The Zora Project
Inspired by famed writer-turned-field recorder Zora Neale Hurston, The Zora Parade Series celebrates culture through a lens of sound in the rhythm and pageantry of the second line style parade. Melodius Thunk produces live parades and workshop events based on the histories, traditions and art of the big parades of the world.
In the fall of 2016, we partnered with Writers Room a community outreach program of Drexel University’s Dornsife Center for Community Partnerships. The NEA Big Read event centered around Zora Neale Hurston and featured a second line parade featuring the West Powelton Drummers, a West Philly community drumline with 25+ years serving the community. The event featured talks by Zora Neale Huston scholar Cheryl Wall, flash-fiction, dance and field recording workshops. The short video we created captures the essence of the event that strived to close the ‘town-and-gown’ gap.
The Breath of the Drum
The Breath of the Drum is sonic adventure docuseries celebrating the Great Parades of our time.
The Breath of the Drum Trailer
Historic Sounds
The Down by The Riverside walking street parade on November 26, 2005 was the first big second-line (five hours long beginning to end), after the horrors of Hurricane Katrina. This soundscape features the Hot 8 Brass Band in the foreground and from time to time, at rests, at breaks, the To Be Continued Brass Band in the background, a prayer and an homage to the fallen great Mardi Gras Indians’ Big Chief of Chiefs, Allison Tootie Montana and a singing crowd trying to let go and be free all along the way.
Conga Shorts
Melodius Thunk searched the 7 sonic barrios of Santiago de Cuba in our quest for the different mythical rhythms of the conga parades.