 |
|
Second lining is a tradition born from jazz funerals, though it has become a popular feature of all types of events including weddings and inaugurations.
|
Hey Blake,
I know this sounds like a tourist question, but where does the term "second line" come from? I saw the new mayor second lining on the way to his inauguration, and the question came up. Why "second line," and where does one find the "first line"?
Rene Navarre
Dear Rene,
Don't feel so bad! Our city has a lot of customs that are mysteries to tourists and locals alike.
First, Rene, I'll give you a simple explanation. When we have a parade -- any parade -- the people in the parade are considered the "first line." The rest of us who follow along, beside or behind, are the "second line." Most people who have studied this phenomenon believe that second lining is a special kind of street dancing that comes from traditional African-American parades and jazz funerals.
Brass bands have a long tradition, and in 19th-century America and New Orleans they were very popular. They were prominent features of almost every function imaginable. Some even played for funerals. After the Civil War, Creoles and black men began to join marching brass bands as musical instruments became more readily available. Many of these bands, black and white, were associated with fraternal groups and benevolent burial societies that wanted to send their members off in style.
Most of the societies and lodges were racially divided, and early in the early 20th century, many white bands stopped playing for funerals. Jazz was being born, and the parades with black dancers were becoming wilder and more extravagant. Led by the grand marshal, the band and mourners left the church to the playing of slow, sad, funeral hymns. But after they left the cemetery, the music became livelier, and the band played spirited tunes like "Didn't He Ramble." In spite of criticism from the Catholic Church in the 1930s and folks who felt strongly about proper funeral decorum, the "funerals with music" continued. Members of the African-American lodges and societies were determined to send off their brothers in "blazing glory." And friends followed along waving handkerchiefs and shaking umbrellas and dancing with wild abandon.
Eventually, the term also came to apply to an entire event or to the distinctive syncopated rhythm of the music. Today, second lining is just as popular at beginnings as it is at endings, so you can see folks second lining at weddings and mayoral inaugurations.
Hey Blake,
I was at the Prairie Home Companion show at the Saenger Theatre recently and noticed the clouds. Were my friend Marie and I having "flashbacks" from our past trips to supposed Nirvana, or did the clouds exist up there?
Jim Peddecord
Dear Jim,
Of course, you saw clouds. Do you believe in magic? Good. Then here's how the clouds get inside. There are big ducts on the roof that pull the clouds directly from the sky into the theater. The clouds float around until the end of the production and then the maintenance crew shoos them all out right before they lock up for the night.
I know you believe Old Blake, don't you?
OK, the real story, if you insist. When the Saenger Theatre opened in 1927, there were two cloud machines installed along with the twinkling stars. The machines are located on the catwalk behind the statues. Each machine has a large disc that turns in from of a light. This enables images of clouds to be projected on the ceiling of the theater.
The maintenance department takes very good care of these remarkable machines. Overheating is a problem, and a few years ago a blower was added to keep the cloud machines and their 2,000-watt light bulbs cool. It's important to keep these original machines in good running order, because a new cloud machine would cost about $7,500.
I guess you are gratified to know the technical details behind the clouds in the starry sky of our gorgeous Saenger Theatre, but I think it's far more romantic to believe in magic.
