REBIRTH BRASS BAND / “Do Whatcha Wanna (Part 3)”
A truly sad commentary I'll tell you what's wrong with getting a parade permit. It's cultural genocide. That's what's wrong with it. People have been Second Lining in New Orleans long before whoever it is that's complaining was even born. It's hard to believe anyone would have the combination of gall and insensitivity that it would take to call the cops to shut down a tradition that is part of the indelible framework of the city of New Orleans. I've heard it said that the problem isn't the Second Line itself, the problem is the drinking, drug use and gun violence that accompanies the Second Lines. (For the moment, I won't even argue about whether or not that characterization of Second Lines is accurate.) If the problem is violence, deal with the violence. If the problem is illegal drug use, deal with that problem. Don't make the music the problem. The city I'm from is known the world over for music, and not just any kind of music. New Orleans is known for street music. I guess I should've known this was coming when several years ago the powers-that-be starting forcing French Quarter performers to get permits. At least in that case you could argue that it's a one-time process, after which the performers could just do their thing. In this case, the Second Liners would have to apply for a parade permit every time they wanted to play. That's ridiculous. Often, Second Liners are regular people with subsistence-level jobs. They don't have the time or the money or the know-how to run around applying for a parade permit everytime they want to play some music. It's a joke. Also, there something you have to understand about Second Lines. These are not parades. If you aren't familiar with a Second Line and you're getting an image of a Mardi Gras parade with thousands of people lining the streets, you couldn't be more wrong. It's true that there are large Second Lines on certain holidays, but generally, a Second Line is a rag-tag, mostly improvised kind of affair, with maybe six or seven musicians and about twenty or so people following them around, dancing and singing or beating on bottles with sticks or playing a tambourine. It's not big, it's not particularly loud and it's not a terrible invasion on anyone's personal space. I can remember being at my brother's house Uptown when a Second Line would go by. We'd be sitting there watching a football game or playing cards or something and someone would say, "Hey, there's a Second Line out there." We'd get up and go outside or maybe just stand on the porch and watch. After five or ten minutes, the whole thing would be over. In a way, it's sacred and beautiful and necessary, but in another way, it's not even a big deal. That it's turned into what it's turned into in New Orleans is a truly sad commentary on the concept of 'civilization' itself. Think about it: a couple of New Orleans musicians were actually arrested for playing music. That's beyond pathetic. —Mtume ya Salaam P.S. To all my New Orleans people: Keep on doing what you wanna! Shake that ass!!!!!!
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 at 11:50 pm and is filed under Classic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
8 Responses to “REBIRTH BRASS BAND / “Do Whatcha Wanna (Part 3)””
October 7th, 2007 at 7:26 am
I’ve never had such a strong sense for how the mood, the feel, the imagination of the city has changed than I’ve had while reading the comments on that article.
October 8th, 2007 at 3:23 am
Asante sana Kalamu for sharing this insightful piece on what is happening, once again, to destroy or at least control, the free flow of African culture. Anthropologically, Second Lining is the heart, soul and cultural essence of Black New Orleans and if you kill it or otherwise constrain its free expression, you kill a people. Getting permits for Second Lines cunjures up the same type of cultural oppression that attempted to crush the creative genius of Monk, Eric Dolphy, Mingus and many other through the use of cabaret cards in New York. I say keep playing the music and keep it strong!
October 8th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
This whole thing sucks in so many ways…the assumption that any gathering of black people will be a riot of drugs and violence…the violation of freedom of assembly…the assumption that it was some white newcomer’s complaint that caused NOPD to over-react…the fact that NOPD over-reacted yet again…. Ray Nagin supposedly grew up in Treme. He should be out there second lining until people get it. Disney World is in Florida.
kalamu sez
chris rose, one of the most popular columnists for the times picayune, the daily n.o. newspaper, wrote an opinion on the secondline shutdown. among other things he said: "The day you need permission to beat a drum, shake a tambourine and stream hot air out of the fat end of the brass down in Treme is the day the music dies."
October 9th, 2007 at 7:03 am
So I’ve heard the Rebirth before. I’ve got some tracks they guested on in a Maceo album. But, though I meant to, I never did get around to exploring their music. So thanks Kalamu. This is nice. As ever, this kind of music reminds me of traditional street Mbalax in Dakar, Senegal.
And “Feel like funkin’ it up” reminds me big time of Bill Doggett’s “Hold it”.
MUST get some Rebirth.
MG
October 9th, 2007 at 7:16 am
PS Forgot to say how much I liked it that the rhythm on theses cuts was so much looser than on the Maceo album.
MG
October 11th, 2007 at 11:54 am
You know, I saw Soul Rebels at Summerstage in Central Park this summer. I was very excited to hear them and they sounded great. Halfway through the set I turned to my friends–also New Orleanians–and asked them if they thought Soul Rebels were going to play any classics. By classics, of course, I meant big songs from when I was in high school. Specifically I wanted to hear “It Ain’t My Fault” and, you guessed it, “Do What You Wanna.” For the rest of the concert we screamed the names of those tunes in vain. They didn’t play those classics. As the concert went on, they veered away from tradition and played top 40 hits and a few rock songs. They were playing crossover tunes, I guess, maybe not realizing that a few exiles and expats were in the audience jonesing for a little nostalgia.
Now that y’all gone and done gave me what I was asking for, Imma download it tonight! thanks.
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