Jazz Funeral

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

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

i know what is supposed to be in this blend, but i know what i smell...

to my skin/nose, this is Zombi and the Premature Burial.... mixed. a prematurely buried zombi?

very odd... the premature burial is my favourite fragrance from the last 20 years, and Zombi amuses me so i wear it to work nearly everyday (well, i work four days a week)....
i got a decanted imp in a swap and i liked it so much i had to get a bottle. i'm sure i'll be getting a second one soon enough.

[sofaking6]

Just a note, HBO is playing a documentary by Spike Lee about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. It was really something to see all the footage of New Orleans, including the jazz funerals, while sniffing this scent. A powerful homage to a great city.

[tinyvulture]

i was surprised at how cheerful this scent is. it smells of sweet booze, citrus fruit, lush flowers, and dirt. the way the dirt is mingled with sweet perfume so that it becomes something beautiful reminds me of Penny Dreadful. in comparison, however, Jazz Funeral is a more complex scent due to the addition of the bold florals. i normally don’t like happy floral scents, but this one is just right.

[Miss Lynx]

This one is definitely a morpher. From the diverse list of ingredients, I really wasn't sure what it was going to smell like, but it was on Kettu's wishlist, so I got it for her birthday, and then eventually ended up trying myself.

 

In the imp, it smells complex and interesting -- spicy, boozy, floral and earthy all at once. But as soon as it hits my skin, it becomes almost all florals. My skin amps up the funeral flowers to a freakish extent, though the other notes are still barely perceptible.

 

As it dries down it goes through all kinds of changes -- the bay rum seems to be the next major note that takes over as the florals fade, and it becomes very spicy. I found it quite likable at this stage.

 

But then that too passes, and a dank earthiness comes up from below as the graveyard dirt begins to take over. Now, graveyard dirt is one of my least favourite notes in perfume history, but it's not too bad here -- the other notes still balance it to some extent, though it makes the scent less pleasant than it was.

 

And then it fades away, almost completely. Total lifespan of the scent -- maybe half an hour. I can still smell it if I press my nose close to my arm, but it's mostly gone.

 

So, probably not something I would keep, but it seems to be working out well for Kettu, and it's interesting enough that I'm glad I had the chance to try it.

 

Grade: B-

Edited September 21, 2006 by Miss Lynx

[Trish]

This was a frimp from the lab.

 

In the imp: I could never understand how a perfume could smell like dirt. Now I know. This is dirt with alcoholic flowers.

 

Wet: As soon as it hits my skin the alcohol and what I think is magnolia explode and subdue the dirt. It's still there but it's secondary now and not dominant.

 

Drydown: Oakmoss is one of the few green scents I like, and it seems I might have to add Spanish moss as well. This is very mossy now, moss with a little dirt overgrown with flowers and soaked in bourbon.

 

Dry: Alcoholic dirt and moss with a little floral. This is very different and interesting, but not really me. It's a very alive scent, nothing dead about this!

 

 

I was sure I was going to hate this after sniffing the imp, but I kind of like it. It's still going to be swapped because it's still a bit too green for me, even if it's a green I actually like.

[nightbird]

this one is very nice - I had no idea what to expect from it. as I've said before, I'm horrible at picking out notes, but there's something warm in here. I can smell a little bit of the dirt (a note I'm finding that I like) and something kind of sweet.

 

I'm definitely keeping the imp.

[space girl lost]

could have sworn i reviewed this one.

 

i'm perplexed by this one. the first time i smelled it in the imp i smelled something green and wet mixed with a dark thick alcohol. the first time i tried it on my skin it got that and a bit of dirt which was nice actually - dark wet earthy nature and booze. i thought i really liked jazz funeral!

 

now.... now i get nothing, absolutely NOTHING, but white floral. that kind of cloying headache inducing white florals that i hate so much. why? where'd the booze go? where did the dirtiness go? thankfully it doesn't give me a headache like the real flowers do, but ... it's not me. it's perfumey now.

too bad.

[Summerpixy]

Frimp.. Too many notes I normally don't like. To my nose this is All Saints '04 with a big swig of magnolia and a touch of dirt.

 

Not bad.. quite good in fact.. anyone should try this. It's not going to shoot into my top ten, but I'm keeping the imp for testing on the boyfriend to see if he likes this strange earthy-floral combo. This could grow on me... I hope.

