Research Paper on Brass Bands in New Orleans

Introduction

When New Orleans is mentioned, the first thing that comes into mind is the exquisite traditional musical style employed by artists in that town. New Orleans provided the cultural backdrop for the creation of new music as well as offering a social setting in which music was able to prosper. During the twentieth century, people enjoyed live music than it is nowadays. This attribute is supported by the fact that many people did not have electronics from which they could enjoy music from their homes. In place of that, people got into town for entertainment and social gatherings. At that time, numerous towns had various bands which played for entertainment and occasionally for special events. The bands were categorized into those for parades where there were marching bands, for outdoor dances there were brass bands which employed instruments such as trumpet, tuba, drums, trombone, saxophone and clarinet, and for indoor events there were the lower string bands which used the violin, cornet, bass, piano, and the guitar.

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The research paper aims to cover the brass band as traditional music in New Orleans and explore the ethnomusicological themes such as the cultural, social and biological context of the music. This paper intends to elaborate how the music is a symbol to the New Orleans people or rather the African-American people, how the music affects their emotions and to see whether the music is one that puts the people into an altered state. All in all, the paper primarily focuses on the symbolism expressed by the brass band music in New Orleans.

The demand for the various musical bands was more significant in New Orleans compared to other major towns in the world since New Orleans was a vast city which was a tourist destination for many people apart from being a town which hosted a crucial seaport filled with sailors, dock workers and also encompassed a large military population. One impact of this diversity present in one town, there emerged a large number of dancehalls, taverns, and brothels specifically in the famous prostitution district of Storyville. In each context, the target of the bands was to bring cohesion between people in the manifestation of collective pleasure. Because of such a high demand for entertainment, small bands often found themselves playing music written for much larger groups. In such situations, the musicians often proved their talents and prowess with the ability to fill out missing parts of some compositions, and they would also embellish melodies and extemporize rag-like syncopations. Following this process, the musicians gave a new excitement to the old marching and brass band music and invented a new style of music in New Orleans known as jazz (Berry, 3).

Early History of Brass Bands in New Orleans

The history of brass band music encompasses some of the ethnomusicological themes such as the culture of the New Orleans community and the symbolism expressed by the music. Brass bands go way back in New Orleans's ancient history, basing on both European and African performance traditions. Some European culture is defined by the military bands and the Sousa-type marching bands who were deeply rooted in New Orleans. On the other hand, there also existed African traditions of creating, playing and dancing the music which was performed by slaves in Congo Square. The very first brass band music to be performed by blacks was in public events such as funerals, baseball games, and business openings. Come the twentieth century; there was an integration of many communities into brass bands.

Development of New Orleans brass band resulted in the creation of a new musical form known as jazz which blended some styles including spirituals, ragtime, marches, European dances, and Latin American rhythms into an African-American style of music. Jazz music stressed on collective improvisation, audience participation, rhythmic syncopation and repetition, and ultimately the employment of pentatonic scales as well as blue notes. It is critical to note that the emergence of jazz styles significantly impacted the New Orleans brass band, causing it to be outstanding as the most significant black brass band tradition in the United States (Burns, 7).

With time, jazz grew into an American art form; however, brass band music continued being strongly tied to the rhythms of routine life in New Orleans. One of the city's most symbolic sanctified tradition is the jazz funeral, which dwells around the brass band's beat, starting with slow chants and concludes with up-tempo. Also, people in the town used to hire brass bands to grace their events such as community organizations where the brass band would parade through their neighborhoods for long distances every Sunday afternoon. Updates have been experienced in the music and dancing styles at funerals and parades day in day out, though root traditions for the people of New Orleans have been respected and passed on from one generation to another (Sakakeeny, 1).

Brass Band Renaissance in New Orleans

In the later parts of 1960, there developed worry among artists regarding the future of brass band tradition. Majority of the junior musicians were focused on the politics of black power movement, and they played unappealing music. This new culture displayed by the young musicians never impressed Danny Barker (a musician and a scholar), and so he took it upon himself to a marching band purposely meant to recruit young players into upholding the brass band music tradition. The initial name for the band was Fairview band but was later changed to Hurricane Brass Band. At least this particular band revived the traditional brass band, and it ended up being the training center for many musicians. Among the alumni maintaining successful careers as traditionalists include Clarinetist Michael White and trumpeter Gregg Stafford (Turner, 1).

The Fairview band introduced new musical approaches that redefined the brass band tradition and also multiplied its audience. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a band which was formed by some musicians from the Fairview band, and Hurricane band happens to be the trail that many of the younger bands followed. In 1980, Dirty Dozen Brass Band went on record and tour. This band went to the extent of developing amazing music than that of their predecessors resulting in international of the group which ultimately initiated the brass band renaissance.

Many bands have followed in the steps of the Dirty Dozen, but none has been felt like the Rebirth Brass Band. This band worked towards building an enthusiastic audience through making tradition their own. The band was founded by trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, tuba Philip Frazier, and bass drummer Keith Frazier in the early '80s while in high school. Performances by this band included weekly shows at the Maple Leaf Bar, parades and numerous performances throughout the United States. Since the start of the 1990s, hip hop has shaped the sound of contemporary brass bands, most notably in original songs of the Soul Rebels.

The New Orleans brass brand has only grown in reputation since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. For some years, the Hot 8 Brass band has moved from playing in parties, parades and club gigs to often playing in Europe and across America. Recent bands are made up of students, for instance, the Baby Boyz Brass Band who point to Rebirth and the Hot 8 as their gurus. The Brass band music has blossomed partly because it remains to communicate encounters of the new generations without losing its uniqueness as a characteristic and long-lasting form of traditional music (Sakakeeny, 2).

From the content above, it is evident how the brass band music was symbolic to the people of New Orleans. For instance, the congregation in the Congo Square by the slaves on Sunday afternoons was symbolic to them. It is the Black Code, a law that permitted slaves to have a day off for them to play music and dance. Gathering and participating in dances was a way for the slaves to meditate. Ventura explains how Africans believed the spirit world and human world intersect. For example, the Yoruba community believed that the body became the crossroad, and that dance was a spiritual connection. At some point, the slaves felt the relief and momentarily forgot about their suffering purely because of having a chance to dance to their native traditional music. Besides, the dances were accompanied by rhythm-based music which was played using homemade instruments associated with Africa. All these musical activities helped the people to reconnect with their African heritage.

Nevertheless, the brass band music was preserved and highly supported by the benevolent societies whose main agendas were to assist the former slaves and immigrants who moved into the United States. These societies provided medical services, education funds, burial funds, and means for self-help. The benevolent societies saw it essential to protect and uphold African culture as well as ceremonies; often, they would hire bands for parades, weddings, parties, and funerals. Through these social undertakings within and outside New Orleans, brass band music acquired wide popularity across the country. During a funeral, the band met at the church and head for the burial in a procession mode. The play of the music helped the community remember about their past and therefore mourn in peace. Also, the music gave them a sense of belonging, which they valued so much.

Conclusion

In conclusion, New Orleans brass band music has been seen to be symbolic to the people associated with it. The people of New Orleans have also put in great effort in ensuring that such traditional music is not abandoned because of its significance of reconnecting the people with their past life and how the music celebrations gave them a sense of accomplishment and belonging. The music would change their state and enable them to meditate in peace. For a moment, the slaves used to forget about their troubles during such celebrations; hence this music is rendered essential to the New Orleans people. All in all, the brass band music enhanced cohesion among the communities living in New Orleans and further, therefore, creating a peaceful co-existence between blacks, whites and also Latins. From this paper, it can be deduced that traditional music matters (speaks a lot) as it does to the people of New Orleans.