Edition #003 - Jorgie's and Peacock Alley

Jazz Mixer #003

In the 1950s and early 1960s, St. Louis' Gaslight Square was the epicenter of the St. Louis arts scene. One of the clubs in that part of town was Jorgie's Jazz Club. On August 19, 1961, guitarist Wes Montgomery performed at Jorgie's; he was joined by his brothers, Buddy (piano, vibes) and Monk (bass) and drummer Billy Hart. During my days at WSIE, I had the pleasure of speaking to Frank Sousan, who recorded the set that's featured on this edition of The Jazz Mixer podcast, which is presented in its entirety. This part of the podcast is a suggestion by Charlie Geer, former operations director at WGNU Granite City, Illinois.

Peacock Alley was another St. Louis Jazz venue; it was located in the MidTown Hotel in the heart of St. Louis' African-American community. Originally The Glass Bar, it opened following a mid-1950s renovation. Miles Davis performed there with his first classic Quintet in July 1956. The performances on July 14 and 21 of 1956 were emceed by Jesse "Spider" Burks, the first African-American DJ west of the Mississippi River, and aired on KXLW (now KSIV), then a 5,000-watt daytime-only station covering St. Louis city and county. Excerpts from both shows are presented.

The performances at Jorgie's and Peacock Alley were released by Soulard Intertainment about 20 years ago. This podcast's listening time is one hour, four minutes and 24 seconds.