Music #33 - New Orleans Jazz (2)

New Orleans Jazz

1910-1940

“The first black jazz bands were large marching groups that were often called upon to play for funeral processions or Mardi Gras celebrations. 
        Later, smaller groups were formed to play in the bars and whorehouse of the notorious Storyville district (1897-1917), and it is from them that the Dixieland ensemble took shape.”

Mardi Gras

In 1699, the French explorers brought this French heritage of Mardi Gras to New Orleans. It is now the biggest carnival in America, with more than 2 million participants each year.
- Mardi Gras, meaning 'Fat Tuesday' in French, is always 47 days before Easter Sunday
- New Orleans was named after a Duke of Orléans [ɔʁleɑ̃] in France  (see footnote)
- Louisiana (New France) was named after King Louis XIV of France

The other 2 cities famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations are Venice of Italy and Rio de Janeiro of Brazil. So far, I only have the fortune to have watched the Mardi Gras procession at Sydney in 2004 - eye opening it was! 
 
In the old days, before Easter Sunday, there was a 47-day pre-Easter fast period :-

-         the Forty-Day Fast (aka Easter Fast), when people ate dry food and vegetables, once a day at 3 pm, 

-         the Holy Week, when people had special diet, as corporeal and spiritual fast.

 

But right before the pre-Easter Fast, there was a 2-week festival period, when people ate, drank and been merry, with masquerade balls and costume parties. The last day of this 2-week festival period is the Mardi Gras Day. 

* Highlights 2012 - with some jazz

* Highlights 1962 - with jazz

In New Orleans, there are daily parades, up to 4 on Sundays. The parades will go through Garden District (traditional and European) and Canal Street (with French Quarter). 

The spectators shout, “Throw me something, Mister!”  Beads (actually necklaces) and other stuffs were thrown from the floats to the spectators who got their attention. 

* ‘Beads!’ ‘Beads!’ ‘Beads!’ 

* Float throwing beads

Those who got beads will move to jam the infamous Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. 

A young guy might shout, “Show your tits.” to any gal on the street, and show off the beads he was carrying.  

If the gal would like one or more of them, she would flash (lift up her clothes to show her tits), and then walk away with the beads. Fortunately, the police is banning this indecent behavior.

* Flashing for Beads

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* "New Orleans (La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718, by the French Mississippi Company. It was named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was Regent of France (for Louis 15^th) at the time. His title came from the French city of Orléans. The French colony was ceded to the Spanish Empire in the Treaty of Paris (1763) and remained under Spanish control until 1801, when it reverted to French control. Napoleon sold the territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Thereafter, the city grew rapidly with influxes of Americans, French, Creoles, Irish, Germans and Africans."   

* Easter Sunday is determined each year by Vatican, using the lunar calendar(!).