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In a way, nothing could suit New Orleans more than jazz funerals. A fusion of West African, British, Spanish, and French influences combined with Mardi Gras, Black Southern Protestantism, and the spirituals of enslaved Americans, jazz funerals are just as sui generis — a thing of its own — as New Orleans itself. [5] [6] [7] Jazz funerals are also heavily influenced by early twentieth century Protestant and Catholic churches, black brass bands, and the idea of celebrating after death in order to please the spirits who protect the dead. [citation needed] Another group that has influenced jazz funerals are the Mardi Gras Indians. [8] [9] [10] Courtesy of Louisiana State Museum. A color reproduction of a 1991 photograph by Syndey Byrd of a second line parade. N ew Orleans is a city of parades, most famously the Mardi Gras processions that roll down the wide boulevards of St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street during Carnival season, but in all the seasons and in every neighborhood there are jazz funerals and parades known as second The neighborhood organizations offered social aid to freed slaves, such as loans and insurance, and used the second-lines as a form of advertising. Second lines were also used to honor members who died in their community, which launched the idea of second lines at funerals. Often, Mardi Gras Indians were and still are included in the procession. Like all things in New Orleans, Jazz funerals are vibrant, jubilant celebrations. New Orleans loves parades on just about any occasion. The most popular parades happen during Mardi Gras, but this isn’t the only street procession that calls New Orleans home. Another tradition is the famous Jazz Funeral. Jump ahead to these sections: Jazz funerals represent a combination of cultures coming together in mourning, mixing African American celebrations of life, brass bands, and a touch of Mardi Gras spectacle. What is a jazz funeral? Simply put, a jazz funeral is a marching band-led funeral procession that leads the congregation toward the gravesite following a funeral service A typical jazz funeral begins at a church or funeral home and leads the way to the cemetery. Mourners are joined by a brass band that plays music that starts off heavy and sad but soon turns celebratory. Everybody dances. For Black New Orleans, these funeral second lines, sometimes called jazz funerals by observers, have existed for generations. In its simplest form, the second line is a parade, a mass of In a way, nothing could suit New Orleans more than jazz funerals. A fusion of West African, British, Spanish, and French influences combined with Mardi Gras, Black Southern Protestantism, and the spirituals of enslaved Americans, jazz funerals are just as sui generis — a thing of its own — as New Orleans itself. The roots of the jazz funeral date back to 17th Century Africa, where the Dahomeans of Benin and Yoruba of Nigeria, West Africa, laid its foundation. Secret societies of the Dahomeans and Yoruba people assured fellow tribesmen they would receive a proper burial when their time came. Several jazz funerals are depicted in the film, including the legendary early jazz stalwart Papa John Joseph, second-generation stars Danny Barker and Louis Barbarin, civil rights lawyer Lolis The Backstreet Cultural Museum’s permanent exhibits, from displays on Mardi Gras Indians, to social aid and pleasure clubs, and jazz funerals, reveal a particular view on life. The exhibits illuminate African American history in the struggles against slavery and disenfranchisement and for freedom. The Jazz Funeral for Democracy continues from Vaughan's Lounge in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune) New Orleans, Mardi Gras: Dixieland Jazz Music:Welcome to Jazz Hive! Get ready to immerse yourself in the vibrant sounds of New Orleans with our latest video These cultural traditions include Mardi Gras Indians, Skull and Bone gangs, Baby Dolls, jazz funerals, social aid and pleasure clubs, and other related activities, rituals and celebrations. The vision of the Backstreet Cultural Museum is to foster the appreciation of New Orleans’ African American processional traditions as important to His jazz funeral was a bit over the top even by New Orleans standards. His lifelike wax statue was in his procession and thousands lined the route on the way to his final resting place in a donated tomb in St. Louis No. 2 Cemetery. Even more grand was the jazz funeral for Tuba Fats (Anthony Lacien) in 2004. The jazz funeral is more than a commodified shorthand for the city’s tourism industry. It remains a powerfully transcendent rite, and a preferred way for black New Orleans to honor its revered dead. Whether it’s a jazz funeral or a Mardi Gras parade, the use of flags, umbrellas, handkerchiefs, and sashes all serve a ritual purpose from the root of voodoo. Umbrellas are often decorated with voodoo iconography like moons, stars and planets, and when opened, signify the release of the soul of the lost loved one. The celebration of jazz funerals and an accompanying ‘second-line’ – those who march with the funeral train unofficially as those from the neighborhood who are not direct family or not in the family procession and take part in the celebration via song, dance, and display – is a long-standing tradition and commemoration in the Deep south. His power has endured, indeed, as the traditions of the jazz funeral and the Mardi Gras Indians grow stronger than ever, driven by the force and spirit of the American descendants of West Africa (Turner, Richard B. Jazz Religion, the Second Line, and Black New Orleans. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009. p.56-8.).
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