New Orleans Style Jazz Funerals

The band specializes in performing New Orleans Style Jazz Funerals, either at the funeral service site or the burial service or both.  The performances use four to seven musicians (based on your budget) playing traditional Dixieland and/or gospel songs  We start off by playing slow dirges before the service, traditional hymns during the service and integrated into it, and then pick up the tempo at the end to celebrate the life lived, often with a second line procession.  The family has the opportunity to select the songs it wants, and to suggest other ones they might want played.  We work with the funeral director and/or clergy to integrate our playing with the service.

In the funeral home or memorial service location, we usually play in a fixed location.  We play the dirges as a prelude to the service as visitors enter and are seated.  During the service we play the hymns or pieces selected on cue, and at the end of the service pick up the paces in celebration.  The band stays in place until the end.  The instrumentation is usually clarinet, bass, keyboard (piano) and drums, adding trumpet, trombone and banjo as desired.

At the burial site we can become a marching unit, leading the procession accompanying the casket (or urn) from its transport site, playing dirges until the gravesite is reached.  Family and friends follow us and then assemble.  We played the selected hymns during the burial service and afterward pick up the pace and celebrate as we march in procession back to the original site.  As a marching unit the instrumentation is clarinet, tuba, banjo and field drum, adding trumpet, trombone and bass drum as desired.

Examples of some selections that we play:

Dirges                         Hymns                                          Celebrations

In the Garden                       Just a Closer Walk with Thee                Just a Little While to Stay Here

Amazing Grace                    We Shall Walk Through the Valley      When the Saints Go Marching In

The Old Rugged Cross        Precious Lord                                         Over in the Gloryland

In the Sweet Bye and Bye   Selected Hymns                                      Oh! Didn't He Ramble

For information, scheduling and pricing contact Mike Ritter by phone (703-635-6050) or email to rfco@earthlink.net