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St. Louis - and all that jazzBy Vivien Devlin
“ We always played the blues in St. Louis. Bands came up on the boats from New Orleans, guys came from Kansas City. When I was a kid I was fascinated by the musicians. I just got on the trumpet and studied and played.” Miles Davis St. Louis, Missouri is recognised as being at the heart of America, but not merely geographically. The city also represents the ultimate spirit of American endeavour, history and cultural heritage, where the traditions of roots, blues and jazz music are an essential part of its fabric of life.
It`s the home town of Scott Joplin, Miles Davis, Tina Turner and Chuck Berry, and today their legacy lives on within a rich and vibrant music scene where there are more working musicians than any place in the world. But what is it about the city which has inspired so many legendary jazz performers and a particular St. Louis Sound, which Davis admired so much? It all seems to be deeply engrained in the colourful history and cultural melting pot which has created St. Louis.
Situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, St. Louis was founded in 1764 by French fur dealers to develop a perfect site to trade with the Native Americans in the fur-rich lands further west. This was the last civilised city on the American frontier and the starting point in 1804 for the explorers Lewis and Clark for their courageous expedition into the unknown Louisiana territory, charting the Missouri River to the Pacific. This marked the dawn of a nation, opening up the American West for a generation of pioneers in search of land and prosperity. At this time African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, French, Asians, free and slave Black people began to create a diverse multi-cultural population as the city flourished; successful entrepreneurs set up trading posts in St. Louis, now the “Gateway to the West”. When the first steamboat arrived in 1817 the city became a major river port increasing commerce, travel and immigration across Missouri. Mark Twain, who was born just north of the city, was a Mississippi Riverboat pilot and so important was the river traffic it was not unusual to see around 100 steamboats passing through.
To commemorate the role St. Louis played during the pioneer exploration of the West, a grand World Fair took place in 1904, the 100th anniversary of Lewis and Clark`s journey. Held in Forest Park it was a first class festival of exhibits, entertainment and music representing over 40 countries and attracting 20 million visitors. New summertime food and drink was “invented” here - the ice cream cone and iced tea to cool people down in the blistering midday sun. Local lad Scott Joplin entertained the crowds with his new ragtime tunes soon to become the rock `n roll of the day. A favourite song of the time, Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis, (1904) by Kerry Mills was later used as the title song in the 1944 film starring Judy Garland, set during the World Fair.
It was an international celebration of an innovative, thriving, modern city, as well as its history, people and heritage. “Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, The St. Louis Blues by W C Handy, one of the world`s most popular songs cemented the city`s place in the world of American roots music. According to Handy he was wandering the streets of St. Louis one afternoon when he came across a black woman tormented by her husband`s absence. She told him, “ Ma man`s got a heart like a rock cast in de sea”. The theme of the woman`s sorrow gave him the inspiration to combine a ragtime beat with an Afro-Spanish-Cuban melody and spiritual tradition. First published in 1914 it`s still regarded as the most recorded blues songs ever written. Miles Dewey Davis III and his legacy
The story goes that on his thirteenth birthday, Miles was given a trumpet by his parents. His mother, a middle class Christian woman desperate to be accepted by white society, had suggested a violin, representing serious western music while the trumpet symbolised the essence of jazz - music with black American roots. His father was intensely proud of his background but as a boy had been forbidden to play “Negro” music. He was now able to offer his son that freedom to play. Miles never looked back; he was encouraged by his teacher, Mr Buchanan and became absorbed by the local clubs and jam sessions around town. St. Louis had long been a Mecca for musicians. Jazz influences steamed into town aboard north-bound riverboats from New Orleans or down river from Kansas City and Chicago, where they blended with Joplin`s ragtime and fused with the Mississippi blues. The musical life in the city was effervescent with a fresh, bold, characteristic style of its own. There emerged a clear, melodic tone to trumpet playing that became known as The St. Louis Sound, created by local musicians such as Harold [Shorty] Baker, Eddie Randall and Levi Maddison, whose playing was described as “ like the angels singing. It was such a pure sound with all the jazz flavourings and colorations.”
