The Hall Brothers Jazz Band: Beginnings

This is part one of a two part series chronicling the Hall Brothers Jazz Band. Their story is an important and essential part of the history of Minnesota jazz. Beginning in the late 1950s, they spent over half a century dedicated to playing the music of New Orleans. This included a 25-year stretch owning their own club, The Emporium of Jazz, which became a stopping point for touring musicians from all over the world. On the south side of Minneapolis, there once was a record store called Dixieland Record Heaven. It stood as a Twin Cities oasis for anyone looking for the records of early jazz and a nexus for the local musicians catching the wave of the New Orleans revival. According to saxophonist/clarinetist Dr. Henry Blackburn, owner Jim McDonald had definite opinions about traditional jazz. “He played what he thought you should hear. Would play records and talk for hours, being perfectly happy if you went away having purchased one second-hand record.” Pianist/clarinetist Butch Thompson remembered, “MacDonald introduced us to Jimmie Noone [recordings]. It was a revelation! He was always excited about ordering stuff from New Orleans. That was his favorite thing.” McDonald also sold paint and repaired radios. Butch said, “He was supposed to be fixing radios, but he didn’t bother with that much. If you left your stuff there you never knew when you were going to see it again