Bluegrass legends The Del McCoury Band and New Orleans music giants, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, recently joined forces for the album American Legacies. This one of a kind collaboration between two bands that represents the rich catalog of American music was released on April 12th and has already gotten plenty of attention for its remarkable combination of traditions. Whether they're tackling a decades-old standard or a new composition, these two groups bring fierce musicianship, deep respect and a rollicking good humor to the musical table in a way that makes the joy of the encounter unmistakable.
Since the release of American Legacies, the two bands have played to appreciative crowds across the country on a tour that culminated in a well-received performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in June. The two bands also combined to write and perform a theme song for the festival.
Television viewers got the chance to witness this merging of American music history with a live performance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Their performance of "I'll Fly Away" aired Tuesday night (7/19).
Known as the premier ambassadors of bluegrass, the Del McCoury Band is fronted by veteran Del McCoury, who apprenticed in the honkytonks of Baltimore and with Bill Monroe before starting his own band more than 40 years ago. A hero to East Coast bluegrass audiences through the 1970s and 1980s, he stepped onto the national stage with a move to Nashville in the early 1990s that spurred the Del McCoury Band to a lengthy streak of International Bluegrass Music Association awards and international acclaim.
Founded just a few years before McCoury joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been carrying the distinctive sound of New Orleans jazz around the world on behalf of Preservation Hall, a unique venue that embodies the city's musical legacy. With a cast of musicians schooled through first-hand experience and apprenticeship into the music's historic traditions, the PHJB has served as an irreplaceable, vital link to the earliest days of one of America's most beloved forms of popular music.
Check out the live performance of "I'll Fly Away" on The Late Show with David Letterman!
Upcoming Tour Dates:
July 20 | New York, NY | City Winery
July 28 | Carbondale, CO | PAC3*
July 29 | Lyons, CO | Planet Bluegrass Ranch*
July 31 | Floyd, VA | Floydfest*
August 3 | Brownfield, ME | Stone Mountain Arts Center*
August 6 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Edmonton Folk Festival*
August 21 | Havelock, Ontario, Canada | Havelock Country Jamboree*
August 27 | Irvine, CA | Orange County Great Park*
September 4 | Brunswick, ME | Thomas Point Beach-The Bluegrass Special Festival*
September 17 | Austin, TX | Zilker Park*
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