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New Orleans Jazz Funeral: Come Pay Your Respects

Posted by Frances Shani Parker on November 20, 2010 at 11:17am
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Tags: wanda_rouzan, second_line, juanita_brooks, new_orleans, funeral
In New Orleans, my hometown, a jazz funeral is considered a “homegoing” celebration because the deceased is going home, crossing over to the other side. Death is an event that requires rejoicing. After services at the church or funeral home, a grand marshal leads a brass band and an assembled group of mourners, along with the hearse, in a procession to the cemetery to “drop the body.” The band plays solemn music at this time. Stepping unhurriedly with the beat, participants walk a route down city streets. When they reach the cemetery, they “cut the body loose” as the hearse slowly enters for final services where the body is laid to rest.After the procession of mourners leaves the cemetery, a rousing celebration begins with the band playing an upbeat song like “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The funeral procession continues, growing in size with many community members collectively called “second liners,” who join in the joy with curious bystanders. A spirited dance called the “second line” is prominent among the celebrants. Many participants bob umbrellas, some brightly decorated, and wave handkerchiefs in the air to the hot-sauce beat of the music.This video features part of the homegoing celebration of Juanita Brooks, who was a prominent jazz and gospel singer. Wanda Rouzan, a popular performing artist known as the Sweetheart of New Orleans, serves as grand marshal. The focus is on the musical transition from slow and somber to spirited as the funeral procession progresses with second liners.Frances Shani Parker, Author"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”“Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog”

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