Preservation Hall Jazz Band

For more than 75 years, Charlie Gabriel has been a musician. He has been playing since I was 11 years old. He has only ever played music - it’s what has defined his life. He’s been fortunate to get the gift that God gave him, and he’s done his best to nurture it. He spent nine years with a band headed by drummer J.C. Heard after playing in Lionel Hampton's band as a youngster while residing in Detroit, which also featured a young Charles Mingus. Later, he shared the stage with other pop and R&B performers, including Aretha Franklin. He also lived and worked in Singapore and Germany, but he always knew he would return to New Orleans, the place where he was born. He has been a member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band since 2006, and he and bassist and tuba player Ben Jaffe have formed a close musical bond. In 2020 and 2021, the two men worked on the new Charlie album 89 alongside guitarist Joshua Starkman.