| It's 8.15 p.m. at 726 St Peter Street in New Orleans. I'm | | | | chorus or if you are lucky, two choruses at the end of |
| entering the beautiful wrought iron gates of | | | | the tune. In fact, it is rather like in the Condon fashion, |
| Preservation Hall, paying my $8 and getting my tickets | | | | rather than the Bill Russell revival style of Bunk |
| which will allow me to pop over to Johnny White's bar | | | | Johnson and George Lewis. |
| in the interval and gain re-entry. The Hall is very full and | | | | Tom Sancton's band plays to this formula and it a |
| the reason for that is tonight we have a real jazz | | | | tribute to their quality that those two final choruses are |
| band on show - it is Tommy Sancton and his New | | | | so great that the audience is raised to huge |
| Orleans All-Stars. On this evening, Tommy has his | | | | enthusiasm and applause. |
| friend and super trumpet player Clive Wilson with Tom | | | | As Clive Wilson said to me after a very medium |
| Fischer playing tenor sax in lieu of Freddy Lonzo who | | | | tempo "When You're Smiling", "in the old days almost |
| usually plays trombone with the band. The rhythm | | | | no tune was played faster than this" and indeed it's the |
| section is Frank Oxley on drums, Tom Saunders on | | | | perfect dance tempo and can swing like mad and |
| bass and a very special treat, my favorite piano player | | | | allow for plenty of those wonderful "inner rhythms" |
| John Royen. | | | | If you have not yet read "Songs for My Fathers" by |
| The music is very, very good, the audience is | | | | Tom Sancton (Published by Other Press of New |
| enthusiastic and the sound in Preservation Hall is | | | | York) put your hand in your pocket, buy it and give |
| acoustically magic and unspoiled by amplification. | | | | yourself and emotional |
| In Preservation Hall, there is a formula set in place by | | | | Treat. Tom is one of the hopes of the continuation of |
| the elderly original musicians such as Percy Humphrey, | | | | our music. He, Clive Wilson, and Lars Edegran make it |
| Kid Thomas, Dee Dee Pierce and many others whose | | | | worth coming to New Orleans to listen to some jazz in |
| lack of physical stamina made it convenient to have | | | | the home of jazz. |
| solos by every band member and just a collective | | | | Come and see us in New Orleans! |