Treme
There is a neighborhood bordering the French quarter on Rampart Street called the Treme.
On the Rampart side of the Treme is a large green space, and within that green space is an area called Congo Square. Things have ALWAYS been a little looser down here in New Orleans, even during the hey dey of the slave trade.
Traditionally, slaves were not allowed to have drums or any vestige of musical expression from their homeland, specifically for the very pragmatic reason (from a slave owner’s point of view, anyway) that music, and particularly drums, were a form of long distance communication that could signal a revolt, escape, or a threat to the status quo. Plus the more miserable slaves were, the easier they were to control.
This was not the case in New Orleans…Slaves had Sunday afternoons off. Maybe it was due to the French and Spanish owners, who were a little more “cosmopolitan” than their American counterparts. …But slaves were allowed to congregate, and more importantly, play music, play the communicative rhythms of Africa, dance the Bamboula, worship in any way they saw fit, and meld and weld the new “European” sounds (and instruments) they were being exposed to in their daily lives to the music they brought from Mother Africa.
I’m not an expert by any means, but it is generally excepted wisdom that that little patch of grass in the Treme was ground zero for several forms of what is now considered original American Music, from blues, gospel, jazz, funk,rap, hip-hop, soul (George Gershwin, for Chrissakes…no Congo Square, no “Rhapsody in Blue”, or Aaron Copeland, or Leonard Bernstein…)…you name it…really except for more Appalachian centric forms (country, bluegrass) pretty much all popular music as we know it sprung from Congo Square., in the Treme.
Now bearing this historical “In Utero” period of American musical history in mind, I’d like to talk about the New Orleans tradition of “The Second Line”
I really don’t know the total history of the Second Line, but I do know that from the nascent beginnings in Congo Square, it eventually evolved into three basic forms in Modern Times….two types are “planned”.
The most familiar is the funeral procession, where a brass band leads the procession (and the onlookers, and neighborhood denizens form a “second line” behind the main procession),playing sad and mournful dirges until the place of internment is reached….on the way out of the cemetery, the band then plays the up tempo music, it gets funky, and everyone dances their way back to the party….its a way of sending off someone’s spirit with good vibes as they cross to the other side.
So even if New Orleans is known for putting the “Fun” in funeral, this first form of jazz, the African American spiritual and the improvisational and poly tonal and poly rhythmic freedom found within the form, was solidified during funeral celebrations….deeply steeped in the spiritual context in which it was solidified.
The other type of planned second line is actually a street party that is planned by various neighborhood organizations, called Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs. Several Clubs pool resources, hire the funkiest brass bands in town, and a large parade is thrown, the parade route, and the second line itself, disclosed and promoted by word of mouth….Traditionally, they would take place every Sunday from Labor Day through the Mardi Gras season.
These are HUGE street parties…thousands show up for these events, there are entrepreneurial opportunities galore (People sell beer and Bar B Que out of the back of their pickup trucks) and the bands are literally running as they play, only to stop at a preplanned neighborhood watering hole, so the second liners can catch their breath, and have a cocktail….than, yippee, its off to the next stop.
These street parties are massive, collective, celebrations…but the thing that strikes me when ever I attend one is how powerful it is when 2-3 thousand folks are relieving the stress of their weekly lives simultaneously…its a powerfully moving experience to be in the middle of that, and again, a spiritual one, even though the music isn’t traditionally spiritual, but more poly rhythmic funk.
Last, but most definitely not least, is the spontaneous second line, and that’s what I would like to focus attention on…as it is closest to the second line’s true origins.
A much beloved neighbor or neighborhood musician passes away…the word spreads from house to house, door to door, or in modern times, cell phone to cellphone….musicians congregate in a central location and start to play spirituals to honor the beloved friend, neighbor, and if a musician, contributor to the culture.
Neighbors hear the music and naturally form a second line behind the band as it meanders on an unplanned route through the neighborhood.
Those who can’t dance, sit on their stoops and porches, to celebrate the spirit of the neighbor crossing over…and to sing the old songs as the children in the street need to hear them, and most importantly learn them.
Approximately three weeks ago, one of these spontaneous celebrations popped up in the Treme to honor the sudden passing of a beloved neighbor and tuba player, Kerwin Williams….as the second line grew in size, and the mourners were singing “I’ll Fly Away”, 20 NOPD Squad cars flew into the neighborhood, sirens screaming, it’s passengers outfitted in riot gear, truncheons at the ready.
The crime? Disturbing the peace, and parading without a permit. Two of he leading musicians refused to stop playing.This is what their fathers did, this is what their grandfathers, their great grandfathers…as far as their families can remember, this is who the were, and what they did.
They were summarily hog-tied, thrown in a squad car, and arrested.
Who sends a riot squad in to break up a cultural tradition that has been occurring for well over one hundred years without incident?
This is a very good question…I have some theories on that that I’ll share in a later post.
