Members of the St. Augustine Marching 100 and their entourage joined forces with the Voodoo Orchestra, a high school jazz band from Utah, to create an impromptu moment of New Orleans-style joy following the D-Day Memorial Parade in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
The Voodoo Orchestra, clad in World War II-style khaki uniforms, is one of several bands that are part of Caleb Chapman’s Soundhouse, a music program for high school students in the Salt Lake City area. They marched into the staging area following the parade cranking out a credibly funky version of the Rebirth Brass Band’s “Rebirth Got Fire.”
It resonated with the New Orleanians. Still in their purple and gold uniforms, members of the Marching 100 got right up in front of the Voodoo Orchestra and started dancing. It quickly turned into a joyous scrum, with band staffers and parents joining in.
The energy surged again when Voodoo shifted into “I’ll Fly Away,” a standard of New Orleans second-lines. Members of both groups sang in unison.
Caught up in the excitement, a group of high school cadets from Australia joined in the impromptu party as well.
The parking lot party rolled on for several minutes. It ended with invitations for the Voodoo Orchestra to come to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
