Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s Clint Maedgen is very likely one of a kind.
He’s either a singing saxophonist or a sax-playing singer, an extremely rare combination that he hadn’t considered when he called in last week to talk about the band’s Friday show at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
“I never really thought of it like that,†Maedgen said. “But now that you say it, I don't know if I can think of too many either, certainly not traditional jazz musicians. I guess we could always be wrong, but I can't think of any who come to mind.â€
Two decades ago, rock singer-songwriter Maedgen hadn’t even considered becoming part of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, founded in 1960, that plays traditional New Orleans jazz at Preservation Hall in the French Quarter and venues around the world.
Rather, in 2004, he had a variety cabaret game show, the New Orleans Bingo Show, that was performed in the back of The Original Fiorella’s Cafe, a Big Easy culinary institution that he delivered food for on a bike — “can't even imagine how many actual pounds of chicken I delivered over all those eight years,†he said.
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Ben Jaffe, the owner of Preservation Hall, saw the Bingo Show a couple of times, then asked Maedgen if he’d be interested in singing a couple of Kinks songs with the jazz band, a cover choice that, after having played with Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, The Who’s Pete Townsend and The Kinks Ray Davies, he’s learned is very fitting.
“Each of those artists have a really strong connection to traditional New Orleans jazz, ironically enough, because of their parents,†he said. “Ray Davies grew up in a house where his dad was a trombone player. When Ray Davies played with us, he insisted that we play ‘Muskrat Ramble,’ which is kind of a deep cut. But, he had a really strong connection to it because of his dad.
“And when he and his brother did (the 1971 album) ‘Muswell Hillbillies' a lot of the overall vibe and how the chord changes work is kind of a nod to traditional New Orleans jazz. I think that Ben recognized that and thought it would be a really organic choice to have a singer come in and do some of the songs.â€
That singer was Maedgen, whose performances of The Kinks numbers got him an invitation to join the band as featured singer.
“Ben invited me into the band, and this is out of his own words, to kind of shake things up a little bit honestly. When I got into the band, most of the audience that we were performing for were, let me just say, on the older side …
“What I experienced when I was first in the band was, I don't mean to be flippant about this in any way, but literally, in between songs, there would be these loud squealing sounds and we'd look at each other wondering what it was,†he said. “It turned out it was everyone's hearing aids, in the audience just cranked up as loud as possible.â€
A few years in, the band needed a fill-in sax player for a gig, and Maedgen got drafted — “I don’t think most of the guys even knew I played sax.†That, too, was a hit, and he was soon one of the band’s horn players, learning how to play traditional sax on the job.
“I had the great honor of sitting right next to Charlie Gabriel (the band’s now 89-year-old musical director) for probably close to nine years on the road,†he said. “I sat to his left and the bottom of my right leg was bruised for two years. He would kick me to say, ‘You're playing too loud’. I kind of learned under a really old tradition approach.
“Twenty years in, I still feel like I am a student at the feet of Black American music. I've just had the great opportunity of being able to study under these gigantic figures like Charlie Gabriel, my chief teacher.â€
Shaking things up worked for Jaffe and the band as it began drawing younger audiences with its repertoire that extends beyond classics like “St. James Infirmary†and “Basin Street Blues.†That shakeup even extends to what the seven-piece ensemble plays on any given night.
“We share a songbook of about 250 songs, and we just kind of leave it up to the trumpet player in the clutch of the moment to kind of curate a show based on the audience that's there and the room and the vibe of the band,†Maedgen said. “I imagine (in Lincoln) we'll probably lean a little bit more into the traditional catalog, but then you don't ever really know,â€
Those eight musicians play acoustic instruments, no electric guitar, bass or keyboards anywhere in sight, another rarity.
“I suppose that really is a novelty these days, right?†he said. “It becomes sort of a niche experience. We don't really embrace and try electronics. But ironically enough, we have sat in with Pretty Lights. We’ve done things with Skrillex. We’ve played Electric Forest, the gigantic EDM festival. ... But when you look at us singularly, we are playing organic, acoustic instruments.â€
Now 55, Maedgen has no plans to ever leave Preservation Hall, following in the footsteps of the older legends like Gabriel, who’s still playing, but not touring, at age 92.
“I love my job, and I hope to do it for the rest of my life,’ he said. “There's nothing quite like this experience. It's almost like folk music that we're playing because it hits people in such a deep, organic way. It's not uncommon for people to start crying, even myself. It's very emotional.â€
IF YOU GO
What:Â Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Where:Â Lied Center for Performing Arts, 12th and Q streets.
When:Â 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Tickets: $14.50 to $49. Available at , by phone at 402-472-4747 or the Lied box office.