A Tuba For Cuba Soundtrack links New Orlean’s Roots to Caribbean Culture.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is not a band in the typical sense of the word. With 22 total present and past members, musicians cycle in and out of the group at an atypical rate. This is not any fault to the band, but rather a marker of the group’s longevity. Regardless, they serve as an ode to New Orlean’s roots as the birthplace of jazz. Known as Preservation Hall Jazz Band because of their linkage to the legendary music venue in the French Quarter, the group has been around since the early ‘60s and has become paramount to New Orleans culture.

Recently, Preservation Hall Jazz Band has diverged a bit from their typical work to star in a documentary film A Tuba for Cuba, for which they also made a soundtrack by the same name. Without revealing any spoilers, the film centers around Ben Jaffe, son of band’s founder Allan Jaffe, along with the rest of the group. In the film, they learn more about Cuban music and find inextricable links present in New Orleans culture to Afro-Carribean beginnings.

The film, A Tuba For Cuba, can be screened now, and the soundtrack is now available for pre-order and will be released on June 28th. “Keep Your Head Up” and “Kreyol” are currently streamable as singles. When asked about his inspiration, Jaffe notes in a press release for the album that he wanted it to sound like “listening to the radio.” It offers a Carribean-inspired sound with the same Louisiana roots the group is known for. Based on the tracks released thus far, and statements made in anticipation for the album, it will likely be the sort of uplifting record perfect for dancing along to on your car radio.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band is coming to the Philadelphia area for the 58th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival. The event will take place at Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, Pennsylvania, and Pres Hall plays  August 15th.