<I>Didn't We Ramble On </I>
date: label: Date
content: 1989
name: label: Directed by
content: Billy Jackson, American
label: Subject of
content: Dizzy Gillespie, American, 1917 - 1993
label: Subject of
content: James Reese Europe, American, 1881 - 1919
label: Subject of
content: Florida A&M University, American, founded 1887
label: Subject of
content: Danny Barker, American, 1909 - 1994
label: Owned by
content: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
notes: label: Caption
content: "Didn't We Ramble On" is a documentary by Billy Jackson about the tradition of marching bands in African American culture. It focuses particularly on the historical roots of marching bands in West African culture and features narration by Dizzy Gillespie.
label: Caption
content: This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
label: Description
content: A documentary film with the title Didn't We Ramble On. Directed by Billy Jackson, the documentary explores the tradition of marching bands in African American culture. It focuses particularly on the historical roots of marching bands in West African culture and features narration by Dizzy Gillespie. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm acetate film with optical sound.
label: Description
content: The film begins with shots of a marching band at a stadium intercut with shots of various forms of unidentified West African musical and dance traditions. Narration by Dizzy Gillespie begins near the end of the intercut shots. He describes the passing down of memory and tradition through music and dance. As he describes how this "spirit" survives, shots of a New Orleans second line parade are shown. Next, the title cards appear. Gillespie then appears in a head and shoulders shot speaking directly to the camera. He discusses how "amazing" it is to watch a New Orleans second line band or the Florida A&M marching band participate in a ritual that stretches back 700 years. This is followed by non-diegetic narration over shots of maps of West Africa and etchings of Yoruba funeral processions. Gillespie describes how the roots of marching bands can be found in these funeral processions, which featured music and masquerading dancers. As Gillespie's narration continues, further shots of unidentified West African musical and dance traditions are shown.
label: Description
content: His narration goes on to describe how the marching band tradition was adopted by Europeans beginning in the 17th century. He mentions in particular that Napoleon required that the head of his marching band be attired in a manner similar to the way West African marching band leaders dressed. Over shots of historical lithographs depicting marching band members with dark skin, Gillespie describes how marching bands spread to every European culture and were eventually brought to the Americas. He mentions that African Americans participated in the drum and fife units during the American Revolutionary War. The narration continues with a history of bands composed of freedmen who performed around the United States and participated in marching bands during the Civil War. Photographs of these bands are shown during this sequence. Gillespie then discusses African American marching bands during World War I and the influence of James Reese Europe, in particular. This is followed by exegesis on marching bands during World War II and how they were not aware of the West African roots of their music. The narration ends and the film cuts to black.
label: Description
content: The next section of the film begins with shots of the Florida A&M University marching band taking the field at a football stadium. Gillespie's narration explains how the marching band has incorporated modern influences, such as jazz, into the marching band tradition, but that the connection to West African traditions remains as well. The film then transitions to the role played by African American fraternal orders in furthering the marching band tradition. The focus is then placed on the New Orleans second line tradition and Gillespie introduces Danny Barker. Barker appears on-screen and in non-diegetic narration to describe how second line fits into a global culture of accompanying the funeral processions of noted dignitaries with martial music. He states that the difference in New Orleans is that everyone, no matter how poor, receives this honor and that they play jazz instead. As shots of a funeral procession are shown, Gillespie describes how marching bands are just one of many African traditions that have survived for hundreds of years. He goes on to talk about how the musical funeral processions in New Orleans help to pass on culture to younger generations of African Americans who witness and participate in the processions; this concludes the film.
place: label: Place depicted
content: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: West Africa, Africa
label: Place depicted
content: Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Africa
label: Topic
content: African diaspora
label: Topic
content: Dance
label: Topic
content: Documentary films
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Folklife
label: Topic
content: HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
label: Topic
content: Jazz (Music)
label: Topic
content: Marching bands (Music)
label: Topic
content: World War I
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: DC Public Library Film Collection
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2017.55.19.1a
objectType: label: Type
content: sound films
label: Type
content: color films (visual works)
label: Type
content: short subjects
label: Type
content: 16mm (photographic film size)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: acetate film
label: Dimensions
content: Duration: 14 Minutes
label: Dimensions
content: Length (Film): 500 Feet