SECOND LINE and JAZZ FUNERALS - NEW ORLEANS
The notion of attaching musical traditions to social processions emerged in the early 18th century. One manifestation of this social fusion was West Africans combining European traditions to give folks a proper send-off in New Orleans. On the way to the cemetery, slow mournful music is played. Upon leaving, the mood does a 180-degree turn into a party called a Jazz Funeral. Where else would people write such loving and contemporary stories about the funeral of a guy known locally as, The Emperor of the Universe.
Metairie Cemetery has the most beautiful landscape and unique architecture. Most cemeteries have interesting stories that lie twixt fact and fiction. St. Louis Cemetery #1, with its above ground tombs, is closest to the French Quarter. St Louis Cemetery #2 was actually the fourth cemetery in New Orleans. St. Louis Cemetery #3 was set aside by the city for African American Catholics. As you would expect, Cemetery #3 had the most colorful Jazz Funerals.
Specifically, A "Main Line" is the "main section or the members of a Social & Pleasure Club, that have a permit to parade. Social Aide & Pleasure Club tradition is a mixture of African American and African traditions in New Orleans forming one of the most unique cultural celebrations in America. Fans and admirers form the "Second Line" of the planned street parade. By state and city ordinances and law, and for traffic reasons, such parades seldom run on main boulevards in the city. Consequently, Main Lines and Second Lines typically are held in neighborhoods where the traditions continue to flourish.
The Original Illinois Club formed sometime in the 1800s. It is the oldest known African American social organization and cherished for its participation in Second Lines and Jazz Funerals. You might see a Jazz Funeral at any of 42 cemeteries in metro New Orleans.
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