STL DPB ON THE ROAD - CHICAGO JAZZ

Since my son lived in Chicago for so many years, I let him set the itinerary for our weekend. For last night's dinner and entertainment, he picked Andy's Jazz Club in the busy River North area. I've never had a good understanding of jazz but it was thrilling to sit at a front row table and be overwhelmed by the sound.          

AND ON A DIFFERENT NOTE

The restaurant and nightclub Jazz St. Louis is just over a block from the symphony hall. It's hung in there for a long time. I'm not a big jazz fan. I loved Dave Brubeck when I was in my teens but he and his quartet were experimenting with unusual time signatures and making it work, notably the famous Take Five. (Even the Grateful Dead had an extended number in 11/4). I admire the beauty and occasional fierceness of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. However, the near-constant rigidity of 4/4 time and the variations on a theme format fail to pull me in. I end up back with the symphony.  

There's an event to mark tomorrow.         

Inside, Where It's Warm...

It

Once past the frigid courtyard at Nathalie's, we stepped into the swanky bar and found that there was entertainment for the evening. Coco Rico (which, I am told, is the French equivalent of cock-a-doodle-doo) is a duo that plays jazz acoustic guitar in the tradition of Django Reinhardt. (If you don't know the name, look and listen on YouTube here.) 

These musicians have an elegant, polished style with runs of great virtuosity. Their fingers do things I couldn't dream of. Locals, definitely worth your time if you have a chance to hear them.                     

Birthplace Of Jazz

There are lots of street performers in New Orleans' French Quarter. Many of them are of a very high standard. This group was playing traditional Dixieland jazz in the street between St. Louis Cathedral (yes, they have one, too) and Jackson Square.                      

Oh When The Saints . . .

. . .come marching in. New Orleans jazz, Dixieland. These young men were playing it for tips on Bourbon Street and they were hot. The tourist in the middle picture decided to put himself in the act. (I wouldn't dream of doing this!) The band had drawn a small crowd when I passed. The white (and one Asian) spectators seemed to prefer the sidewalk across the street from the black musicians.

I don't think that Rick's Sporting Saloon means sporting in the sense of baseball or tennis. You might remember the character Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess.