A New Orleans-style funeral, also known as a Jazz Funeral is a term to describe the funerary traditions associated with “the Big Easy.”
A typical “funeral with music” as the locals prefer to call it, starts with a march of the family, friends, hearse and brass band from the funeral home to the cemetery, with the band playing somber tunes.
After the deceased is laid to rest, the band changes tone to a more upbeat rhythm meant to celebrate the life of the deceased, and there is dancing to honor the dead.