Jazz Religion, the Second Line, and Black Ne Orleans [Paperback]

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A well-written, well-researched, thoughtful, and generative book.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.Turner straddles religions, music, the performance arts, languages, nationalities, and identities skillfully . . . with aplomb, with brio, in a language all his own that sings.

Richard Brent Turner is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Iowa and author of Islam in the African-American Experience (IUP, 2003).

[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

Preface

Introduction: Follow the Second Line
1. The HaitiNew Orleans Vodou Connection: Zora Neale Hurston as Initiate Observer
2. Mardi Gras Indians and Second Lines, Sequin Artists and Rara Bands: Street Festivals and Performances in New Orleans and Haiti

Interlude: The Healing Arts of African Diasporic Religion

3. In Rhythm with the Spirit: New Orleans Jazz Funerals and the African Diaspora
Epilogue. A Jazz Funeral for A City That Care Forgot : The New Orleans Diaspora after Hurricane Katrina

Notes
Bibliography
Index

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, 2010Students of 'popular religion' will find in Turners 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.