A Story of the Jazz Funeral

A Story of the Jazz Funeral... Courtesy of Wikipedia.org Jazz funeral is a common name for a funeral tradition with music which developed in New Orleans, LouisianThe term "jazz funeral" was long in use by observers from elsewhere, but was generally disdained as inappropriate by most New Orleans musicians and practitioners of the tradition. The preferred description was "funeral with music"; while jazz was part of the music played, it was not the primary focus of the ceremony. This reluctance to use the term faded significantly in the final 15 years or so of the 20th century among the younger generation of New Orleans brass band musicians more familiar with the post-Dirty Dozen Brass Band funk influenced style than the older traditional jazz New Orleans style. A typical jazz funeral begins with a march by the family, friends, and a brass band from the home, funeral home or church to the cemetery. Throughout the march, the band plays somber dirges and hymns. A change in the tenor of the ceremony takes place, after either the deceased is buried, or the hearse leaves the procession and members of the procession say their final good bye and they "cut the body loose". After this the music becomes more upbeat, often starting with a hymn or spiritual number played in a swinging fashion, then going into popular hot tunes. There is raucous music and cathartic dancing where onlookers join in to celebrate the life of the deceased. Those who follow the band just to enjoy the music are called the second line, and their style of dancing, in which they walk and sometimes twirl a parasol or handkerchief in the air, is called second lining. The Art of Alan Flattmann... Spanning a career of over 4 decades, Alan Flattmann is recognized as one of America's most outstanding and gifted artists. He was inducted into The Pastel Society of America’s “Hall of Fame” in 2006 and awarded the PSA Master Pastelist distinction in 1991. He is the recipient of the 1996 American Artist Art Masters Award for pastel teacher and has been listed in Who's Who in American Art since 1981. He won First Place for Landscape in the Inaugural Pastel Artist International Magazine Awards for World-Wide Excellence and Best of Show in the Pastel Society of North Florida 2004 Biennial National Exhibition.. In conjunction with the publication of the book, “Alan Flattmann’s French Quarter Impressions”, the mayor of New Orleans, C. Ray Nagin, officially proclaimed September 28, 2002 as Alan Flattmann Day in recognition of 25 years of success painting in the French Quarter. These are just a few of the numerous awards he had won over his career. He is also a founder and current president of the Degas Pastel Society and has served as a judge for many national painting exhibitions. Public collections include The New Orleans Museum of Art, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Oklahoma Art Center, Longview Museum of Art, Mississippi Museum of Art, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Meriden Arts Association, New Orleans Art Association, University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), Belhaven College and Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation. Click here to learn more!!

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