Here’s the deal, fellow planetarians: This is not an isolated incident, and its been happening before Katrina ever hit the shores of Lake Ponchartrain.
There has been a systematic strategy employed by the NOPD to crack down hard on second lines and Indian “parading” under the flimsy excuses of parading without a permit or “disturbing” the peace. The collective second line celebrations that are planned by the Pleasure Clubs were shut down by the police charging 500% of their normal fee for procurement of a police detail.
I’m not blaming police here folks. They do their best, but lets not forget that there is a chain of command…most importantly, they do what they’re told.
Politically, as I’m sure you’ve heard, things are a bit Byzantine down here….but I would like to know who’s giving that order, that prime directive….I would like to know where the buck actually stops.
my sense about what is happening in nola is that it reflects a broader, nation-wide trend–and there is plenty of blame to go around. i live in baltimore but it is happening here and all over. first off–NEW URBANISM is not to be trusted. this crowd’s ultimate goal is to eliminate the sound of surprise. new urbanists will ultimately sweep away the wild and unpredictable. mostly, this will impact working class neighborhoods and working class traditions. new urbanism is a TROJAN HORSE! second, and this is not popular—artists MUST stop being a wholly co-opted and highly functioning tool for gentrification and bourgeoise expression. keep new orleans weird. keep baltimore weird. keep the tribes alive.
Comment by Christopher Hammersla — November 28, 2007 @ 4:26 pm
It IS happening all over the country. Watch middle class teen-agers entering a large concert these days, be it hip-hop, rock, pop, what have you. These kids think nothing of being searched by security guards, (usually with a minimum of or no training). This is after paying high prices to enter.
U.S. law enforcement made a huge jump in how they handle crowds, using 9-11 as an excuse.
They gather in terrorist training sessions and instead of looking for ways to protect crowds of people, (which is no easy task), they instead simply force the crowd through silly check points that won’t save lives. Since they don’t catch any terrorists they proudly bust kids who might have a blunt or a bottle on them. Then they point to the number of arrests they made and quote the statistics to make people feel safer.
The kids are used to it and will not do anything about it, until it goes too far.
It seems to me, (a middle aged, frequent tourist in New Orleans), that the NO police are tolerant of all sorts of ugliness from the tourists, but crack down extra hard on the locals. What they don’t understand is that we tourists come down to NO in large part to be around people who have figured out how to have fun, (the locals).
Your city leaders had better recognize that nurturing the spirit of the people who live in NOLA is the best way to guarantee a bright future for NOLA.
-For what it’s worth,
Darren Dunn
Comment by darren dunn — January 3, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
surprised that there is not a more spirited discussion going on with this stuff. while darren above is rightfully concerned about the national police state, what’s going on in american cities is being carried on locally–but with one defining common thread. there is an effort from baltimore to new orleans to milwaukee to denver to seriously and forcibly evict the the economically “marginal”–usually regardless of color but hitting black communities the hardest. the typical path to URBAN REMOVAL is zoning–read:no multi-family dwellings—and gentrification. if they promise to create afforable housing set-asides, do not believe them– lawsuits are compelling them to do so in some cities. also, so called quality of life issues are huge in the effort to evict. this means no bars–at least bars that are not stylish–and no second lining through the streets. someone here in baltimore was quoted as summing it up like this: white people want the city back. mostly correct. despite one’s color, we need to resist having city life defined FOR us by an affluent audience who do not consider us part of the scenery.
Comment by Christopher Hammersla — January 9, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
I am from New Orleans had lived away for 14yrs and moved home July befre Katrina My heart was happy to be home only to find myself not home living in Memphis Tn. and trying to make it home since my home is no more, I have settled in and have a spot in my home I display things from home I was wondering if anyone has or knows someone that is selling an Indian costume or any part of one I can add to my home here to represent part of my New Orleans culture and flavor.
I do understand its not just something that is done as a fad but as part of a culture and respect that I may not be able to get this item due to it’s significat meaning and representation but hope if it can be obtained knowing it will bring home to home to a home sick boy.
Please feel free to contact me at altonlacour1@yahoo.com with any info and thanks.
Comment by Alton LaCour — August 11, 2008 @ 12:02 am
I was Uptown for St. Joseph’s Night 2005 and witnessed first-hand that night what I still refer to as “the police riot,” conduct that would make any decent police department hang its collective head in shame. Exactly the same kind of conduct as for Kerwin Williams’ funeral. Only then, they didn’t just come flying into the neighborhood in their patrol cars. They actually drove up onto the sidewalks and INTO the crowds, sidewalks occupied by whole families, including children and old folks. The only thing going on before that moment was a lot of people out, watching the Indians and having a good time.
I got the impression it wasn’t the first time they’d done this.
There is something in the spirit of black New Orleans that makes the city’s powers afraid. It always has. Make no mistake, fear is what drives them. They’ve spent centuries trying to discourage that spirit, suppress it, subdue it, beat it down and bury it. But just like the coffins buried in that soggy ground, it keeps popping back up. They try and they try, but they can’t keep it down.
