Over the past year, more than 20 artists including Tom Wait, Brandi Carlile, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell, Paolo Nutini, Andrew Bird and Buddy Miller have headed down to The Big Easy to participate in a special tribute to the famed Preservation Hall, its acclaimed house Jazz Band and the distinctive sound of real New Orleans music.  In honoring this unique form of American art these musicians are also helping to benefit Preservation Hall and its Music Outreach Program, and we can't think of a more worthy project than this special collaborative collection of iconic music arriving from MRI and RED Distribution February 16, a date many will recognize as "Fat Tuesday".

For Brandi Carlile, it was a version of the classic gospel track "Old Rugged Cross." For Jim James (or Yim Yames), the song was "Louisiana Fairy Tale". Tom Waits chose the Mardi Gras favorite "Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing". Ani DiFranco went with spirited version of "Freight Train." But throughout all of the various repertoire is the unifying thread of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a veteran ensemble of gifted jazz players. On first listen, the style may sound historically quaint -- this is after all "the real thing." But the music quickly establishes itself as simply a rousing and joyous celebration that simply transcends time. Recommended. Video and full track listing after the jump...

Preservation Hall site

Jason Isbell - "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" (from the album Preservation)

Yim Yames - "Louisiana Fairy Tale" (from the album Preservation)

Track Listing (Standard CD & LP – All Tracks featuring THE PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND:

1)    Shake It And Break It (with Andrew Bird)

2)    Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea (with Paolo Nutini)

3)    Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing (with Tom Waits)

4)    Louisiana Fairytale (with Yim Yames)

5)    After You’ve Gone (with Del McCoury)

6)    Freight Train (with Ani DiFranco)

7)    Blue Skies (with Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger)

8)    Nobody Knows You (with Jason Isbell)

9)    Old Rugged Cross (with Brandi Carlile)

10)  Trouble In Mind (with Richie Havens)

11)  Basin Street Blues (with Merle Haggard)

12)  There Is A Light (with The Blind Boys of Alabama f/Clint Maedgen)

13)  Winin’ Boy (with Dr. John)

14)  Rocking Chair (with Louis Armstrong)

15)  Baby Won’t You Please Come Home (with Amy LaVere)

16)  Taint Nobody’s Business (with Steve Earle)

17) Some Cold Rainy Day (with Cory Chisel)

18I Ain’t Got Nobody (with Buddy Miller)

19)La Vie En Rose (with Angelique Kidjo & Terence Blanchard)

Bonus Tracks (Deluxe CD):

1)    C’est Si Bon (with Anita Briem)

2)    Pencil Full of Lead (with Paolo Nutini)

3)    St. James Infirmary (with Yim Yames)

4)    Corinne Died On The Battlefield (with Tom Waits)

5)    Careless Love (with Del McCoury)

6)    Sailin’ Up Sailin’ Down (with Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger)

7)    We Shall Overcome (with Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger)