[Dixielandjazz] Jazz Funerals

[Charles Suhor]

Rick's description of the jazz funeral he played for sounds like a 
dignified event, originating with a request from the family of the 
bereaved. I have misgivings, though, about a highly aggressive 
marketing to play jazz funerals. Is it the moral equivalent of the 
lawyer who chases ambulances and offers his services to the accident 
victim's family? Jazz funerals began as part of a unique cultural 
ritual when friends from fraternal organizations and such mourned their 
loved ones. It can still be that, but often in New Orleans it has 
turned into a show, where tourists show up with cameras, jive 
umbrellas, and gee-whiz tales to tell 'em back in podunk about how hip 
it all was to be at an "authentic" jazz funeral.
When Ernie K-Doe died, a local jock on WWOZ excoriated the 
rubber-neckers and the press who turned it into a vulgar display. The 
tired old question "Is nothing sacred?" applies literally here. Maybe 
I'm tripping out on some sort of snooty moral high ground and should 
grow up, but this is how it strikes me.

Charlie Suhor



On Jul 13, 2005, at 1:25 PM, Rick Knittel wrote:

> Hello Larry Walton (& Listmates);
>
> Our Maine Street Paraders played for the ceremony of internment of 
> ashes
> of a woman who requested that a jazz band play Darktown Strutters Ball 
> at
> the grave site. We did this last month in Standish, Maine at the 
> request
> of the deceased's daughter from Virginia. It was an uplifting 
> experience
> and we felt as if we had done something especially meaningful.
>
> The woman who arranged this hired a team of horses and a wagon 
> decorated
> the way they do in New Orleans to carry the urn. We walked behind the
> wagon and played A Closer Walk With Thee and Amazing Grace at a dirge
> tempo with cornet, clarinet, trombone, banjo and tuba. The deceased's
> family walked behind us for the distance of about 1000 feet from the 
> farm
> house to the cemetery.
>
> At the internment site in the cemetery, some scripture was read, people
> were asked to tell favorite stories about the deceased and the band, as
> requested, played Nearer My God to Thee, It is Well with My Soul and
> Darktown which was her favorite song.
>
> We fell in behind the wagon on the way back to the farm house and 
> played
> Darktown Strutter's Ball and The Saints all at up tempo. Our banjo
> player, who had spent several years in New Orleans was beside himself
> with emotion and remarked that it was the most moving performance he 
> had
> ever played.
>
> We were then invited for lunch with the family and felt as if we had
> become one of them.
>
> Kind Regards
>
> Rick Knittel - JAZZBONE
> The Maine Street Paraders and The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band
> 37 Ship Channel Road; South Portland, Maine 04106-5136
> Bus phone; (207)-741-2407; fax 2409; Cell: (207)-233-3480; Home;
> (207)-799-6382
> E-mail; Knittelsportland at juno.com; Winter Office; 7657 Bergamo Ave;
> Sarasota, FL 34238-4765; Phone/Fax; (941)-924-5186
>
>
>
> On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 13:06:14 -0500 "LARRY'S Signs and Large Format
> Printing" <sign.guy at charter.net> writes:
>> Is there anyone out there who does Dixie funerals?
>>
>> I have been thinking about it for some time and did at one time talk
>> to a funeral director that was interested and played one for a guy I
>> knew. I have also done solo sax w/o accompaniment at a couple of
>> funerals which was received really well.   I can put together a band
>> at almost anytime.
>>
>> The one I did for the friend was sort of a rink dink affair
>> organized by another band leader (who has the worst OKOM band in St.
>> Louis).  We stood around the coffin and played a couple of tunes
>> until the funeral director panicked because the sound was going into
>> other rooms.  The tuba player was a little rude to the director.
>> Obviously it wasn't cleared with the director first.  I really
>> didn't think the tunes were all that appropriate and ended up with
>> the guy in a snit and a minor scene.  Obviously I don't want to go
>> in this direction and I'm sure that funeral home won't be real
>> receptive to having a band or recommending one after that.
>>
>> How big a band do you use?
>>
>> How do you do them generally?  what is the structure?  example: At
>> the service play several tunes before the service, a hymn or
>> inspirational tune during and at the end play 4 or 5 tunes.  Taps?
>>
>> Appropriate Tunes?
>>
>> Price structure? Night vs. day? What will the traffic bear in your
>> area?  What's the average gig pay?
>>
>> Do you do wakes or graveside or both?  Are there different prices?
>> How long does it take to do a service and then go to the graveside?
>> Are we looking at two or three hours?
>>
>> Advertising?  Direct to funeral directors or in the Obit page of the
>> papers? Both?
>>
>> At present there is no one here in St. Louis doing  Dixie funerals.
>> I thought that advertising in the obit pages might bring in other
>> business because older people who tend to hire this kind of music
>> read the obits to see if they are still alive.  They do not read
>> other kinds of advertising or look in the yellow pages for bands.
>> The down side is that this could get to be expensive.
>>
>> The other problem that I have is that St. Louis does not have a
>> tradition of bands at funerals like New Orleans and some other
>> cities.  This might take awhile to catch on.
>>
>> Any advice would be helpful
>> Thanks
>> Larry Walton
>> St. Louis
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>> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>>
>>
>
>
> Rick Knittel - RK Associates, LLC - Film Extrusion Engineering Services
> 37 Ship Channel Road; South Portland, Maine 04106-5136
> Bus phone; (207)-741-2407; fax 2409; Cell: (207)-233-3480; Home;
> (207)-799-6382
> E-mail; Knittelsportland at juno.com; Winter Office; 7657 Bergamo Ave;
> Sarasota, FL 34238-4765; Phone/Fax; (941)-924-5186
>
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