Ray Kruse's custom built "Jazz Buggy" built on a 1912 Ford chassis.
Our good St. Louis jazz friends, Jack Sprague and Gerry Kaiser.
Jazz picnic crowd waited with great anticipation for the music to begin!
 

In Search of Sherlock Holmes
and all that Jazz II !
(Continued)

 

HOW ABOUT St.LOUIS?

 

If you visited our previous jazz page (click here if you missed it), we introduced you to St. Louis's fine aggregation, Cornet Chop Suey! St Louis has numerous fine jazz groups. We were priviliged to hear The St. Louis Stompers at one of their Sunday afternoon "gigs" at the Moolah Temple in St. Louis.

Steve Lilley - Trumpet
Mike Lilley_Clarinet
Joe Thompson_ Trombone
Don Franz - Tuba
Bob Grimm - Banjo
Jack Tartar - Drums
Dave Majchrzak - Piano

Most jazz fans have heard of "The Jazz Band Ball," but how about "The Jazz Band Picnic?"
This one was sponsored by the St. Louis Jazz Club and Musicians Local 12 - 199.
We were there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And these were just the warm-up groups!
These guys were really rocking the place. We asked who they were? "Just a pick-up group," we were told, "Just some guys who like to jam."
We aren't sure as to whether this group had a name, but we do know that this really smoothe combo featrued Linda Sell on the keyboard and Christopher Sell on the drums. Christopher was 12 years old!

 
And speaking of "hot" warm-up groups, how about ten banjos and a tuba! Here is a bunch from The St. Louis Banjo Club

Tommy Tucker and Jimmy Haislip step out into the audience to begin their inimitable rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow."

 

Cornet Chop Suey in full swing on stage at the St. Louis picnic!
Brian Casserly leads the "Rainbow" number from the audience. A real show-stopper!

St. Louis is also a center for Ragtime!

 

The house in which the legendary Scott Joplin spent some of his later years is now a much visited tourist spot as a Missouri State Historic Site!

 

One of many sheet music displays in The Scott Joplin House. This one includes the famous Maple Leaf Rag
One of several pianos in The Scott Joplin House. This is not one that Mr. Joplin actually played, but it is of the style appropriate to the period

And . . .
Ready for an example of the "small world phenomenon?"
While we were visiting the Scott Joplin House, there was one other couple taking the tour at the same time; Mr. and Mrs. Brent Miller. The Millers are from Indianapolis. As we learned during the tour, the Millers are friends of Meredith Granger and Toni Morris who are our Indianapolis Sherlockian Friends and members of The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis! Small world! And as an additional surpirse, Brent Miller and our tour guide, Calvin Warner, sat down at two pianos on display and ripped off a spontaneous duet of Maple Leaf Rag!

 

So, we are seeking interest from folks who think they might like to join other Sherlock Holmes Jazz fans for a "Sherlock Holmes and all that Jazz - II" gathering. We have no definite plans at present because it all depends on how many Sherlockians want to participate, but it if SHAATJ-II happens it will be somewhere in the eastern US in the summer of 2003. If you feel you might be interested, at least in being kept informed, just e-mail us, give us your name, address and your edress - we will keep you informed!

In the meantime, check out Ragtime in Indianapolis - click the arrow!

PS:

Always on the lookout to "Spot A Sherlockium" we spied some "Dancing Men" outside of the Butterfly Conservatory in St. Louis. Only these were 20 feet tall!