Olympia Gold
By Geraldine Wyckoff
The music community plays tribute to Milton Batiste and Nowell 'Papa' Glass.
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Milton BatisteÕs adherence to tradition was honored in his jazz funeral earlier this month.
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Family, friends, fans and fellow musicians mourned the loss and celebrated the lives of two members of the Olympia Brass Band at jazz funerals held on consecutive April days. The passing of trumpeter and bandleader Milton Batiste on March 27 and bass drummer Nowell ÒPapaÓ Glass on April 3 are indeed great losses, yet the two musicians have left behind a legacy that was reflected throughout their respective funeral services.
ÊÊA testament to Milton BatisteÕs gifts to the New Orleans music community flowed from the trumpet of Kenneth Terry as he lifted his horn in salute to his mentor. As part of an ensemble that played ÒJust a Closer Walk with TheeÓ as mourners filed out of Charbonnet-Labat Funeral Home on Friday, April 6, TerryÕs bold and brassy style echoed BatisteÕs aggressive approach to the instrument. At first, it was a bit eerie hearing Terry sounding so much like Batiste. A moment later, it brought a smile with the realization that the musical torch remains aglow.
ÊÊAs a teenager, Terry, who even goes by the nickname ÒMiltonÓ to some, became a member of BatisteÕs Junior Olympia. ÒThe first lesson from him was to stick with the traditional music,Ó says Terry, who as a member of the New Birth Brass Band is now adept at both old and new styles. ÒWe would go to MiltonÕs house and sit in the back in the shade and weÕd always have a talk session first. WeÕd listen to the music first to understand who wrote a song, what a song meant É [and] then get our horns out.Ó
ÊÊThe traditions that meant so much to Batiste were represented in the decorum of his jazz funeral. Dressed strictly in traditional black and white, some 30-plus musicians accompanied the horse-drawn hearse from the funeral home on North Claiborne Avenue and St. Philips Street to Corpus Christi Church on St. Bernard Avenue, playing old hymns like ÒIÕll Fly AwayÓ and ÒGlorylandÓ while six grand marshals strutted solemnly. Even with six tubas in its ranks, the band grew quiet as it neared the oak-shaded sidewalk that leads up to the church. Acting as pallbearers, members of the Black Men of Labor Social Aid & Pleasure Club dressed in striking white dashikis and carried out their duties with great dignity.
ÊÊOne couldnÕt help thinking of the many such occasions when it was BatisteÕs horn that blew in honor of a fellow musician. Batiste, 66, maintained a presence in the New Orleans music scene for over 45 years, both on the streets and in clubs such as Preservation Hall. A member of DejanÕs Olympia Brass Band since 1959 and its leader since 1980, he began handling the bandÕs business affairs when saxophonist/leader Harold DejanÕs health began to fail. He and Dejan, who put the Olympia Brass Band back on the streets in 1956, also founded the independent record label Dubat.
ÊÊÒBesides being a good trumpet player, Milton was a spontaneous guy and a good entertainer,Ó says saxophonist Ernest ÒDocÓ Watson, whoÕs played with Olympia for 20 years. ÒAnd I think he brought singing to the streets. Most brass bands would just play. He started singing songs like ÔIt AinÕt My FaultÕ and ÔI Got a WomanÕ and get the crowd doinÕ it. Now, at most of the street parades, they (members of the band) start singing and the whole second line is their choir. That was shown at his funeral.Ó
ÊÊVoices did ring out on ÒDown By the Riverside,Ó when, following the church service, the second line headed up North Claiborne Avenue. It wasnÕt until the body was Òlet goÓ that the first secular piece, ÒSecond Line (Joe AveryÕs Blues),Ó kicked in.
ÒWe lost a mountain of music,Ó said historian/disc jockey/journalist Tex Stephens the next morning. Stephens was standing outside the St. James Methodist Church where services for Papa Glass took place. For more than 37 years, Glass beat the bass drum with the DejanÕs Olympia Brass Band, gaining fans around the world with his solid rhythm and warm smile.
ÊÊMany of the same people sang the same hymns in honor of Papa Glass as they had the previous day for Batiste. In the church, just behind a beautiful floral spray in the shape of a second-line umbrella, a baritonist boomed out ÒPrecious Lord.Ó Members of the Black Men of Labor were again the dignified pallbearers, and again a large contingent of musicians played hymns. On this day, BatisteÕs son, ÒKingÓ Richard Matthews, the Olympia Brass BandÕs grand marshal, took his place in front of the second line.
ÊÊÒPapaÕs greatest gift to this band was being Papa,Ó says Doc Watson, echoing everyoneÕs affection for this kind man. ÒPapa could have you laughing and in stitches all day long. The only time it was quiet was when he was asleep. He kept the young kids (in the band) laughing, he kept them in line.Ó
ÊÊYoung musicians blew their horns next to veterans in the brass band processions honoring both Batiste and Glass. The two respected and treasured men left us with the assurance that the DejanÕs Olympia Brass BandÕs ranks will remain filled and the New Orleans brass band tradition will continue.
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