By Dave Caudill
Special to The Herald
As he grew up in Los Angeles in the late ‘90s, Branden Lewis didn’t imagine he’d make a career out of playing music. But maybe it was in his blood.
Lewis’ grandfather was a Grammy-winning saxophonist who played in one of New Orleans’ iconic R&B bands, Lil’ Millet and His Creoles.
As a kid, Lewis played trumpet in church, in marching bands and in a celebrated L.A. youth orchestra. Gradually, the music itch took over.
He moved to New Orleans in 2012. Good luck and talent led him to come under the tutelage of Delfeayo Marsalis, the trombonist from the famous New Orleans jazz family. From that point, Lewis’ career really took off.
He joined the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and toured with that band starting in 2015. The next year he joined the storied Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which luckily for Cincinnati, will bring its Creole Christmas show to Cincinnati’s Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine on Dec. 6.
The group will perform a mix of standard and not-so-familiar Christmas tunes, with a distinctive New Orleans twist. The six-member ensemble, which includes trumpet, sax, trombone, bass, keyboards and drums, will also show off its roots with such songs as “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans.”
Lewis, the leader of the band and a Grammy nominee among his other accomplishments, says the music will be “on the heart-warming side of things,” and at least half the show will be Christmas tunes.
The band, in its several incarnations has been doing its Christmas Creole show for many years. The group traces its roots to 1961 when an art dealer named Larry Borenstein opened Preservation Hall in New Orleans to display and sell his collection. Because his work kept him from going out to hear a lot of the local music he loved, Borenstein invited key players in the city to use the hall for practice sessions. In time those gatherings opened to the public, and Preservation Hall ultimately became a musical institution.
Lewis said he’s excited to be playing Christmas tunes on this tour and noted they lend themselves nicely to a jazz treatment because the melodies are familiar and improvisation takes them to places they’ve never been but are not out of reach for listeners. Popular Christmas tunes and jazz kind of evolved together in the American music canon through radio, he said.
Lewis, 33, has played with a host of famous names, from Stevie Wonder to Dee Dee Bridgewater and many more. He called it a huge honor to be with the Preservation Hall Band. He’s proud to represent and carry on the band’s well-earned reputation as among the finest purveyors of New Orleans-style jazz.
The band has about 25 active members now, Lewis said, but only the smaller (and younger) ensemble tours regularly. In addition to its touring players, the band maintains a legacy group of players and continues to do a regular Tuesday night show at Preservation Hall on St. Peter Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter.
How does one become a member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band? Lewis noted that New Orleans has no shortage of talented musicians, but playing is the first thing they seek when it comes to adding members. How a musician fits in with the other band members and exhibits a presence as a performer also are crucial.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band has made several albums over the years, including a 2016 benefit recording that showcased a handful of acclaimed guest artists: The Blind Boys of Alabama, Richie Havens, Dr. John and Brandi Carlisle among them.
Lewis said playing music with famous people and getting to know them a little has been interesting and fun. “You can’t really tell what person is like just by watching them perform. For example, I knew Dee Dee Bridgewater well before I ever saw her perform. She’s a great person, funny and laughing, but I had no idea that she was such a great performer until I saw her in-concert and heard her sing. And all that great part of her personality carried over to her performance. Not everyone is like that. So, the contrast between stage personality and just interacting off-stage can be really surprising.”
Playing Christmas music is nothing new for the Preservation Hall band. In 2022, they released a four-tune Christmas-themed recording, and those classics will be part of the Dec. 6 show in Cincinnati.
Lewis said that during shows like the upcoming one at Memorial Hall, the band takes a lot of energy from the crowd. Do they want fans to get involved? “We encourage it,” he said, “clapping, singing along … we don’t shut down audience participation.”
For tickets to the Creole Christmas show by the New Orleans based Preservation Hall Jazz Band, go to memorialhallotr.com. or call 513-977-8838. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $46-$86.