NOLA’s Preservation Hall Jazz Band Releases New Video and Tour Dates

Their soundtrack to the documentary “A Tuba to Cuba” is out now on Sub Pop.
NOLA’s Preservation Hall Jazz Band Releases New Video and Tour Dates

Their soundtrack to the documentary “A Tuba to Cuba” is out now on Sub Pop.

Words: Kim March

photo by Josh Goleman

July 15, 2019

Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a group from New Orleans—otherwise known as the liveliest music hub on the planet—has released a new video for their song “Keep Your Head Up,” featuring Cuban singer Eme Alfonso. The track is off their recent album, which is out now via Sub Pop; A Tuba to Cuba doubles as the soundtrack to a T.G. Herrington and Danny Clinch–directed documentary of the same name, a film following the band’s pilgrimage to Cuba to explore the country’s cultural roots and deep connections to their hometown of New Orleans.

RELATED: Arcade Fire and Preservation Hall Jazz Band Parade into the Beyond

In the “Keep Your Head Up” clip, Cuban locals old, young, and in-between dance exuberantly while the jazz band plays. The imagery moves nimbly between a black-and-white club where Alfonso is singing in Spanish, and the bold color of the outside world, where natives talk and laugh on the street. Watch the video below. 

“‘Keep Your Head Up’ is a simple message with a big meaning,” said Pres Hall director and bass player Ben Jaffe in a press release. “Walk with your head high, walk with pride, and live your life with grace and honor and an appreciation for all humanity.  Don’t let things break you down and don’t allow anyone or anything to diminish your spirit.”

Check out the band’s summer and fall tour dates below and go here to purchase the album. 

Tour Dates:

Jul. 28 – Newport, RI – Newport Folk Festival
Aug. 02 – Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
Aug. 03 – Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
Aug. 05 – Folsom, CA – Harris Center For The Arts
Aug. 06 – Folsom, CA – Harris Center For The Arts
Aug. 08 – San Francisco, CA – SFJAZZ
Aug. 09  – San Francisco, CA – SFJAZZ
Aug. 10 – San Francisco, CA – SFJAZZ (7:00PM)
Aug. 10 – San Francisco, CA – SFJAZZ (9:30PM)
Aug. 11 – San Francisco, CA – SF Jazz Center – Miner Auditorium
Aug. 15 – Philadelphia, PA – Old Pool Farm
Aug. 16 – Philadelphia, PA – Old Pool Farm
Aug. 17 – Philadelphia, PA – Old Pool Farm
Aug. 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Old Pool Farm
Aug. 24 – Arrington, VA – Lockn’ Music Festival
Sep. 20 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond Festival
Sep. 21 – Franklin, TN – Pilgrimage Music Festival
Sep. 22 – Franklin, TN – Pilgrimage Music Festival
Oct 22 – Ridgefield, CT – The Ridgefield Playhouse
Oct 23 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
Oct 24 – New York, NY – Town Hall Theatre
Oct 25 – Boston, MA – Berklee Performance Center
Oct 26 – Portsmouth, NH – The Music Hall
Oct 28 – Montreal, QC – Place des Arts – Theatre
Oct 29 – Toronto, ON – Roy Thomson Hall
Oct 30 – Pittsburgh, PA – Byham Theatre
Nov 01 – Kent, OH – The Kent Stage
Nov 02 – Goshen, IN – Goshen College Music Center
Nov 04 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
Nov 05 – Saint Paul, MN – Fitzgerald Theatre
Nov 07 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
Nov 09 – Phoenix, AZ – Music Theater at the Musical Instrument Museum
Nov 11 – Livermore, CA – Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center
Nov 13 – Chico, CA – California State University Chico – Laxson Auditorium
Nov 15 – Santa Rosa, CA – Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
Nov 16 – Arcata, CA – John Van Duzer Theatre
Nov 17 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
Nov 18 – Seattle, WA – Benaroya Hall – Taper Auditorium
Nov 20 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
Nov 21 – Santa Barbara, CA – UCSB Campbell Hall
Nov 22 – San Diego, CA – Wonderfront Music Festival
Nov 23 – Cerritos, CA – Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
Nov. 29 – Baltimore, MD – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Nov. 30 – Baltimore, MD – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Dec. 01 – Baltimore, MD – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall