Friday, July, 20, 2012
Mahalia Jackson Theater For The Performing Arts
A trifold program for Uncle Lionel's funeral. "Let's just scratch the word 'funeral' and say 'celebration' says a family member named Aunt Ruth during the ceremony.
Rain begins to fall at 10:15 AM; pt meets the man known as "Wild Man" who marches with the Young Men Olympian Jr. Benevolent Association, one of the oldest social aid and benevolent associations, since 1864, a professional photographer informs me. Until recently, "Wild Man" has been the Bone Man in parades, recently he has become the chief leading the club, the photographer informs me.
Crowds gather as the rain pours down; Richard Keller of Hotshot Photographic
Batiste family members gather for the service.
Rain begins to flood the neighborhood
Renard Andre (photo above Left,in white cap) of the Money Wasters Social Aid and Benevolent Association ("Pride of the 6th Ward"); A man waits to dry off before entering the theater.
Pat Jolly musings about Uncle Lionel
You are invited to a second line
celebration for Uncle Lionel Batiste
Beginning at 11am
Monday, July 23, 2012
at Charbonnet - Labat - Glapion Funeral Home
1615 Saint Philip St
New Orleans, LA 70116
Internment following the jazz procession
Mount Olivet Cemetery
4100 Norman Mayer Blvd., New Orleans, LA
"Uncle" Lionel Batiste
vocalist and longtime bass drummer for the Treme Brass Band
Since Uncle Lionel's death on June 8, 2012, there have been many musical tributes most nights in New Orleans and second line parades every night in Treme, usually starting at Tuba Fats Square by the Candlelight Lounge where the Treme Brass Band has been playing every Wednesday night since its completed renovation after Katrina.
For those of you that did not attend the wake for Uncle Lionel, his son Lionel, Jr. (original bass drummer of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band) requested that his father be embalmed standing up in his dapper duds greeting his beloved family, friends and fans for the last time. Thousands streamed past in the day long viewing.
A jubilant second line parade, led by the Baby Boys Brass Band combined with many musicians from Treme and other wards of the city, took off from the funeral home promptly at 5pm. Not many were observing as most walked, strutted, danced ans sang.
The crowd was a mixture as well, mostly from the neighborhood but many wards were represented in the gumbo way that New Orleanians open their arms to embrace all whether friends or strangers sharing their love and respect for Uncle Lionel through music and celebration.
Shannon Powell had planned a musical tribute at his home after the wake but the due to the large crowd and heavy rain Charbonnet allowed them to use the back room for the event after they moved the too familiar memorabilia, placed Uncle Lionel in the casket and cleared the hall. It was quite a celebration with almost every person not playing an instrument dancing while an almost life sized cardboard cutout of Uncle Lionel stood center smiling at the hoopla.
The funeral celebrating Uncle Lionel's life Saturday, June 21st at Mahalia Jackson Auditorium defies description. I would have to use the word amazing too often! The most important aspect was the continual outpouring of love and tributes in every form. A once in a lifetime indoor parade circling all aisles of the auditorium was an intense joyful celebration. Every cultural aspect of our extraordinary community was represented through music, dancing, laughter, smiles and tears.
At the end of the funeral Louis Charbonnet announced that Uncle Lionel was usually the last to leave the party so in keeping with his tradition, the party would be extended because the burial would have to be postponed due to flooding of the cemetery. In what may be the longest celebration of death in New Orleans history, there will be yet another second line Monday, July 23, 2012 beginning at 11am at Charbonnet Funeral Home on St Philip Street at the corner of Claiborne Avenue in Treme to complete the internment at Mount Olivet Cemetery.
You may think that the jazz funeral (which many refer to as the second line) was canceled due to the announcement of the one taking place next Monday. Even though there were few cars traveling on the streets through the endless torrential downpour and street flooding, there were dozens of drenched musicians and a crowd of revelers following for several hours continuing the joyful traditional commemoration of life and death New Orleans style.
