New Orleans Jazz Funeral

 

“This tradition greatly grew throughout the 20^th century.  The music and dancing of the jazz funeral were intended to both help the deceased find their way to heaven and to celebrate the final release from the bounds of earthly life, which had, in the past, included the release from slavery (Funeralwise LLC).”

Around the middle of the 20^th century as the movement increasingly caught on, clubs and insurance policies erupted to help the underprivileged afford these funerals. This in return gave rise to the most celebrated funerary jazz bands, the Dirty Dozen brass Band (Funeralwise LLC).

These funerals could last up to a week and sometimes included a parade. It would typically start with a slow march from the home to the church or funeral home. Somber music would be played during this time up until the coffin was placed into the ground or the church was out of sight. Then the music would become wilder with tambourines and drums. This was the time for mourners to have release and a celebration of a life well lived (Funeralwise LLC).

One of the largest and highest honor funerals was held on August 29,2006 in memory of the 1700 victims of Hurricane Katrina (Funeralwise LLC).

 

 

Works Cited

Funeralwise LLC. New Orleans Jazz. 2015. 9 December 2015 <https://www.funeralwise.com/customs/neworleans/>.