John A. Provenzano in New Orleans - November, 1917

from Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It, pages 63-64:

Then, in 1917, came the death march of the famous Red Light District, played by the order of the Secretary of the Navy, Daniels.

The scene was pitiful. Basin Street, Franklin, Iberville, Bienville, and St Louis became a veritable shambles of Negro and white prostitutes moving out. With all they had in the world reposing in two-wheel carts or on wheelbarrows, pushed by Negro boys or old men, the once Red Light Queens were making their way out of Storyville to the strains of "Nearer My God to Thee" played by a massed combination of all the Negro jazzmen of the Red Light dance …   more >>

cite as

Nat Hentoff and Nat Shapiro, Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It (London, 1992), p. 63-64. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1436021768870 accessed: 29 March, 2024

location of experience: New Orleans

Listeners

John A. Provenzano
Clarinetist
1897-1972

Listening to

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Nearer my God to thee performed by New Orleans jazzmen

Experience Information

Date/Time November, 1917
Medium live
Listening Environment in the company of others, outdoors, in public

Originally submitted by 5011Henning on Sat, 04 Jul 2015 15:56:09 +0100
Approved on Tue, 30 Aug 2016 11:36:38 +0100