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| Jazz Band Plays New Orleans Funeral Music To Cheer Up Mourners The trend in trying to make the most gloomy of occasions more joyful is so pronounced that a recent study of 750 people showed one fifth of them wanted Monty Python's 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life' played at their funeral. Whether such a high percentage of clergy would welcome that is another matter. Though the Jazz Not Jazz band hire agency have been supplying New Orleans music at funerals for many years throughout the UK the growth in demand is sudden and unexpected. Leader of the Jazz Not Jazz music agency, Jeff Williams explains: "In my opinion the single biggest factor has been the James Bond film 'Live and Let Die.' There is a New Orleans funeral scene at the opening of the film and this has captured the imagination of people that watched the film. It is nearly always mentioned when a recently deceased's relative contacts us to arrange for a New Orleans Jazz Band to play at the funeral. I think those who remember the film when it was released and upon which it made such an impression are now those of an age, to be blunt, that are dying off hence the demand now." Particular favourites receiving a New Orleans style treatment include 'When The Saints Come Marching In' and 'Didn't He Ramble'. Jazz Not Jazz are able to offer any length of performance required and can offer as many musicians as requested. Their services as well as being deployed to help make funerals more celebratory have even been used by the likes of British Rail to play at 9 different stations to celebrate a new route servicing the South West. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |