Second Line

Second Line
Name	Second Line
Background	ensemble
Origin	New Orleans
Genres	Jazz, Brass band
Years active	19th century–present
Instruments	Trumpet, Trombone, Sousaphone, Snare drum, Bass drum, Saxophone, Clarinet

Second Line

Second Line refers to a participatory parade tradition rooted in New Orleans African American and Creole communities, associated with funerals, jazz funerals, social aid and pleasure clubs, and civic celebrations. It blends musical practices from West Africa, Cuba, Haiti, and European military band traditions, producing distinctive syncopated brass band arrangements and call-and-response street performance. Second Line events connect institutions such as the Mardi Gras Indians, St. Augustine Church (New Orleans), and organizations like the Big Nine Social Aid & Pleasure Club with public rituals from the 19th century to contemporary festivals.

History

Second Line traditions emerged in the 19th century in New Orleans amid interactions between free people of color, enslaved Africans, and immigrant communities from France, Spain, and the Caribbean. Early antecedents include the brass band parades of the Creole community, military-style marching bands returning from the American Civil War, and African-derived processional customs brought via the Transatlantic slave trade. Institutions such as social aid societies—like the Eureka Hall, Social Aid and Pleasure Club, and the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club—formalized processions for wakes, funerals, and benefit dances. The evolution continued through the 20th century with influences from Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and the commercial rise of Dixieland and Rhythm and Blues, intersecting with civil rights-era parades and the expanding tourism economy centered on French Quarter festivities.

Musical Characteristics

Second Line music is characterized by syncopation, polyrhythms, and collective improvisation drawing on New Orleans jazz and brass band repertoire. Repertoire often includes funeral dirges, hymns like "Just a Closer Walk with Thee", popular tunes adapted by Bunk Johnson or King Oliver, and contemporary arrangements influenced by Fats Domino and Dr. John. The rhythmic backbone is provided by parade drumming patterns traceable to West African batá and street drumming, while melodic devices echo the improvisational vocabulary of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. Harmonies and arrangements may reference ragtime syncopations popularized by Scott Joplin and street adaptations tied to marching traditions of United States Colored Troops veterans.

Cultural Significance and Traditions

Second Line events function as rites of passage, communal mourning, and public celebration within neighborhoods such as Treme, Bywater, and Lower Ninth Ward. Social aid and pleasure clubs, exemplified by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's milieu and by clubs like The Treme Brass Band, codify roles, dress codes, and dance steps. Ritual elements include patterned handkerchief waving, umbrella flourishing linked to Mardi Gras Indian aesthetics, and designated mourning and rejoicing phases reflecting syncretic religious influences from Roman Catholic Church parochial life, Vodou practices from Haiti, and Santería syncretism. Second Line participation has been central to civic responses to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and to cultural preservation efforts spearheaded by entities like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Instrumentation and Roles

Typical instrumentation centers on brass and percussion: trumpet and cornet lead melodies, trombone supplies tailgating slides and counterlines, saxophone and clarinet add ornamentation, and sousaphone or tuba anchors the bass line. Percussion roles include snare drum rudiments derived from military drumming, bass drum downbeats, and cymbal accents. Roles within the procession are socially codified: the lead band or grand marshal organizes the formation; the umbrella- or parasol-bearing "dancing members" perform call-and-response moves established by clubs like The Wild Magnolias; and the "second liners"—followers and dancers—sustain the crowd energy. Bandleaders such as Danny Barker and Kid Ory historically shaped the arrangement practices and street choreography.

Regional Variations

While originating in New Orleans, Second Line-like processions appear with local variations across the Louisiana Gulf Coast and in diaspora communities in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles. In St. Louis and Houston, brass band parades incorporate regional blues and soul influences, while in New York City Caribbean diasporic inflections from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica add calypso and reggae rhythms. In Cuba and Haiti, comparable processional rites emphasize bata drumming and religious processionals, aligning with New Orleans forms through historic shipping and migration links. Preservation efforts by institutions like the Historic New Orleans Collection document variant archives, while contemporary bands fuse second line styles with genres championed by Wynton Marsalis and Trombone Shorty.

Notable Second Line Bands and Events

Prominent ensembles and events include the Treme Brass Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Hot 8 Brass Band, and The Soul Rebels, each influential in national tours and recordings. Annual events featuring second line culture include the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Mardi Gras parades, the funerary jazz honors in St. Augustine Parish neighborhoods, and localized social aid club parades such as those organized by the Zulus, Black Men of Labor, and Big 6. Landmark performances by artists like Mahalia Jackson, Professor Longhair, and Irma Thomas have intersected with second line settings, while media portrayals in films connected to Spike Lee-era documentaries and programs by NPR and BBC have increased national visibility.

Category:Music of New Orleans Category:Brass bands