Jazz Religion, the Second Line, and Black New Orleans - Softcover

Students of 'popular religion' will find in Turner's work a fascinating study of a religious tradition flourishing almost entirely outside of institutional boundaries, while those with an interest in the history of jazz or the city of New Orleans will find gems of insight valuable to students of both. -- Andrew Smith * Vanderbilt University * If you are interested in New Orleans jazz, Voodoo, Haiti, and what underlies these important topics, this is definitely the book to have on hand for frequent reference. The author has done a splendid job, and the reader will find this book a helpful treasure of reading material.July 9, 2010 * jazzreview.com * [A]n outstanding study of jazz religion and the second line in New Orleans, the 'most African city' in the US. This study is both personal and academic ... Highly recomended.March 2010 * Choice * Jazz Religion, the Second Line, and Black New Orleans is a provocative examination of the role of religion and music in modern American culture with a particular focus on the way that history hasw forced change in complex communities. * Southern Quarterly *

In his new book, Richard Brent Turner explores the history and contemporary significance of the popular religious traditions, identities, and performance forms celebrated in the second lines of the jazz street parades of black New Orleans. The second line is the group of dancers who follow the first procession of church and club members, brass bands, and grand marshals. Here musical and religious traditions interplay. Turner's book examines the relationship of jazz to indigenous religion and spirituality. It explores how the African diasporist religious identities and musical traditions from Haiti and West and Central Africa are reinterpreted in New Orleans jazz and popular religious performances. And it describes how the participants in the second line create their own social space, while becoming proficient in the arts of political disguise, resistance, and performance. Jazz Religion, the Second Line, and Black New Orleans fills an important gap in the scholarship on urban folk religion, and music and religion in New Orleans.