The Green Street Marching Brass Band is noted for its fine musicianship as the band leads dignified processions through San Francisco’s Chinatown. The Green Street Band and attendant funereal ceremonies are a continuation of a San Francisco Chinatown tradition that’s over 100 years old.
Voted “Best Marching Band 2001” in the San Francisco Guardian’s Best of the Bay, Category: City Life “If you’ve seen one funeral procession, you’ve seen ’em all, we say, but not when said procession is headed by the Green Street Mortuary Band. We’ve followed for blocks just to listen to the Green Streeters’ expertly played dirges. These guys are serious musicians – the band is a union job, and their roster includes alumni from bands headed by Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, and Huey Lewis. Although their repertoire is heavy on hymns, like “Holy Holy Holy” and “Amazing Grace,” they have been known to make forays into Haydn, Chinese music, and just about anything else the customer might want. Your best chance to catch them is on just about any weekend day in Chinatown – they do about 350 funeral processions a year, fielding bands as large as 40 pieces (they’re also available for less doleful gigs). We know who’s going to play at our funeral.”
— San Francisco Bay Guardian.
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