UCSB Arts & Lectures will present New Orleans Jazz on Film, a screening of rare archival film footage and talk by Ben Jaffe of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18 at UCSB Campbell Hall.

For 50 years, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has played to keep the traditions of New Orleans jazz alive, both at home and on tour around the world.

Jaffe, the son of the band’s co-founders, Allan and Sandra Jaffe, is the keeper of the flame. As creative director and tuba player for the band, he’s continued his parents’ legacy of nurturing one of America’s greatest indigenous art forms.

Jaffe will share rare archival film footage, including live performances, home movies and never-before-seen footage of Louis Armstrong, along with his personal memories and anecdotes of the legendary musicians who gave us jazz. Jaffe discovered the films while conducting research in the hall’s archives.

“I had no idea any of this footage even existed,” he writes. “It was like finding the Holy Grail!”

Admission to New Orleans Jazz on Film is $6 for the general public and free to UCSB students with a valid ID. For tickets or more information, call 805.893.3535 or click here.

— Karna Hughes is a senior writer and publicist for UCSB Arts & Lectures.