The repast was help as Sweet Lorraine's. As well as his huge family in attendance, Uncle Lionel is survived by two siblings. His sister Miriam Batiste Reed is 86. She is the last living member of the original Baby Dolls because she starting parading with her mother when a child. We miss her because she has lived with her son in Alabama since Katrina. You will easily recognize his brother Norman Batiste because he is also dapper in his stylish attire and lively in movement and mannerisms like Uncle Lionel.
Everyone loved Uncle Lionel!!! You did not even have to know him to be touched by his joy, effervescence and fun loving celebrations of life.
Personally, I am grateful to have been gifted with time spent with Uncle Lionel and feel very close to him because we spent almost every day together for several weeks after he lost everything in Katrina. I worked for the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic (NOMC) about six months after the hurricane with the mission to create jobs/?gigs? where musicians/bands would be assured of being paid once a week in order for them to get all of their band members back to New Orleans, and also to help them find places to live at a time when finding housing was treacherous and sadly expensive! Through the the untiring work of Bethany Bultman and the Musicians' Clinic, we were given a few apartments to relocate musicians so I got Uncle Lionel into the Christopher Inn on Royal and Frenchmen streets, which normally had a 2 year waiting list >>> the perfect place for him since he could walk out his door and be enveloped in music, fans and new people to charm and entertain. After completing all that paper work, we went shopping and shopping and shopping to purchase everything for his new apartment and there are tales to tell!!! I also placed Al (Carnival Time) Johnson in the Christopher Inn so the cycle was repeated.
You may think that everyone loved Uncle Lionel because they knew him or perhaps others simply were present to experiencing his love of life and cute ways of showing his pleasure. But he could charm a crowd of strangers!!!
One day I took both Uncle Lionel and Al Johnson furniture shopping in a big resale store. I walked to the back of the store because I heard Al singing. He had found a keyboard that he set up on the washing machines to play and was entertaining a crowd. I walked back to the front of the store where I left Uncle Lionel because his first desire was to buy a great rocking chair. He found one and a crowd found him. He was sitting holding court surrounded by a dozen people listing in awe to his story telling. Those two adorable New Orleans characters were doing their doo >>> entertaining the masses. The entire store was filled with laughter.
Bethany was a visionary. Even though she had never shopped at a Walmart, she got the idea after Katrina that the best way she could help all of the musicians living is so many different locations was to buy a $10.000 batch of Walmart gift cards in $250 increments to send to them. It was such a brilliant ides since most cities and towns have a Walmart. It was and important gift because most left New Orleans thinking they would only be away a day or few and everyone needed to buy so many items for their new displaced lives.
Many were generous. There were fundraisers in several cities and money was sent to the clinic that first year from all over the world!!! I got Julian Mutter at Doer Furniture to give both Al and Lionel $1000 beds and he also volunteered to give them each a $600 credit to a resale shop represented by a charity he supports. John Burr gave Uncle Lionel a $600 credit to The Other Hand, an uptown clothing shop so he could begin reconstructing his famous wardrobe. Uncle Lionel was known for wearing $600 shoes and he was thrilled to find an almost new pair that fit him perfectly so he sang and danced all through the isles crammed with racks of clothes.
I have prayed to thank God at least 50 times for allowing me to be born in New Orleans and to know so many wonderful people!!! I cannot imagine that there is another place in the world that allows all of us to be whoever we want to be without being judged for our actions as long as we do not hurt ourselves or anyone else.
Actually, Uncle Lionel and I were already great buddies because I took Treme to Europe three times and traveling and living in hotels together forms an almost family bond ..... So this has been very emotional for me. As I sit here writing I am thinking that only Uncle Lionel could give me this last gift of smiling and crying at the same time.
Lovingly,
Pat Jolly
Donations to the "Uncle" Lionel Memorial Fund to assist the family with medical and funeral expenses
* Go to any Liberty Bank and Trust Branch
www.LibertyBank.net
* Donations can also be mailed to:
"Uncle" Lionel Memorial Fund
c/o Liberty Bank and Trust
P.O. Box 60131
New Orleans, LA 70160-0131
* go to www.Treme2012.com and press "Donate
* Buy a poster at www.Treme2012.com
and $10 will be donated to the fund
Posted by: Pat Jolly | December 05, 2012 at 01:04 PM