And they don’t understand why.
There is a spirit within this community of ours, a spirit that sings and lives inside the Bo Dollises and Monk Boundreauxs and Tootie Montanas and all the rest who sew it and show it, and all those who love and respect it. It lives from street to street, ward to ward and generation to generation. It lives in spite of police abuse, government oppression and even the wrath of Nature herself.
It LIVES.
g.
Comment by Gregory Alan Gross — August 31, 2008 @ 12:06 am
Handa Wanda Obama – some new possibilities now, gotta keep the faith
I saw y’all up in Boston last summer at the RegattaBar – it was a slow night but glorious to have some Injuns rocking the boat in New England, it will carry
Comment by EricR11 — November 24, 2008 @ 6:01 am
I took some good pictures of Big Chief Bo Dollis–Sr. and Jr.–at the French Quarter Festival last weekend. I’d be happy to share.
Also, RE comment #5: TELL IT! Shame on the NOPD and whoever’s driving their misguided policies.
Comment by Trip Renn — April 24, 2009 @ 9:16 am
Some thoughts from a 53 year old white woman from Maine: I have a very deep respect and appreciation for the wonderful music and mix of cultures that drew me to NOLA for the first time in 1994. As I age, I spend more and more time in N.O., escaping the quiet coldness of the Maine winters. I live in a town of about 1200. We have border patrol ( this force has increased tremendously since 9/11), the sheriffs dept. town cops and game wardens. There are cameras hidden in the forests on the outskirts of town, hoping to spy on the wicked pot growers. There are so many law enforcement officers in this town people are starting to rebel. The police have been abusive and prohibited gatherings where music is being played. Businesses are suffering, the nightclubs are empty. We have no public transportation up here in the woods. They have check points and road blocks, it\’s ridiculous. I\’m sorry to hear that the wonderful gatherings that bring me so much joy when I happen upon a second line in N.O. are being unwarrantably curtailed by the police. It bothers me that our joy is being robbed from us. I thought NOLA was a safe haven where musicians were respected not only for their talents and dedication but also for the magnet they become for music lovers that spend a lot of money while visiting your city. As a tourist, I protest the interference by the NOPD. It\’s outrageous and frightens me. I feel law enforcers are turning into hateful skin headed gestapo types with hidden tattoos expressing their macho ism. Unfortunately I think we\’ll be hearing more about police brutality and crossed boundaries as time goes on as it\’s hapeening all over our country. Just one more thought, aside from the NOPD, should I be afraid to attend on St. Joesph\’s Day? Is it safe for me and would my interest in your music and culture be respected? I have been warned to stay away. That it isn\’t safe, is that true?
Comment by Jmaine — October 12, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
Hey Trip (#7) I’d love to take you up on your offer to share some of those pix!!I too was at the same show.As you know a very emotional performance to say the least.On another note I’ve been studying NOLA drumming techniques over the last year.This summer I stayed up late one night learning some rhythms that were taught to Stanton Moore by Geechie.I came inside well after midnight and decided to google “The Wild Magnolias”.Finding this sight I found they were playing 1.5 hours from me the NEXT NIGHT.I live in a very small town in rural No.Cal.so believe me this wasn’t an on-going occurence.I got so much pleasure (and learned so much at the same time) it was a completely magical time to be had!!! On a final note I attended a music producer/engineer’s workshop in NOLA 2 summers ago.On one of the speaker’s panels Cosimo Matassa,
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2009-07-15-cosimo-matassa-new-orleans_N.htm
a pillar of the NOLA music scene talked extensively about how the NOLA police and city officails we’re shutting down the street music scene.There are hardly any 2nd line bands playing out anymore.He thought it was so frustrating that all the travel/tourist brochures has a 2nd line band on their adds/magazines and the city makes money on the image of the “2nd line” but………where are they????I remember coming to JazzFest in 1994 and there was so much music on the streets…….bands/players everywhere on the streets…..But enough of this!!PLEASE keep the magic alive by supporting your favorite musicians,restaurants,parks,whatever.Freedom is from the inside,you don’t have to earn your freedom it’s already YOURS!!!!!! I’m going out to my studio and play some Mardi Gras riddums RIGHT NOW!!!!!!
Comment by Mark Thies — December 9, 2009 @ 9:13 pm
Cannot for the life of me understand why the NOLAPD aren’t providing escorts and protecting one of the cities most cherished cultural traditions, and taking advantage of the opportunity for good publicity that could change their public image. Double loss!
Comment by Carrie Martin — May 27, 2010 @ 3:09 pm
Any way I can send you guys a few photos from the 2010 Jazz Fest. I would love to have something on your website. Dan
Comment by Dan Costello — August 4, 2010 @ 9:19 am
I have some pics from 2010 Jazz Fest I would love to see on your website. Contact me with an e-mail address. Dan Costello
Comment by Dan Costello — August 4, 2010 @ 9:22 am