INTERVIEW: Ben Jaffe on keeping the music alive with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Ben Jaffe probably bleeds New Orleans.

Son of Allan and Sandra Jaffe, co-founders of the illustrious Preservation Hall in the Crescent City, Ben Jaffe has continued his parents’ success by taking the Preservation Hall Jazz Band around the world and back again. He’s an ambassador of New Orleans music, bringing the tunes of the iconic city to a public hungry for jazz authenticity.

Now 42 years old, Jaffe has built enough of a career himself to look back at his triumphs and challenges with some well-earned perspective.

“If we weren’t playing music that … resonated with ourselves and with audiences, we wouldn’t do what we’re doing,” Jaffe said during a recent phone interview. “Our tradition would have died. It would have disappeared. It would be extinct by now, or we would be some sort of, like, some kind of repertory band recreating something that happened 100 years ago. … Preservation Hall is a living and breathing musical institution. It’s a reflection of the New Orleans music community.”

Jaffe said his struggle as a musician and bandleader is to be true to himself and true to his musical history. “[A] lot of times, you know, you’re like I didn’t ask to be a member of this,” he said. “But you are. Your dad was a musician, and your grandfather was a musician, and your great-grandfather was a musician. And you are a musician, and you do have a responsibility.”

Growing up in a musical family exposed Jaffe to the music of many jazz greats, including Louis Armstrong, Joe “King” Oliver, Fletcher Henderson and Sam Morgan, among others.

“Those are the people I look to for cues as to what I should be doing,” Jaffe said. “And 100 years ago, jazz was brand new. Jazz was top 40 music. Jazz was music that was being, you know, criticized in the press for eroding the, you know, the moral fabric of the United States. … I mean it sounds a lot like how they talk about hip-hop today, was how people talked about jazz. And for me, jazz has always been something that had been part of my social existence.”

Although he grew up in the shadows of the Preservation Hall, Jaffe admitted to having other musical interests. But his life’s story seems to be more of acceptance than rebellion when it came to taking over the reins from his mother and father. “Well, I never like rebelled against it in … in the sense that I turned my back on it,” he said. “But I definitely had other musical interests. But I mean if I was going to be [a] rebel, I mean I would have gone out and joined a punk bank or you know a rock ‘n’ roll band. I wouldn’t have continued playing New Orleans jazz if that was like my motive, my motivation.”

As bandleader, Jaffe continually hits the road for a seemingly nonstop concert schedule.

“I know what it takes for a band to survive financially on the road,” he said. “I understand the economics of being a band, and it’s something that my father instilled in me. He [always] taught me that if what we were creating wasn’t financially or economically viable as an art form or as entertainment, then you have to really go back and … question what it is you’re doing. And I’ve always believed that. I’ve always had that in the back of my mind, that I want to understand the economics of what we do. And I think it’s made us a stronger organization because of it. But yeah my dream is to go live, to just live in New Orleans, wake up and play parades all day long. Yes, I would love to do that, no doubt. Is that in my future? Probably not.”

When Jaffe and the band play for a crowd of people, many of whom probably have never stepped foot in the Crescent City, it’s up to the musicians to transport them to the Louisiana outpost. Jaffe drew parallels to the artist Jasper Johns and how the iconic painter is able to create something new with familiar elements like the American flag.

“And I think that’s the responsibility of an artist, is to look at … everyday life through new eyes and with a different perspective.”

At a recent Preservation Hall Jazz Band concert in New Jersey, the musicians took the stage, and Jaffe seemed to almost fade into the background. As the tuba player for the band, he let each of his colleagues enjoy the warmth of the spotlight. For audience members who don’t know Jaffe’s face, they might have been surprised when he took to the microphone halfway through the concert and introduced the musicians.

“I think for me, again it’s something that I learned from my dad, is that it’s not about me, it’s not about the tuba player,” he said. “At the end of the day, what my job really is, is to create opportunities and an environment where the band can perform. And that’s really what I do. … Look, I play the tuba for God’s sake; I don’t play the electric guitar. I’m not looking for the spotlight. I’m just looking to be part of the band and be part of a group experience.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s concert schedule can be found here. Jaffe said the collective is planning a new album for the summer with all original compositions.