“Treme Second Line” (PDF) from the Kermit Ruffins album, We Partyin’ Traditional Style!

When Kermit Ruffins left the Rebirth Brass Band to preserve the Danny Barker traditions of New Orleans jazz, the trumpeter must have had the foresight to see his original tunes take on a timeless legacy. Originally recorded in 1999, “Treme Second Line” encapsulates the festive spirit throughout one of the oldest Black neighborhoods in the United States; a cultural hub for song and dance. However, as early as the formation of Rebirth in the 1980’s, as documented by Matt Sakakeeny, the effects of gentrification within Treme had already hindered the neighborhood’s party to be “right on time,” as Kermit would sing. Blow the whistle, indeed!

Treme native Lucien Barbarin provides the grit on this modified blues form by hanging on the flat third, G-flat, which creates a rub against the I chord, E-flat 7, as well as the IV chord, A-flat 7. Along with his syncopated rhythms and tritone intervals (C & G-flat), Barbarin uses the blues scale to indicate the end of his phrases. Similarly, he uses a nice chromatic line over the V chord, B-flat 7, to suggest a turnaround to the end of his solo.

Here’s a YouTube video of a TV segment featuring the Barbarin family:

Recommended reading: Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans by Matt Sakakeeny. Published by Duke University Press.