Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans

Roll With It is a firsthand account of the precarious lives of musicians in the Rebirth, Soul Rebels, and Hot 8 brass bands of New Orleans. These young men are celebrated as cultural icons for upholding the proud traditions of the jazz funeral and the second line parade, yet they remain subject to the perils of poverty, racial marginalization, and urban violence that characterize life for many black Americans. Some achieve a degree of social mobility while many more encounter aggressive policing, exploitative economies, and a political infrastructure that creates insecurities in healthcare, housing, education, and criminal justice. The gripping narrative moves with the band members from back street to backstage, before and after Hurricane Katrina, always in step with the tap of the snare drum, the thud of the bass drum, and the boom of the tuba.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Duke University Press
Published: 10/30/2013
ISBN: 9780822355670
Pages: 248
Weight: 1.03lbs
Size: 9.04h x 6.08w x 0.52d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2013
Library Journal 11/01/2013 pg. 104
Choice 05/01/2014