Jazz Funeral

[donsixgun]

... Bittersweet bay rum, bourbon, and a host of funeral flowers with a touch of graveyard dirt, magnolia and Spanish Moss.

Jazz Funeral doesnt like me. I put it on, and almost instantly, it turned to a sickening floral, with a bit of Dirt underneath. No bay rum, no mosses, no bourbon...just flowers and more flowers.

Damn. Edited December 19, 2005 by Shollin

[lysithea]

Jazz Funeral is a symphony of discordant harmonies that work surprisingly well together. I can't even comprehend how the notes in this blend work together. Graveyard dirt, moss, lush blossoms, and the saltiness of tears layered with the spiky sweetness of bourbon with a uplift of rum is pure genius.

 

Initially, this is wet, fertile soil. There is a sadness to it, however. It is probably the best soil scent ever. It has a bit less depth than the dirt note in Queen of Clubs because after the wetness fades, the other notes rise and begin to take this to another realm. The "spirit" of the scent ascends.

 

Florals, aquatic and wet blossoms, and the languid magnolia bubble up. While the moss grounds these and keeps them from screaming "FLOWERS" on the skin. You can't mistake that there are florals here, but they don't jump out and do sinus acrobatics to the nose.

 

Dry, this scent brings the rum and bourbon to the party. The scent spirit has ascended and now, we continue the celebration of life more quietly and reflective in our respective bottles.

 

I think that some people will look at this blend with a critical eye. "Eewww, dirt", one might say and pass it quickly onto swaps. I encourage you to remain open to it. There's more to this blend than initially meets the nose.

[Sycorax]

In the imp, this scent is really hard to place. I can smell loam, spicy rum, and an almost aquatic undercurrent that I can't easily identify. It's sweeter than I expected it to be.

 

Unfortunately, Jazz Funeral's not nearly so ethereal on my skin. Bourbon and magnolia dominate, and it's incredibly cloying. I know that I should wait a while to see how the oil changes over time, but after about ten minutes I simply can't stand it anymore and have to wash it off.

 

I think this is the first BPAL oil that has gone unabashedly bad on me.

Edited January 4, 2006 by Sycorax

[Macha]

I had trepidations about this one, not because of the bourbon (all of Beth's "alcohol" blends seem to really like me) but because of the dirt smell. I'm not very fond of the smell of earth, and could never quite get behind any of the scents that feature it prominently.

 

That said, I figured I would give it a chance. I've learned to second guess myself with BPAL perfumes: I'm so very, very bad at pre-judging them.

 

And Jazz Funeral turned out to be a classic example: oh lord, this is beautiful.

 

There is a definite swamp feel to this — mossy, earthy, wet, muddy. And if that's all there was, I would probably nod, say to myself "Well! She certainly captured THAT smell, didn't she?" and never touch it again. But this is not an empty swamp; there is life here. Beautiful, gorgeous flowers, magnolia and something that is striking me very much as honeysuckle (although that could just be more magnolia, since I'm not too familiar with that flower) all layered over a delicious clear aquatic vibe. It's sweet and thick and heady and just gorgeous on me. The moss and earth do a fantastic job of anchoring those florals — they are sweet, but not sickeningly so. What an incredible homage to New Orleans.

 

Oh, and all that liquor? Everyone must have drunk it all before I got to the party. Jazz Funeral seems to have good throw and average staying power (for a BPAL perfume) meaning I reapplied in mid-afternoon, and probably won't need to do so again today.

 

An instant favorite. I'm very glad I bought the 5ml, and would not hesitate to do so again.

[try_infrared]

I received this imp from someone as an RAOk when I bought another imp, and it's certainly not an imp I would ever have tried just from reading the description! While this scent didn't turn out to be for me, it was a really interesting blend and definitely a must-try for anyone who likes earthy scents.

 

In the bottle/imp: Wow, the dirt/moss smell is very apparent... as well as heavy undercurrent of lemony sweetness.

 

On, wet: Still earthy but the moss note seems to be fading, I can start to smell a bit of bay rum spiciness, and the lemon remains.

 

On, drydown: only a faint hint of the dirt/moss note remains, the lemony note is subdued, and the florals really emerge - on me this is vaguely reminiscent of Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers. I can't smell any bourbon to speak of.

Edited January 4, 2006 by try_infrared

[kenaz]

I received Jazz Funeral as a freebie with a lab order and I'm thrilled because I never would have tried it otherwise. From the description, I imagined it to be thick and heavy and cloying, and having never smelled 'grave dirt' before, I imagined something rather cold and unpleasant.

 

How delightfully wrong I was!

 

This scent is remarkably clean and bright. Initially, it had almost a citrusy top note to it which muted after the drydown. The bay rum is most evident to me: I used to live in a neighborhood with many Dominicans, and in the summer the old men would sit outside playing dominos and you could smell the bay rum they used for aftershave. So this scent immediately transports me to summer (so much so that I don't know if I could wear it again until the weather changes!). It makes me think of St Louis Cemetery in New Orleans, where offerings of bay rum, liquor, candles and flowers are left outside the tomb of Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau; it has an almost mischievous quality which makes me think that Papa Legba would like it a lot!

 

The bay rum also makes it a bit "cologney", and while I usually find this to make scents too masculine for me, in JF it just doesn't seem to hinder me. That being said, it is most certainly gender neutral and would be delightful on a man.

 

The mossiness that others have noted hasn't hit me yet, but I've only had it on for a couple of hours. I look forward to seeing how it changes over the day, and I will more than likely buy a 5ml soon.

[perclexed]

In the imp: Wow. This is really a fantastic blend in the imp. Everything is blended so well it took a few sniffs to try to pick out individual notes. At first sniff, there's the rum and bourbon. Second sniff I could sift through to the flowers, and subsequent inhalations brought just a hint of earthiness.

 

Wet: There's the magnolia, and the moss. The alcohol and flowers are blending well still.

 

Drying: Still incredibly well blended. I find myself thinking of Nature's cycles, and even as something dies, something else will rise up in it's place, glorious and bursting with life.

 

Dry: Smells like hope, like laughter, like a celebration. Like something washed clean. It tips toward the masculine end of the scale for me, but I would wear it.

 

After 45 min: This is what I always imagined New Orleans would've been like in the off-season. Slightly calmer and significantly less boozy than at other times of the year, when the history of the city, what most people think of as it's 'roots' come through the veneer of the Party Town, USA reputation. Considering the recent events of the 2005 hurricane season, I find myself overwhelming sad that such a jewel of a city may not rise again. It's a scent that makes me wonder what I could've experienced, had I been able to visit New Orleans as it was, rather than as it is or as it hopefully be again someday.

 

Final thoughts: I would definitely like to get a bottle of this.

[blu°]

This goes on floral, sweet, slightly herby, almost fruity, too. Fruity?

Oh, that's a nice tart floral, high pitched and high in the nostrils but light and sweet. I think I can smell the bourbon and bay rum. I definitely do smell graveyard dirt. This reminds me of something. Probably something from Lush.

It's funny how this is fizzy. I wonder why. Probably the rum with the moss and flowers.

It's almost citrus-like.

This is a very gentle scent. It's not cloying or heavy or anything to to at all!

I think this reminds me of Tramp. A little bit. And of that green ballistic, what's its name... Avobath! These don't have much in common regarding ingredients, but something strikes me as being similar, something about the fizziness of both.

 

I do like this a lot. It's very gender-neutral, rather herbal and green. The magnolia is there and adds a funeral feeling, the dirt note is most delicious in this. It's a very clean dirt.

 

I give this a 6 out of 7 now, but might change my mind as I've only been wearing this for about 15 minutes now.

 

 

After some time, this gets very light (sadly). I don't seem to get a lot of Bourbon, but I think the Bay Rum is still with me. I also still get the citrus fizziness and a lot of green warmth. Underneath all there's still a hint of dusty dirt and spice. The scent of the florals has fused with everything else and is not distinguishable any more. I still think this smells like Avobath.

 

Hold on now, something just smelled sour, like a very green but rotting rucola salad or something.

 

Sniff again.

No. Everything's fine. This is dusty and spicy and herbal and green and good.

I guess this needs further testing - long run and at various times of month to decide whether it's bottle-worthy for me.

 

Editing for the n-th time:

 

Ok. The spot on the crook of my arm where I put it (especially on the left side) has a very very slight sourness, that's almost vinegar-y, but doesn't really persist throughout the time. I only get it every once in a while and when I sniff and sniff again, it's gone. However the spots just underneath my wrists are fine. To me it looks as if the warmth of the crooks of my arms kicks up the aquatic notes, the greenness and tangy citrus-vibe in this whereas below my wrists the scent is spicier and dustier.

 

I won't edit again before three days have passed now or this post might really get out of control.

Edited January 17, 2006 by blu°

[Alchemy21599]

In the imp: Dirt, swirly dark booze, faded flowers.

 

Wet: Damp earthiness, faded flowers and the dark booze note.

 

Dry: Very earthy. It is a pleasant smell, like when I've been out planting. While it is pleasant, I don't think I care to wear this smell as perfume.

[QueenFae]

At first sniff, a host of dark, perfumey florals undershadowed by the slight sweetness of the booze. Really nice, this is exactly what I imagined it would smell like. It's definitely "dark" and I'm always so impressed when Beth puts together these sweet, innocent florals and manages to turn them solemn, dark, and forboding. I can definitely smell the magnolia, and an array of flowers, but the booze notes really aren't very prominent on me, they kind of whisper in the background. I like it, I'll hold on th my imp and see where it takes me.

[WidgetAlley]

Normally I have a specified formula for reviews. A little background, then how the blend smells-- in the Imp, on me, when dry-- and, finally a verdict.

 

I can't do that with Jazz Funeral.

 

I have very specific memories of being young and playing outside. There was a certain freedom, a happiness not connected to anything in particular, except, perhaps, watching the seasons change around me, that I used to be able to conjure up simply by stepping outside. Over the years, I've lost that ability to get in touch with the magic of the world. It will still happen, very occasionally, but I've often lamented my inability to simply sit under a tree and feel overwhelming joy-- that I'm part of it all, that I'm a player in the greatest game there is. The thing I remember about being so happy in my youth, the thing that made it so strong and precious, was that I was melancholy, too. I would lie on my back and look at the strong green branches of the pines against the blue of the sky, and watch the clouds go sailing, and at times I could almost feel the wheel of the year turning around me. Birds would often perch in the trees above me and sing. "Things change," they said. "They come full circle." It was an incredibly poignant reminder of the happiness and sorrows that we will all experience, and the overwhelming joy and sheer love of this, the human experience, life, that keeps us going.

 

Jazz Funeral is that feeling, all over again. It's a perfect reminder that, no matter what's going on around me, I'm alive.

 

The smell itself is a sweet white floral, festive bourbon and spicy rum, backed by cool soil, green moss, and shot through with threads of some kind of hazy, still aquatic. It reminds me of early autumn, when the flowers are still blooming and the days are still warm, but the corner has been turned and you can feel the first tendrils of the coming cold on the breeze. The days when it's enough, and more than enough, to be where you are and who you are. It recalls an Irish band I love, many of whose songs are incredibly sad in sentiment... but underneath it all is the exuberant beat, the sensation of enjoyment, the thought that, for good or ill, this is It, and even when you're down-- God, isn't it wonderful to be able to taste that feeling?

 

Yes, this scent is happy, and it's also a touch melancholy... but underneath there's a beautiful, bubbling joy. It's a farewell, and a poignant one, but not a goodbye laden with hard feelings and broken promises. It's a farewell to a good thing which we knew must come to an end, something that will be missed but not regretted. Something worth remembering. Something worth celebrating. Something that reminds you it's all worth it, just to be alive.

 

Welcome to my new signature blend.

 

[edit] The late, late, just-barely-there drydown of this is a sweet, slightly masculine cologne (the bay rum, I presume) and makes me think there's musk in here as well. FWIW.

Edited February 1, 2006 by WidgetAlley

[grrrlennyl]

at first: lots of flowers and sweet booze.

on: lush, sweet flowers. very pretty.

2 hours later: softer and not sweet. a bit of dirt is present, too. very nice.

2.5 hours later: pretty much gone.

overall: this didn't last at all on me.

[sophia_helix]

This is very much an initial review, because I feel like I need to wear this scent several times to really understand it.

 

First -- dirt. Deep, wet earth, pungent and surprisingly lovely. And slowly the flowers bloom over the next hour, until it's all sweet, bright floral. I get no booze, and I'm pants at picking out individual flowers, but if this is what New Orleans smells like I am going there NOW.

[bifemmefatale]

In the bottle, this smells like "Constant Comment" tea. In other words, black tea with citrus and spice. That would be mostly the bay rum, with a hint of bourbon. On me, all of the sudden it screams, "CLOVES!" with the tea note still backing it up. The florals are in the background, but the clove scent is so overwhelming at the moment that I can't single any of them out. The clove/floral combo is one that I happen to like--it brings back college memories of smoking Djarums in the Lounge, and it also smells kind of Christmasy with the bay note (think more like bayberry rather than bay leaves you cook with). I'm liking this, but it seems very straightforward, not complex. The florals are starting to be a little more evident now.

 

Later: I realized what this reminds me of, now that the clove has mellowed. It smells almost exactly like KL by Karl Lagerfeld, a perfume I used to wear a lot in the late 80s/early 90s. At a much better price.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Earth, moss, magnolia and... something orangey.

 

Wet: Hmm, gritty earth, very nice. As it dries, a rather sweet floral comes out.

 

Drydown: Sweet, slightly boozy earth. The earth note is pretty much like Graveyard Dirt, and I don't know booze well enough to tell what it might be, maybe rum. There's also something really sweet and flowery, most probably the magnolias.

 

Overall: It's a very light and sweet scent, that morphs from very earthy to very sweet and light. It also has a slightly plasticky quality to me. I don't get much booze from it, just a general flowery sweetness. I would have loved it if it had stayed at the graveyard dirt stage. But once the earth goes - and it goes fast - I don't find it very interesting. Besides, it has very little throw and staying power. Oh well...

[kali_destroyer]

I bought this imp based only on the name and description, having never tried a boozy scent before. What a pleasant surprise! The bourbon is strong in the bottle, but fades almost immediately on my skin. The florals are prominent after that -- magnolia? But then, I have no idea what magnolia smells like.

 

I'm definately getting the wet/earthy/green thing, slightly behind the florals. But for some reason, instead of reminding me of anything swampy, it makes me think: tea. It reminds me of the tea I used to suck down by the gallon at dim sum restaurants during sunday brunch with the family, as a kid.

 

So there you go. For many, it's New Orleans. For me, it's the choas of Chinatown, San Francisco. It's a bicoastal scent. It's also clean, complex, and lively. I agree with the previous poster who said it would make a great everyday scent. Love it.

Edited February 19, 2006 by kali

[Mary Mayhem]

*looks at my label.. *looks at descriptions*

 

Er.. Mine don't play the way yours does. Mine goes on as a lemon drop. There's some spice and a tiny bit of dirt, but it's mostly lemon drop.

[batsy]

Being one of my first actual chosen imps, I was excited. And I wasn't disappointed!

 

When you first smell it, the hints of rum and bourbon and really light and the smell of flowers isn't overpowering. At first I could only think of candles I've smelled, it was almost sharp. But as it dried down, the flowers kicked in. It's very soft, almost sweet. Partially the magnolias and the rum, I'd suspect -- it does kind of remind me of the casket sprays which is probably morbid but I've been to a lot of funerals. I have to be practically jamming my wrist up my nose if I want to smell it, but I honestly don't mind because it smells so sweet and tasty!

 

Yay, one winner in my first imp pack so far!

[PurringPulsar]

Jazz Funeral

 

In the imp: sweet, sugary, gentle blossoms floating on bourbon.

Wet on skin: the booze notes strengthen, but the magnolia and other flowers add such a gentle touch to this scent.

Dry: mmm, this is an interesting scent. First I get the bay rum and bourbon, a boozy scent which doesn’t overwhelm; in fact, I find it quite refreshing and almost effervescent as a scent. Underneath that are the floral notes, led by magnolia, adding their soft, sweet, delicate touch. And I get hints of dirt and moss here and there. The scent is solemn in a way, but not mournful or melancholy-there’s something lively and sweet fizzing away underneath.

After a while: the floral notes are wafting more now…oh, the magnolia in here is gorgeous! Sweet, gentle, light and quite heady but not overly so-and also quite sultry and humid in feel, and a little bit lotus-y on my skin. This scent is very unique, the way these lovely flowers seem to be floating on the booze notes, with the wet earth and moss also much stronger now.

The scent mellows out into ‘fizzy florals’ which is a lot nicer than it implies…it’s sweet and gentle, much more flowery in scent than I expected, but the moss grounds the scent nicely.

At times the scent has an ‘aquatic’ feel, I have no idea where that comes from, but it’s nice.

Verdict: this is another one of those unique, different BPALs that is unlike anything I have smelt. It’s also surprisingly floral, more so than I expected…I was expecting the boozy notes to take over, but though they are strong in this scent, they don’t overwhelm. The flowers in this scent make this an unexpectedly pretty fragrance, sweet, gentle, almost sugared…the magnolia is so lovely in here, it’s a slightly heady scent but not too much, but it’s a sultry floral scent. The booze notes add a nice bite which is refreshing and sometimes effervescent. Yet, in the background, dirt and moss add a nice grounding aspect to the scent. This is one of the least melancholy of the Funereal scents, to me…there’s a promise of new life there, a celebration rather than a mourning. It’s a scent which I like a lot more than I expected I would. I don’t need a bottle but I’m keeping the imp.

[medvssa]

In the bottle it smells fresh, but not in a citrusy way (that is what I associate with fresh). Keeps on smelling like that on the skin, with some herbal touches, after a minute it starts to smell more woodsy, there are the rum and bourbon! The earth is very subtle, just grounding it, very nicely done. It is well blended, I can't tell the notes apart.

 

Many hours later. I like it even more. Decayed dried leaves, the moss, earth, the party is over. Absolutely lovely.

[maewitch]

There is a tickle of sweetness in this, like walking by a garden, with the soft smell of fowers on the breeze, and that underlay of earth and greenery. It's actually a lot nicer than I was expecting, and I get no hint of alcohol of any sort, just that fresh garden smell.

 

The moss note is a little too much for, as far as perfume goes. It's a very evocative scent, but unfortunately it's not a scent I can wear.

 

Lovely, but for someone else.

[Medici]

In the imp: Floral and dirty. Like standing in a garden after the rain when the ground's a bit damp still and the flora is sparkling with rain water.

 

Wet: Bayou blooms! Nice and wet and sweet, slightly sharp on the underside. I like! Mmm... it's almost a bit creamy too at this point. White and pink flowers? Man I have no idea what they are but at this stage this is my sorta floral. Very fresh.

 

Dry-down: Bit of that moss note beginning to show. The Spanish Moss is admittedly what drew me to this blend, since it works very well on me usually. It's deepening the florals nicely, making the blend a little darker. Below that is just a hint of dirt, making the blend a bit sharp, like the scent of loamy, freshly turned earth - but that's an afterthought.

 

Throw's fairly decent too.

 

On whole, it brings up a really nice visual. For me, though, the play between sweet and earthy isn't really my thing. While I will hold onto the imp for its uniqueness, I doubt I'll be getting a big bottle.

 

3/5 of Medici's Scale o' Love

[Caltha]

Jazz Funeral

This is a weird mixture, and much thinner and fresher than I expected. I guess I expected something warm and boozy. Instead, I got an odd mix of natural and plastic, the natural being a scent of fresh green leaves and the plastic being a thin schampoo freshness.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

A sweet, heady floral

 

On me:

This is one of those BPAL blends that is so unique and definitely not like anything else I've ever smelled, that it's a little hard to describe. The notes are so incredibly well blended, it's very hard to pick anything out over anything else. That being said though, it's definitely floral but not in a traditional way - it's a sweet floral tinged with a pinch of fresh earth and little bit of sweet alcohol. Whenever I think of socialite women in New Orleans, this is the kind of scent I'd imagine they'd wear. It smells like an upscale perfume and a glass of bourbon while sitting in a street cafe at night (complete with freshly bloomed flowers)!

 

Final note:

I don't know that I'd wear this much because it's a little too floral for me, but I have to keep it because it's so interesting!

[Shollin]

First sniff: Like so many do, this scent tickles something in my memory, but I can’t pin it down. The scent itself is not at all what I expected. I figured on an earthy floral with a touch of booze, but this is smooth fruity-woody, very restrained.

 

Wearing: It’s the dirt scent! It’s the potting-soil scent of Graveyard Dirt in here underneath the smooth fruity-woody-ness. I think that’s what was tripping my memory. It’s very faint (which is good because I’m not big on dirt scent), but definitely there. I’m loving the smooth sweetness on top. This is unusual and really gorgeous.