Several years ago, under the direction of Ben Jaffe, their bandleader and bassist—and son of the founders of New Orleans’ storied Preservation Hall, where they were born and nurtured for more than a half-century—the institution calling itself Preservation Hall Jazz Band realized that in order to preserve itself, it would have to modernize. Emphasizing new, original music, such as that featured on So It Is, became vital to the outfit’s growth, and accordingly, their gigs—from Coachella to Newport to supporting My Morning Jacket on tour—began to diversify, reflecting their artistic blossoming. So It Is takes much of its inspiration from the PHJB’s 2015 jaunt through Cuba. Its rhythms are indelibly infused with those of the island, while, of course, remaining closely tied to those of their home base. Kyle Roussel’s piano in the title track could easily have been lifted directly from a Buena Vista Social Club session, while songs like “La Malanga” and “Santiago” pay overt homage. Still, the PHJB has not lost touch with its roots, not in the least—there isn’t a sound more spirited than the freewheeling interplay between the trumpets, saxophones and trombone as wielded by these musicians, and Walter Harris’ drumming is rich with the street-parade drive endemic to the Crescent City. On the appropriately titled “Convergence,” it all comes together—a cultural bridge that serves as a long-in-the-making celebration of all the good things that stand to happen when people, once estranged, find that they’re not that different after all.