[shellyshells]

Jazz Funeral:

 

In the imp, earthy & mossy.

On me, I get alot of dirt and moss at first. It reminds me of Destroying Angel when its wet.

After awhile, it becomes a bit flowery with an itsy bitsy hint of booze.

It's a nice flowers and dirt smell...... it just ain't my thang.

[Eros]

I've had this on my wishlist since it came out and thanks to the lovely growwild, I finally got the chance to try it

 

In the imp there's a lovely sweetness with the scent of wet, freshly upturned earth in the background. Applied it goes through a few seconds of generic perfume and then blossoms into a gorgeous, blend of sweetly decaying flowers surrounded by the scent of warm, wet earth. It brings to mind an old, lonely mausoleum(definitely in New Orleans)~damp with a humid chill(if that makes any sense)...

Not a bright, fresh floral *whew*, but drying, decaying...The kind I adore. I don't get the boozy notes but that's okay, this is perfect just the way it is.

Beautifully done!

 

 

 

::edited due to unfinished sentence, duh::

Edited October 14, 2006 by Eros

[supremegoddessofall]

Aquatics on top of a light floral. Not getting the booze at all. This is a very wet scent. Nice, but not my cup of tea.

[fridythirteen]

This one I picked out for my boyfriend. He usually smells (not at all unpleasantly) of sweat, tobacco, and earth, (he's a gardener,) so this scent seemed like it might fit his natural chemistry. As soon as I got my hands on the package, I tackled him for scent testing.

 

In the Imp: Whew! Nice booze there, Rummy! It smells like a cheap bar covered in sicky-sweet, trampled flowers. Oh dear. I hope I haven't made a mistake.

 

Freshly Applied: I smell gardenias, magnolias, lilies...amped up super-strongly! Where's the booze? The sharp green scent of moss and wilted flowers builds to an almost headachy level for about 20 seconds, but just as I'm thinking, "oh no, he's never going to let me buy scent for him again..."

 

Dry-Down: Oh, man! Here comes the sweet rum smell, holding the sharp flower scents in line. Everything is suddenly mellow and relaxing. There is now almost a vanilla/bourbon pipesmoke smell to it, with the lilies and magnolias asserting themselves lazily through the haze. I have a sudden urge to eat his arm.

 

One Hour Later: Still redolent with boozy pipesmoke and gentle flowers. Not much throw, and it's fading, but I can smell it waft over me when I snuggle in close. And I am definitely liking the snuggling in close.

 

The Verdict: I was right! Jazz Funeral really complements his natural manly scent, and makes me want to gnaw on him. I just have to remember to stand back for the first 20 or 30 seconds till drydown, but then he is beyond delicious. Boyfriend (who hasn't worn ANY scent in the 7 years we've been together) says "If it means extra nibbling, I'll wear it everyday! I'll bathe in the stuff!" That seems a little much, but he's definitely getting a big bottle for Xmas. 4.5/5

[PilotKitten]

This starts off with a very dry mossy overtone to it. Moss and dirt.

[wakingdreaming]

I'm not sure if I know what bay rum smells like. I imagine rum smelling like butterscotch hard candies but maybe I'm way off with that. For me, Jazz Funeral smells "dark green." It smells like a very clean and life-filled swamp, with weeping willows and lots of moss around it. Every time I wear it I imagine hearing a swamp at night when a rainstorm is dying down. Crickets chirping, some mosquitoes buzzing, frogs croaking, some rain still drizzling into the pond. It's one of my favorite scents from BPAL so far.

 

Unfortunately on dry down almost every aspect of the original notes in this goes away for me and all I smell is like a light and sweet powder. It's pleasant but I would prefer to keep the original scents. This also has next to no throw on me unless I keep reapplying it very liberally.

[jiggahava]

On my skin I get the rum and bourbon right away, with a touch a graveyard dirt sprinkled on top. I was very weary of the dirt note being unpleasant smelling to me, but on me it's a very faint touch. Very nice. Hmm, I might like dirt smells after all. An hour later I get a faint whiff of funeral flowers...but nothing else! All the other notes have faded on my wrist. Wahhhhhh! However, when I smell the insides of my elbows the scent is still strong...I'm getting oakmoss, dirt and the flowers. Very lovely and evocative, but I don't know that I want to get a bottle if it's just going to last on the insides of my elbows. It's a little awkward to walk around smashing my elbow to my face all day! However I do like the scent, and i will keep the imp and try slathering a bit more.

