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OAKLAND — Parasols twirled to the beat, brass band sounds filled the air and rimshots were heard instead of gunshots in East Oakland.
The Oakland Second Line Project made it’s debut last week at Arroyo Viejo Park to the delight of a diverse crowd of nearly a hundred, many who decorated their own umbrellas for the parade.
The Second Line Project was co-founded by M.J.’s Brass Bopper’s bass drummer Nate “Suave” Cameron Jr. and snare drummer Michael “M.J.” Jones, and aims to bring the music and cultural heritage of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in the East Bay through free performances.
“Seeing people of color come out, people of other ethnicities come out and celebrate together, that’s what the second line is all about. It’s just a big fun party,” Jones said.
Second lines originated in New Orleans after the Civil War as African-American and military brass band parade traditions merged. Those who host the second lines and play instruments are the first line, and the second line is the often wildly-dancing, singing and strutting participants who follow behind, sometimes twirling a parasol or white handkerchief. Second lines often happen during funerals, though initially, the band plays a slower-paced hymn or dirge to start out.
“I was glad I was able to hear the sounds of New Orleans and get that New Orleans culture and experience all the way out here so far away from home,” said Ansley Williams, who relocated to the Bay Area from New Orleans two years ago and was a bandmate of Cameron’s in high school.
The guest of honor at the event was Ray “Big Chief” Blazio, Oakland’s only Mardi Gras Indian and a survivor of Hurricane Katrina. Blazio, 77, also known “Hatchet,” has lived in East Oakland for 13 years after riding out the storm on his front porch as the floodwaters rose around his New Orleans’ home.
As a youngster in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward, Blazio grew up around the colorful Mardi Gras Indian culture. In 1961, when he was 21, he joined the Yellow Pocahontas tribe, of which he was a member for nearly a decade. In 1990, Blazio founded the Wild Apache tribe and was appointed big chief, and is now acting chief and will perform while wearing his feather suit at this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 27.
“It’s a beautiful sound and it’s lovely to hear, and it’s lovely to try and get involved with it and understand it,” Blazio said.
The Second Line Project, which was funded by several partners including Oakland Parks and Recreation, plans to do quarterly parades in both Oakland and Richmond neighborhoods, where there is a rich history and ties to the Deep South that stems from World War II when African Americans migrated here to work in the shipyards. For Cameron, it’s about building community and bringing black cultural arts experiences to neighborhoods that wouldn’t traditionally have access to them.
“We love the cultural ties between Deep East Oakland and New Orleans and we wanted to bring it out here,” Cameron said. “That’s what second line is about, everybody being on the same page, the same beat.”
For more information, go to the Second Line Project’s website.
Naazir Magbool, of Oakland, center, and other members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers, along with Mardi Gras Indian chief Ray Blazio, right, parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and other members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers, along with Mardi Gras Indian chief Ray Blazio, right, parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Cameron and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
People dance and children play instruments as members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Naazir Magbool, of Oakland, left, band leader Michael "M.J." Jones, center, Greg Gomez, right, and other members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Valerie Troutt, right, and Miles Head, 10, decorate an umbrella before M.J.'s Brass Boppers parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers, along with Mardi Gras Indian chief Ray Blazio, left, parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Krystle Cameron dances as members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Al Lazard, right, and other members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers, along with Mardi Gras Indian chief Ray Blazio, left, parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr., left center, and other members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Boppers Cameron and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Ansley Williams, center, formerly of New Orleans, parades with M.J.'s Brass Bopper's during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers, along with Mardi Gras Indian chief Ray Blazio, right, parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Rashida Chase and her daughter Micah Chase, 8, listen to M.J.'s Brass Boppers as they parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Band leader Michael "M.J." Jones, left, Joshua Sirotiak, right, and other members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers play during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Jones and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Valerie Troutt, right, and Miles Head, 10, decorate an umbrella before M.J.'s Brass Boppers parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and other members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers prepare to parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Cameron and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Community members listen to M.J.'s Brass Boppers as they prepare to parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Members of M.J.'s Brass Boppers, along with Mardi Gras Indian chief Ray Blazio, left, parade during the Second Line Project's debut at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 11, 2018. The project was co-founded by the Bopper's Nate "Suave" Cameron Jr. and Michael "M.J." Jones, and aims to bring the music and culture of New Orleans to black and brown neighborhoods in Oakland through free performances. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)