“I always had a curiosity about trying new things in music. A new sound, another way to do something”. Miles Davis But he would never forget the vital, nurturing apprenticeship years around the free `n easy clubs and bars of St. Louis, nor the memory of all the great horn players he had heard there which gave him a nickname for St. Louis - it was “the city of Gabriels”. St. Louis Today
For anyone interested in jazz, rhythm and blues this is the place to come, whether to indulge in a musical feast of contemporary bands and performers or as a Miles Davis pilgrimage to experience the city which nurtured his life-long passion for jazz and blues music. St. Louis continues to be a popular destination with around 16 million visitors each year. Be sure to take a walk along The Loop and stroll between the bars and nightclubs along the sidewalks of Delmar Boulevard. Here you can spot the dozens of bronze star plaques which celebrate the great St. Louisian music legends across the years: Joplin, Davis, Ike & Tina Turner and Chuck Berry. The Loop is named after an old streetcar with six blocks of shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs creating a nightlife described as vibrant, alive and electric. The St. Louis jazz and blues scene has been growing steadily over recent years with fifty working bands in the city and as many venues presenting nightly live gigs with more music being performed today than in the legendary heyday. Visit the famous landmark Blueberry Hill bar to marvel at the pop culture memorabilia papering the walls, the magnificent `antique` Juke Box and simply wallow in the nostalgic ambience. Here time has stood still. National touring bands and local talent perform here and you might be fortunate to be in town when Chuck Berry is playing downstairs in the Duck Room.
BB`s Jazz, Blues and Soups on Broadway is a magical downtown, rough and ready night spot. This is a haven for local performers including the legendary Oliver Sain, Arthur Williams and the Willie Atkins Jazz Quartet as well as national talent like Snooky Pryor and Honeyboy Edwards. The BB`s building dates from 1848 and was originally a brothel - today it still oozes rawness, energy and charm. “If you`re travelling through St. Louis there`s no need to check the listings. Just walk into BB`s and you`re guaranteed a great live show. One of the top blues clubs in the nation”. Blues Review magazine.
And there are dozens of other clubs and bars all over the city, especially tucked away in the side streets of the historic Soulard district, the home of the 19th century European immigrants who arrived here to work in the brewing industry. Similarly around Laclede`s Landing on the waterfront, the old tobacco and cotton warehouses have today been transformed into blues and jazz joints. Elsewhere, Downtown, Broadway and West Port Plaza, wherever you go, music drifts out of bars, restaurants and clubs, large and small, and buskers, young and old, play long into the night on the street corner. Spruills is a St. Louis institution, especially for black musicians and considered to be the best serious music club in town. Get there early to catch Willie Atkins blow his sax alongside young vocalist Elrika Johnson, described as a “ pipin` hot, straight-ahead jazz disciple”. Want to eat while tapping your feet to the beat? Then head to the Loop and you`ll find Delmar restaurant- bar and Brandt`s Café or down at the Soulard Ale house for good music, food and 34 beers on tap. If you`d rather be guided to where the best sounds are, then you can join The Walk, a weekly event each Thursday which takes a group of like-minded young adults on a walking tour of the city`s best bars and clubs. Here’s a round up of St. Louis’s biggest and best annual music events ... Celebrate St. Louis. Live on the Levee.
Big Muddy Blues Festival. US Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival Jazz at the Bistro The Municipal Opera (The Muny)
And it’s not all about Jazz – St. Louis is famed for fine orchestral concerts and opera. Apart from the music, there`s a host of places to go and things to do. The Gateway Arch - This stunning stainless steel memorial to President Jefferson dominates the city and river at 630 feet high and you travel to the top in a tiny circular “drum”.
AccommodationAll global brand names here to suit your style and budget from Travelodge, Drury Inn, Hilton, to the Sheraton and the Ritz Carlton. Highly recommended is the Millennium Hotel on Fourth
Street. Tall circular lighthouse-style with rooftop revolving restaurant.
Ultra-modern minimalist interior design. Fabulous hotel with views of the
Gateway Arch. RestaurantsA diverse and eclectic choice of eateries in every district around town. Make your way to the Hill, the Italian quarter for authentic cuisine. Zia`s serves gourmet food including the famous toasted ravioli. Also wander around the Central West End where Tennessee Williams once lived. Sidewalk cafes and bistros including Duff`s for casual atmosphere and Mexican style menu. Visitor information
“Travel for Music Lovers” is the motto of Roots of Rhythm
which arranges individual tailor-made and small group specialist jazz and blues
music tours around St. Louis and the music corridor down the Mississippi to
Memphis and New Orleans as well as Chicago and New York. |
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TM
Maddison
used a Heim mouthpiece which Miles then adopted himself, creating his own
distinct singing trumpet sound with which he became renowned.
It
was at Club Riviera in St. Louis that Miles heard Charlie Parker and Dizzy
Gillespie play, the two most talked-about jazz musicians at the time with their
revolutionary bebop style. He had heard their recordings, knew every note and
had come to idolise “Diz and Bird”. During the session he was even invited to
join the band as third trumpeter, an experience which showed him the light, now
destined to move on and develop his own music-making. It was time to leave St.
Louis and head for New York. His musical path was set and in time Davis would be
regarded as the jazz pioneer who took modern jazz from bebop to hop hop - and
the birth of the Cool. 
