead rise up and move about
You might not believe me but I'll tell you it's true
You may think I'm lying, but it's factual
And you would too, it can happen to you
It could happen to you as well, and you'd be just as scared
I spent the night in a graveyard on a dare
I stayed overnight in a graveyard as a result of a risk
And what I saw gave me a terrible scare
I saw something that frightened me enormously
Rattlin' bones
The sound of bones rattling
Rattlin' bones
The sound of bones rattling
Creepin' from behind those headstones
Emerging surreptitiously from behind the headstones
And if you don't want to see them
If you don't wish to see them
You better stay home
It's best for you to stay at home instead
There ain't no runnin' from
There is no escape from
Them rattlin' bones
The sound of bones rattling
Writer(s): STAPLETON CHRISTOPHER ALVIN, WILSON DANIEL DODD, JAFFE BENJAMIN BELA
Contributed by Isabella J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
L.V the Truth
The lyrics of Preservation Hall Jazz Band's "Rattlin' Bones" is a spooky tale about the supernatural phenomena that takes place in St. Josephine, a part of New Orleans. The opening lines of the song act as a warning to those who might wish to visit the place as it is plagued with rattling bones that make a frightening sound. The singer suggests that the sound is not coming from any ordinary source, but from the bones of the dead who have risen from the grave and started walking around.
As the song progresses, the singer presents himself as a witness to the terrifying events that take place in the graveyard. He admits that initially, he did not believe in the stories about the rattling bones. However, after spending a night in the cemetery out of a dare, he saw the horrifying sight of the dead rising from their graves. The chorus is an ominous warning to those who might venture near the St. Josephine graveyard, with the rattling bones creeping up behind the headstones, effectively sealing the fate of any curious visitors.
Edit: Others argue that a deeper meaning hides between the lines. It has been said that homosexuality was a heavy taboo around the turn of the century. Evidence shows that the occasional (sexual) encounter was not uncommon in graveyards, at night. Many young men sought hidden corners of the city so they could get their "bones rattled." Hotels were reserved for "Socially Acceptable" Folks. So if you didn't want to see anyone's bones getting rattled, it's best to visit a graveyard during appropriate visiting hours.