Jazz hall’s signature tuba stolen in New Orleans

In this May 6, 2012, file photo, Ben Jaffe, tuba player and director of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band hugs George Wein, founder of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, as well as the Newport Jazz Festival, after Wein performed a song on the piano at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. Someone has stolen Preservation Hall’s signature sousaphone, and there’s a reward offered for its return. Jaffe posted a message about the theft on the jazz venue’s Facebook page, saying it was stolen after a performance Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018. Image: AP/Gerald Herbert

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Be on the lookout for a wraparound tuba: Someone has stolen the signature sousaphone belonging to Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

Creative director and musician Ben Jaffe wrote about it on the traditional jazz venue’s Facebook page, saying he bought it after Hurricane Katrina to replace one lost to the 2005 storm.

A photo shows him playing the brass sousaphone, which has “Preservation Hall, New Orleans” painted on the bell.

He says it was taken Saturday, after a performance at New Orleans Airlift .

Jeanette Jaffe said Thursday they’ve received multiple calls since the message was posted Wednesday, but none led to the recovery of the instrument. She says some callers even offered their own instruments.

There’s a reward.

Sousaphones can cost up to $13,000. CC

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