Del McCoury Band

To borrow a line from the BBC’s zany Monty Python writers: “… and now for something completely different.”

And that would be a creative collaboration between New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the kingpin bluegrass aggregation known as the Del McCoury Band.

McCoury and his group spent 36 hours in the Big Easy last week to rehearse and record with the Preservation group, according to a story published in the Times-Picayune.

“It’s probably the most different thing I’ve ever done,” McCoury, 70, told Times-Picayune reporter Keith Spera. “I’ve played with all kinds of bluegrass and country bands. This excites me more than anything. These musicians are so good. And I like music loud like that, especially when it’s good. I can sing better with it loud.”

The two groups plan to co-headline a tour next summer, the newspaper said. Each group will perform a set, then the two bands will unite for a finale.

According to the Times-Picayune article, this was not a ground-breaking session. McCoury’s first visit to Preservation Hall in New Orleans occurred in 2008 to record a couple of tunes for a pending CD that will benefit the hall’s outreach program for children.

The McCoury band also performed earlier this year during Preservation Hall’s “Midnight Preserves,” a late-night venue held during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

“A lot of bluegrass music has its roots in New Orleans,” McCoury said in an interview with the Times-Picayune. “I didn’t realize that as a kid. (Bill Monroe) was influenced by jazz musicians.