Tom Waits recorded some music with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band:
On November 19th, Preservation Hall Recordings will release 504 limited edition hand-numbered 78 rpm vinyl records featuring two tracks by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with very special guest Tom Waits. Proceeds from the sale of this very special project will benefit the Preservation Hall Junior Jazz & Heritage Brass Band.
Mr. Waits traveled to New Orleans in 2009 to record two songs with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for the critically acclaimed project Preservation: An album to benefit Preservation Hall and the Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program, “Tootie Ma Was A Big Fine Thing,” and “Corrine Died On The Battlefield,” Originally recorded by Danny Barker in 1947, these two selections are the earliest known recorded examples of Mardi Gras Indian chants.
The two tracks will now be packaged in a special limited edition 78 rpm format record, each signed and numbered by Preservation Hall Creative Director Ben Jaffe. The first one hundred records will be accompanied by a custom-made Preservation Hall 78rpm record player as part of a Deluxe Donation package.
Said “deluxe” package is still only $200, and will be available to the first 100 purchases on November 19 at Preservation Hall at 10AM central, or online the day after.
I think I’m about to go buy a plane ticket, as the nice lady at the shop just told me she believes the deluxe edition will only be available onsite. SWA has roundtrips for about $130 for that Friday…
Vinyl is cool, but 78rpm vinyl is ultracool. I love that they are doing this. I still have a semi-functional 33/45/78 Dual CS-5000 turntable in my closet crying out for refurbishment and redeployment. Sure, you have to install a special 78rpm optimized cartridge for truly proper function, but still, not a bad way to sample 78rpm discs. Good luck with your quest!
Yeah, there’s no way for me to do this without spending $500 — flight’s $150, package itself is $200, call it another $100 in car rental and incidentals for the day — but I’m incredibly tempted.
I’d just go down for the weekend with Erin, but the Dresden Dolls are playing the next day here at Fitz, and I don’t want to miss that.
Under any other circumstances, I’d say you’d flipped your lid for even doing the math on this, but for this, to drop $500-$1000 is entirely defensible if not virtually commanded by Apollo.
My curiosity to know what this recording session yielded is off the chart. This is one of those rare times where for a moment I really do wish I were a man of means.