Sept. 6 Bethany Beach, Delaware Jazz Funeral has Roots in New Orleans

BETHANY BEACH, DE July 17, 2004 -- The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral, that is held each year on Labor Day Monday at the Bethany Beach Boardwalk, is a celebration at the end of the summer to "bid a fond farewell" to the traditional summer season in this small southern Delaware beach town.

The 2004 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will be celebrated on Labor Day Monday, September 6 with activities beginning about 5:30 p.m. at the North end of the Bethany Beach Boardwalk.

At the Jazz Funeral, spectators go to the Bethany Beach Boardwalk on Labor Day Monday and can join in as a funeral procession of mourners accompanied by a Jazz Band carries a casket with a mannequin representing "Summer of 2004" to its final resting place at the Boardwalk Bandstand.

The focal point of the celebration is the Funeral Procession that usually starts at the North end of the Boardwalk and slowly proceeds to the Boardwalk bandstand to the strains of such songs as "Amazing Grace" played by a Dixieland Band.

"The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is over 15 years old; yet, people still ask me, 'What is the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral?' and 'Where did the idea of the Jazz Funeral come from?'" remarked Kirk Rankin, a longtime Bethany resident who has been a Jazz Funeral participant since its inception and is known as the official Jazz Funeral headstone carrier.

When asked by observers about the origin of the Jazz Funeral, Rankin surmised that these questions are perfectly normal, since the tradition of the Jazz Funeral is native to New Orleans, rather than the Southern Delaware Beach area.

"The idea of the Jazz Funeral in Bethany Beach was originated by Moss Wagner," said Rankin. "For many years, Wagner owned the Bethany Beach Ice Cream Parlor on Garfield Parkway and later Moss' Boss Ice Cream Shop on Atlantic Ave. He was also a former Bethany Beach town councilman who was known for his innovative ideas."

"Moss was directly influenced by the Jazz Funerals held in New Orleans," said Rankin. "He thought it would be a fun activity to celebrate the season's end since we have such as a short season with a definitive beginning and end."

Both Rankin and Wagner often discussed the roots of the Jazz Funeral. In fact, Wagner was the leader of the Jazz Funeral for the first 12 years and dressed for the part as the Grim Reaper. Now Rankin is one of the leaders of the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral.

"We often talked about the New Orleans Jazz Funeral tradition. More accurately, it is a mock funeral with music," Rankin said. "Funerals with music predated the start of jazz, and they continued with the contemporary New Orleans Street-Funk style of brass band, with music and traditions quite different from the older style of funerals."

Although a Jazz Funeral may sound somewhat far removed from what most people are used to, Rankin said that music is a part of life's activities.

"For almost every activity in the life of the individual or community, there is appropriate music," Rankin said. "It is an integral part of life from the hour of birth to beyond the grave."

The roots of the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral are definitely that of New Orleans.

"One of the more distinguishing aspects of New Orleans Culture is the Jazz Funeral," Rankin said. "Architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe noted in 1919 that the New Orleans Jazz funerals were, ‘peculiar to New Orleans alone among all American cities.'"

"The late jazzman Danny Barker, writing in his book Bourbon Street Blues, noted the funeral is seen as 'a major celebration.' The roots of the Jazz Funeral date back to Africa over four centuries ago."

There is also an important societal consideration that made the original Jazz Funerals a meaningful part of the social fabric of the times.

"Throughout history, the idea of providing a proper burial to your fellow brother or sister is a strong one," Rankin said. "As time passed, this became one of the basic principles of the social and pleasure clubs that many New Orleans citizens were members of."

"The social and pleasure club guaranteed proper burial conditions as did many fraternal orders and lodges to any member who passed. These organizations were precursors to the concept of burial insurance and the debit insurance companies."

The practice of having music during funeral processions was added to the basic pattern of celebration for most aspects of life, including death.

As the brass band became increasingly popular during the early 19th century, they were frequently called on to play processional music that included funerals, Rankin said.

"There is a great quote by Sidney Bechet, a renowned New Orleans jazzman, after he observed the celebration of a jazz funeral," Rankin said. "Bechet said, 'Music here is as much a part of death as it is of life.'"

One might say the traditional New Orleans Jazz Funeral is as much a part of the fabric and rich cultural traditions of New Orleans as red beans and rice.
         
"While those who visit Bethany Beach during the summer seem to prefer French fries and ice cream cones to red beans and rice, there is still a need to say good bye to a friend we will not see until the next year -- the summer season in Bethany Beach," Rankin surmised. "Being part of the Jazz Funeral is like taking part in one of the social traditions of Bethany Beach."

Part of saying good bye is having a Dixieland Band on hand. To help bury the Summer of 2004, a four piece New Orleans-style Dixieland Jazz band, the Dixie Cats, will provide the entertainment.

Although it is a Jazz Funeral tradition to not announce the official Jazz Funeral Parade Route in advance, this year's procession, accompanied by the music of the Dixie Cats, will most likely start at the north end of the Bethany Boardwalk about 5:30 p.m. on Labor Day Monday, September 6 and travel south down the Boardwalk to the Bethany Beach Bandstand at Garfield Parkway and the Boardwalk.

The annual Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral on Sept. 6 begins with a private "Wake" at about 5 p.m. The "Solemn Procession" follows at 5:30 p.m. At the conclusion of the event, a reception will be held for Jazz Funeral participants, guests and onlookers at a local restaurant where the Dixie Cats will also perform a few songs to officially end the event.

The 2004 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is a "Labor Day Farewell to Summer" Parade and Celebration that is free to the public. Anyone interested in helping out with the event or for general information, please call and leave a message at 302-537-1585.





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