 

A solid B, graded down because there is almost no throw.

[brownbear]

Oh man, I really like jazz funeral. I might be buying some in the future. It's dark and a little foody. mmmmm I love the blending of the notes. It is a little boozy. I would definitely wear this often and I wasn't even planning on trying it based on the description. It seems pretty unisex and would probably be very nice on a guy. In fact, I may buy this for the next guy I date, then I can jump on him and slather him with it and then jump on him some more.

[phedre]

In vial: magnolia flowers and earth

 

wet: strangely sweet, with dust underneath.

 

Dry: Boozy bourbon and flowers. The dirt's gone, and there's a touch of the rum. I quite like this!

[nemaihne]

In the bottle: Dirt and moss. It reminded me exactly why I hate gardening.

 

Wet: Oh dear, please let that dirt go away and that slight floral come out.

 

Dry: Magnolia first, then bourbon. Wonderful and cheery. A great scent. I haven't done well with any of the other rum scents, but here the bourbon dominates and smacks it into shape. Mostly, this just smells fun. It's going on my to-buy list.

[femmefatale]

Wet: Have no idea. LOL. Very strong. As it dries it gets that stale perfume smell I hate.

After a few minutes i can pick up a very slight hint of the bay rum with magnolia and dirt.

 

I think that magnolia doesn't like me. I'm getting that weird stale, cheap perfume smell again.

Oh well, off to swaps.

 

ETA: Hubby tried it and it smells awesome one him. He amps the bay rum and moss and it really smells wonderful. Keeping the imp for him.

Edited February 11, 2007 by Femme_Fatale

[solvent]

My first review, hurrah! I am a BPAL n00b, and I got this in a set of imps today - this is my first BPAL scent ever.

 

In the bottle: BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE and a bit of floral and lemon.

 

Wet on my skin: Almost the same as in the bottle, but now with an addition of dirt and more prominent floral notes.

 

Dry: I like Jazz Funeral the most at this stage. The dirt is really coming in to the spotlight, and the scent is of bourbon and earth tinged by florals and something not unpleasantly sour.

 

1/2 hour later: The dirt fades fast, leaving the booze and flowers and sourness.

 

Hour later: Faint. An equal mix of bourbon and flowers. A wee bit of powder and lemon. The earth is all but totally gone.

 

Conclusions: Electra is 100% right in that this is majorly evocative for me of Savannah - a place where I, also, spent much of my childhood. I really wish I could freeze this scent at the just-dry faze of it's life, because I really like it there: I'm a big fan of dirt scents, and alcohol is a pleasantly (ir)reverant addition. However, such a freezing is not possible, so I am not at all sure how I feel about Jazz Funeral. I will use the imp up eventually, but I doubt I will buy a 5ml.

Edited March 5, 2007 by solvent

[melrose]

Bay rum and bourbon as the top 2 notes - I was apprehensive, but they do a lovely dance together - the bay rum isn't too masculine and the bourbon isn't too boozy.

 

The drydown is quite nice - complex, spicy, slightly foody. I don't get the magnolia, dirt, or floral notes, but I'm sure they're helping the bay rum and bourbon morph into this yummy scent I'm smelling.

 

Throw and lasting power are just okay.

[theseagrows]

i honestly like this one a lot more than i thought i would. bay rum always feels too masculine to me, but i like it in this! perhaps because it has the dirt and flowers added, which work well on me. i get a slightly boozy-spiciness from this, but it is not overwhelming. the dirt is more prominent at first, then fades into the background. the flowers are there to add sweetness, but they are so well blended i can't pick any notes out. i will definitely keep my imp of this, it's very interesting!

[isabella]

lol this smells the cemetery on a nice warm, humid veterans day.

[Victoria]

this is a scent that i like only because it reminds me of going into tack shops; it has a medicinal ointment smell on me that reminds me of horse medicine or equestrian supplies. and campho-phenique. after a couple hours, on me it becomes a very faint mediciney, mossy, floral. not bad, but i wouldn't wear this on a date.

Edited April 11, 2007 by Tragic Thalia

[jade_starlight]

I'm not getting anything even slightly boozy from this at all. What I'm pretty sure is the Magnolia comes charging out right at the beginning, and only lets the other florals out for short jaunts. The Magnolia is a bit much for me, but otherwise Jazz Funeral is really quite nice.