felix blume: death in haiti funeral brass bands & sounds from port au prince

15 dead, 15 funerals, 16 funeral processions, one procession with no dead, five churches, one cemetery, onewake. 15 hours of recorded sounds are condensed into a vivid sound portrait depicting the way funerals and burials are lived in Haiti. Recorded in Port au Prince by sound artist Félix Blume in early December 2016, this plunges the listener into a world of pain, loss, and solemn celebration as each funeral comprises its own live jazz band as well as a plethora of characters like the joker ("le blaguer") who cracks jokes and tales about the recently deceased. A beautiful document of a thriving tradition, a counterpart or updated version of those famous dirge jazz records such as the New Orleans Eureka Brass Band on Folkways. Félix Blume is a sound artist and sound engineer. His personal work is based on field-recordings and uses sound as a raw source, in sound pieces, radio plays, videos, actions, and installations. Features Maestro Walter's Brass Band, Maestro Midouin, Maestro Turenne's Brass Band, and Maestro Ronald's Brass Band.