Administrivia: January 2008 Archives
Today's parade was the Krewe of Alla. "Alla" is a contraction of "Algiers, LA." It has no religious references, and Alla has a companion parade on the west bank, the Krewe of Grela. "Grela" is short for "Gretna, LA." I've been assured that, when people cross the Crescent City Connection to go to the Grela parade, Gretna cops don't fire shotguns over their heads.
West bank parades are much more laid back than either Uptown or Metairie parades. The crowds are smaller, there are little to no tourists, and the cops are NOPD.
Politicians lead off these neighborhood parades. Several of them have purchased vintage cars to ride in, so they actually contribute something interesting to the parade.
Mardi Gras was patriotic before Republicans tried to hijack patriotism for their own purposes. Alla featured units from the Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and here, the LA ANG.
The Marine Reserve Force Band, New Orleans (formerly the USMC 4th Air Wing Band), leads of many carnival parades. They're based at Naval Support Activity New Orleans, which is in Algiers, so Alla is their neighborhood parade
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Time for the music! The lead band was a familiar one, the "Marching 100" of St. Augustine High School. St. Augustine is a Catholic, all-boys, all-black (the PC term here would be "historically black,¨ but I don't think there are any white boys at St. Aug) high school, 9-12. Their band is the pride of the school. There are schools where band kids are not considered to be high on the social ladder, but a young man in the Marching 100 has just as much status in the school as a young man on the football team. Possibly even more.
The St. Aug drum majors. The school is located on a section of London Avenue that was re-named in honor of A. P. Tureaud, New Orleans civil rights leader and St. Aug graduate. The school got a lot of water in the storm, and many of the band's uniforms and instruments were ruined. The band looks really sharp now.
Pride and discipline are hallmarks of the Marching 100. Personally, I didn't like St. Augustine when I was in high school. When I say that to folks now, they get uncomfortable, waiting to see if my dislike is racial in some way. I'll follow up that look immediately by saying "I went to Brother Martin." It wasn't a black or white thing with us--it was neighborhood. We just didn't like each other much.
Here's my school. I graduated in 1976, my firstborn in 2006 (the storm year), and my youngest is an 8th grader this year. He's in the second row behind the drums, can't see him here. When the bands were lining up, St. Augustine and O. Perry Walker, an Algiers public high school, formed up next to each other. They had a mini band-battle in the parking lot of a gas station. The Brother Martin band passed on joining in the competition--a corps-style band just can't keep up with a pair of high-stepping bands in the public eye.
Here are some of the auxilliary units from O. Perry Walker. The school is part of the Algiers Charter School Association, which administers schools in Algiers since the storm. The Catholic schools are same-sex, so the boys schools don't have the girls dance teams. Some of the high school bands are weak because the law says kids only have to attend school until they're 16. The public middle schools usually have bigger music programs as a result. Many of the middle school band directors will identify the boys with serious talent and connect their parents with the Fathers at St. Augustine, to get them into the Marching 100. Walker has come back strong from the storm, and their pride is visible on the street.
George Washington Carver High School's band. Carver is located in the Upper Ninth, next to what used to be the Desire projects. Another school that got really messed up by the storm, Carver is struggling to come back. Their band uniforms are just warm-up suits this year, but their instruments are all new and their sound is great. Carver High is fed from Carver Middle (located right next door).
In addition to the school bands, several professional groups ride in the parade. The bands will put together a little trailer and ride along, belting out anything from traditional Dixieland jazz to swamp pop.
In addition to bands, other marching units make up a Carnival parade. Junior ROTC drill teams are popular, because they'll do various rifle and marching maneuvers as they walk the route. This is the AFJROTC unit from West Jefferson High School. The Air Force played it smart in New Orleans when it came to hooking up with high schools. The Marines went for status by starting a MJROTC unit at Jesuit High School. The Navy did the same with Brother Martin. That left the public schools to the Army and Air Force. The Air Force started programs in the Jefferson Paris high schools, and they've been very successful. Instead of training and leading by example at a Catholic school where public university tuition is actually cheaper than the high school tuition, the USAF units are at schools where young men and women will actually enlist, to get the education benefits.
Mardi Gras may be about music, but it's also about catching beads and doubloons. Here's a neat float passing by.
"Throw me something, Mister!"
John Mac! John McDonough High School, located on Esplanade Avenue, near N. Broad. Not to be confused with McDonough #35 High School, John Mac is another high school on the rebound
One of John Mac's dance teams. Gotta love those coats and the second-line umbrellas. Gorgeous!
Pretty much speaks for itself, in terms of the loyalties of the krewe members. Many of the young men and women from these photos will continue their music careers at the collegiate level. Some will go to LSU's band, others to Southern's, still others to various colleges and universities across the country. There will also be kids who follow different paths than college, like Harry Connick, Jr., did after graduating from Jesuit, or Branford Marsalis did after graduating from De La Salle. These young men and women are the future of New Orleans music, and it's still sounding pretty good.
