On Sunday, November 12, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans will headline Jazz for Justice. This free concert closes out two weeks of the art and fun of Foo Foo Fest.
The concert, held at Museum Plaza under the Magic Carpet, will have food, vendors, and activities for the entire family.
Whiskey & Water will begin at 1:30 p.m. followed by the 9th Avenue Brass Band at 2:30 p.m. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band will play at 3:30 p.m.
Before Rebirth Brass Band, there was the Dirty Dozen which was organized 45 years ago in 1977. The group has toured on 5 continents and collaborated with artists like Modest Mouse, Norah Jones, and Widespread Panic.
Brass bands were early predecessors of the jazz we know today.
According to Eric Seiferth, curator/historian with The New Orleans Historic Collection, brass bands were born in the mid-19th century at a time when “benevolent societies and social aid and pleasure clubs boomed in popularity among the city’s African-American and Afro-Creole populations. These groups sponsored church, club, and funeral parades, providing work for the many black brass bands and creating a mutually beneficial patronage relationship that has nurtured brass band music, musicians, and parade culture through the decades.”
For more on this history, visit HNOC Brass Bands.
In addition to entertaining people from all over the world, brass bands have a tradition of accompanying a funeral march from the funeral home to the cemetery. The band typically plays dirges as a mournful goodbye, but the moment the body is “cut loose” or buried, the band breaks into a more rhythmic beat. The “Second line” or people who follow the band begin to wave handkerchiefs and dance.
Make sure to bring your chairs and your dancing shoes for this fun afternoon as Foo Foo Fest comes to a close. It is sure to be a good time!
This event is sponsored by Legal Services of Northwest Florida. You can find more information here: https://jazz.lsnf.org/
