Charlie Gabriel (born July 11, 1932) is an African American jazz musician who plays the saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, and flute. Gabriel has been a member of the

Preservation Hall Jazz Band The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a New Orleans jazz band founded in New Orleans by tuba player Allan Jaffe in the early 1960s. The band derives its name from Preservation Hall in the French Quarter. In 2005, the Hall's doors were closed for a p ...

since 2006. He is the Preservation Hall Foundation's musical director. He has played in the

Eureka Brass Band The Eureka Brass Band was a brass band from New Orleans, active from 1920 to 1975, that recorded prolifically for Atlantic Records, Pax, Alamac, Folkways, Jazzology, and Sounds of New Orleans. The group's membership varied at any given time, u ...

and in the bands of

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

and

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

. Following his family's departure from his native New Orleans, Gabriel made a career for himself in the Detroit area, where several of his descendants and family members have also become successful jazz musicians in the brass tradition. He later returned to New Orleans, where he joined the Preservation Hall crew. His first album released as a solo artist, ''89'', was released in 2022.

Personal life

Gabriel is Catholic, and while in Detroit was a co-founder of the Jazz on the Lawn series at St. Augustine and St. Monica Catholic Church. Siblings, Florence Simmons, August Gabriel and Joe Gabriel.

References

1932 births Jazz musicians Jazz musicians from New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band members Living people African-American Catholics {{US-jazz-musician-stub