I remember my first Jazz Funeral like it was yesterday, March 17th 1994 jazz great Danny Barker was laid to rest at St. Louis Cemetery No.2. It was a hot and muggy day and my first St. Patrick’s day in New Orleans. I remember it well not because I was a Jazz fan but because I was broke and my ex-wife gave me a mere 10 dollars to Celebrate!!!! A callous act I remember thinking to inflict upon an Irishman on this great day of merriment. I felt like I was sliding down the bannister of life with all the splinters pointing in the wrong direction, but little did I know I was to have the most memorable St Patricks day of my life. My friend Dominique a native of Paris France and Robert Fox, a movie producer from L.A. were both hardcore drunks of Bukowskian repute and joined me to celebrate. They explained the symbolism of a second line funeral, of how the music is somber and movements slow as the funeral makes its way to the cemetery , as soon as the casket was placed into the wall vault, there was an eruption of jazz music in stark contrast to the lead up, music that made you want to dance, and everybody did exactly that!!! To symbolize the joyous journey onto the next, a rebirth!!!
Fast forward to 2009 and I was 1yr sober and an active member of AA. I had left the big easy mid September 2005 2 1/2 weeks after Katriona hit and evacuated to Tampa Florida where I finally got sober 10/17/08. I had been contacted by the FBI and Subpoenaed to give testimony against NOPD in a federal investigation concerning their shooting dead an innocent civilian and my witnessing this cold blooded killing. The afternoon after the Grand Jury I decided to visit some thrift stores before returning to Florida and found myself in a thrift store on lower Decatur street off to one side of the courtyard stood a pile at least 3 feet high of broken brass instruments, musical victims of Katriona battered and patinated from the flood waters. For some reason this reminded me of the day I spent 15 years earlier at Danny Barker’s Jazz funeral and the idea of rebirth! The broken instruments were actually an art piece and given a second lease of life creating visual music if you will—or at least that’s how I interpreted it.
I have always loved antiquing and more so since I got sober. The idea of finding old crusty rusty junk and bringing it back to life again is both fulfilling and purposeful. My happy place right now (and has been for years) is exploring thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets to buy old treasures and repurpose or up purpose into pieces of Art. Throughout the years I have involved the guys here at Steps to Peace and Purpose, whomever is willing to express their creative skills and imagination in a visual form utilizing everything from a washboard to a broken saxophone and everything else between. We all were given gifts I believe and one of the greatest gifts is the ability to explore our potential for happiness once we are willing to embrace the awesome change recovery can give us. I am by no means an artist but the beauty in the art I am involved in creating gives me and others happiness and a feeling of self worth. Recovery for me is living a life beyond my wildest dream, not because I was born wanting to do the things I am doing today, but because after living for many years angry and fearful, I have found a life of peace and purpose and have met many wonderful people along the way.
May you find what brings you Peace and Purpose, and bring some friends with you on your journey
SLAINTE