Bear Memorial Parade Pix

[infrogmation]

A friend just pointed me to a website with pix of some friends of mine and I on 30 Sept, when we had our Memorial Tumble Parade for our departed trumpet playing comrade "Bear" Lemonie (see 12 Sept Journal), late king of the Carnival Krewes of MOMs, Dreiux, & Kosmic Debris.

It's the "Birdsong Photography" site. The front page has a picture of the wreath traditionally cast into the river along with pix of the band roving through the French Quarter giving Bear his musical send off. More photos of this procession at Farewell To Bear, "The Tumble Continues" and "More Tumble". Includes several views of Froggy playing his silver trombone and wearing his characteristic pink shirt with a pattern of green frogs. The object seen sticking out of my band cap in some pictures is a local tourist postcard depicting Bear playing on the "Moonwalk" riverfront park-- where we threw the wreath and other memorial objects.

At one of Ms. J's Kiddie-Pool Parties I recall having a long talk with Bear where he talked about how he was a fellow pacifist, and how war experiences had messed up his father for the rest of his life. In honor of those beliefs, the march included a detour to the front of the Catherdral on Jackson Square, where a Vietnam Vet Against Another Vietnam War was on a pro-Peace hunger strike. There we played and sang "Down By the River Side... Ain't Gonna Study War No More".

Comments

[ex-corax898.livejournal.com]

Wow, you really are pretty cool. Nothing beats playing jazz in the French Quarter. I still do it sometimes in the summer when I go back home to visit.

Trombone was the first instrument I learned to play, way back in junior high school. What kind of horn do you have?

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

"Wow, you really are pretty cool."

Hey, we New Orleanians just can't help being cool :-)

"Nothing beats playing jazz in the French Quarter. I still do it sometimes in the summer when I go back home to visit."

What do you play? (I see bass, banjo, and flute listed in your interests.)

"Trombone was the first instrument I learned to play, way back in junior high school. What kind of horn do you have?"

It's an old Conn 4H from 1925. I picked it up in a pawn shop years ago, looking for something cheap I could play on the street without worrying too much if it got a few dents in it. In the shop it was covered with grime, but the slide worked fine and was airtight, and it just looked to me like a horn with character. I didn't even know until I got it home and started to clean it up that it was silver. I love that horn.

[ex-corax898.livejournal.com]

What do you play? (I see bass, banjo, and flute listed in your interests.)

I play all of those instruments and love them (especially playing jazz on the tenor banjo), but my main instrument for a long time now has been guitar. I play all kinds of music on guitar, but especially love playing jazz in the style of Lonnie Johnson, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt etc.

I also do a lot of Delta styles like Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Robert Johnson, John Mooney etc. In addittion to all that, there are a few other instruments (piano, hammer dulcimer, fiddle etc.) that I can sratch out a few tunes on.

It's an old Conn 4H from 1925. I picked it up in a pawn shop years ago, looking for something cheap I could play on the street without worrying too much if it got a few dents in it

That's very cool. My old trombone was a Conn, though nothing so romantic as yours. In high school, I also spent a year or two playing an old bass trombone that belonged to the school. It had an old copper-plated bell that I always loved. I tried to buy it from the district, but they refused to sell.

I haven't played trombone in quite a few years, but all this talk has made me want to go out and get one. I'm sure my chops are in the toilet right now, but a few months of working on my embouchure could make me passable again ;)

[phanatic.livejournal.com]

Man, that looks fun. When I went down to Nawrleans, I wanted to bring my horn, but I just plain didn't have the stones to do it. Spent lots of time listening to this combo featuring a big fat black guy on tuba who could do a pretty decent Louis Armstrong.

What a great town.

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

"Man, that looks fun. When I went down to Nawrleans, I wanted to bring my horn, but I just plain didn't have the stones to do it."

What do you play?

At this years Bastile Day Parade, we wound up having a band without a tuba. When we hit Bourbon Street we saw a guy walking down the street with a tuba. Bear yelled out, "Hey! You with the tuba! Get in with the band!". He did.
We talked with the tuba player on a break-- it turns out he was visiting town from somewhere in the midwest, he brought his tuba with him in hopes he might be able to sit in with A Real New Orleans Jazz Band. He hadn't known there would be a parade that evening. He just had a dream come true.

" Spent lots of time listening to this combo featuring a big fat black guy on tuba who could do a pretty decent Louis Armstrong."

Tuba Fats, presumably.

"What a great town."

Thanks, I like to think so. Where else would have parades for Bastile Day, the 4th of July, Queen Elizabeth's Birthday, and 5 de Mayo? (Are you in favor of monarchy or against it? Do you root for the French or against them? Whatever your choice, we've got a parade for you...)