Jazz Travels: Louis Haunts and Cellar Boys

As I hinted final month, there’s a cadenza to my time on the Bix Beiderbecke pageant. On my method to Rhinelander, WI, the place I spent the remainder of August—something to flee Lancaster’s summer time warmth and humidity—I went by way of Chicago to catch the Cellar Boys on the second of their common weekly gigs, the Honky Tonk Barbecue at 18th and Racine within the Pilsen neighborhood. You might recall that final 12 months I wrote about my first go to to their Tuesday spot on the Green Mill on the North Side. On this journey I deliberate to reach early sufficient to snag a parking house, and in so doing had time to do one thing I all the time get pleasure from when I’ve the chance: exploring town—any metropolis, really, whether or not I’ve been there earlier than or not—on my bicycle.

My studying this summer time was Ricky Riccardi’s third and ultimate installment of his Louis Armstrong biography, which I’ve simply completed. Titled Stomp Off, Let’s Go, it covers Armstrong’s earliest years, and was launched a number of months in the past. I extremely suggest it. It may be very effectively written and documented, with 70 of its 466 pages dedicated to footnotes.

Not lengthy earlier than going to the Bix, I had reached the 12 months 1922 within the e book, when Louis left New Orleans to affix King Oliver’s band, which was then taking part in at Lincoln Gardens on Chicago’s South Side. Plenty of venues had been talked about, beginning in chapter 18. I made a decision to see what number of, if any, nonetheless stood after 100 years. I might’ve used Google Earth’s Street View function, which I usually do for a wide range of functions. But Street View will not be all the time present and is rarely pretty much as good as your individual eyes. So right here’s the checklist, within the order the websites seem within the e book. Most are carefully grouped in two neighborhoods a few mile and a half aside. The just one that isn’t is downtown. I went to every one and herewith report what’s there now.

*459 E. 31 St. (SW nook of Rhodes): Then: Lincoln Gardens, the place Oliver and plenty of different black bands carried out. Heavily broken by hearth Christmas Eve, 1924, later reopened because the New Charleston Cafe. Now: the Lake Meadows Apartments, and the Cook County Bronzeville Health Center.

*3409-1/2 S. State: Then: the Jones Music Store the place Louis’s soon-to-be second spouse Lillian Hardin labored as a music demonstrator. Now: a car parking zone below the Green line El simply north of the thirty fifth St./Bronzeville station.

*3412 S. Wabash: Then: Louis’s first condo, obtained for him by Oliver. Now: this whole block is gone; the land is now a part of DeLaSalle Institute, a Catholic highschool.

*thirty second & Vernon: Then: condo of King Oliver and his spouse Stella. Now: a extra fashionable massive condo constructing. This intersection now kinds an “L” and the present constructing is on what would have been the SW nook.

*thirty first & South Park Way (now referred to as Martin Luther King Dr.): Then: Olivet Baptist Church, talked about in Louis’ description of the stroll he took within the neighborhood instantly after first arriving in Chicago. Now: identical. The church was in-built 1875 because the First Baptist Church, the oldest black Baptist church within the metropolis, nonetheless in use.

*forty third & St. Lawrence: Then: the condo Louis rented for his mom when she came visiting him and wound up staying a number of months. The e book doesn’t specify which nook. Now: NW and SW corners are vacant. The NE and SE corners have condo buildings of newer classic.

*3218 S. Michigan: Then: the Ideal Tea Room, the place Louis and Lil’s marriage ceremony reception came about on Feb. 7, 1924, two days after the ceremony. Now: a part of Illinois Institute of Technology, probably scholar residences.

*3320 S. Giles: Then: Lil’s house, together with her mom and step-father, on the time of her marriage to Louis. Now: vacant lot.

*421 E. forty fourth: Then: home Lil purchased for her, Louis, her mom and Louis’s nephew Clarence, whom he adopted. Now: identical. An image of Lil standing in entrance of the home is on web page 357.

*3520 S. State: Then: Dreamland dance corridor. Now: condo constructing.

*3100-block S. State: Then: Vendome Theater, the place the Hot Five opened upon Louis’ return from NYC in 1925. Now: total block, either side, are owned by IIT, however the theater is gone.

*227-29 W. Washington, downtown: Then: studios of Elmer Fearn, the place Okeh’s black artists in Chicago recorded. Now: a contemporary workplace constructing numbered 225 W. Washington, on the SE nook of Franklin.

*thirty fifth & Calumet: Then: websites of the Plantation and Sunset Cafes. Although the e book doesn’t say which nook every occupied, a little analysis confirmed the Sunset was on the SW nook. Based on an outdated photograph I discovered on-line, the Plantation may need been on the NE nook. Now: NE nook: fuel station; NW nook: Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen; SE nook: Dock’s fish restaurant, a neighborhood four-store chain; SW nook: Urban Beautique, a magnificence provides retailer.

*4733 South Park: Then: Savoy Ballroom, which opened Nov. 23, 1927. Now: a 2-level parking construction, maybe belonging to the Luther Terrace Apartments on the NE nook of forty eighth.

*543 E. forty seventh: Then: Warwick Hall, renamed Usonia Dancing School. Armstrong performed there after the Sunset closed. Now: vacant lot.

*4838 S. Calumet: Then: condo owned by Ida Searcy, talked about verbally by Louis on “A Monday Date” recorded by the Hot Five. He and colleagues used to go there after Savoy gigs to drink her bathtub gin. Louis stated that after the document was launched Miss Searcy wouldn’t enable them to come back any extra, fearing she’d be raided by the vice squad. Now: vacant lot.

*3525 South Park: Then: condo the place Louis’s nephew Clarence went to stay in 1931 together with his third spouse Alpha Smith’s mother and father. Now: a good-looking 3-story constructing, may very well be 100+ years outdated.

One place not talked about within the e book, maybe as a result of it didn’t exist on the time, is Lillian Hardin Armstrong Park, bordered by forty fourth, St. Lawrence, forty fifth and Evans Sts.

Now, the principle purpose for my detour to Chicago. The Cellar Boys’ common Sunday night gig on the Honky Tonk even predates the band; their predecessor the Fat Babies began taking part in there, however I’m not sure of the precise date. Like their different common spot, the Green Mill, this place has a singular character. It’s nothing fancy, only a typical neighborhood watering gap. But not like the Green Mill, it serves meals, primarily barbecue-related. I arrived 45 minutes earlier than the 7 pm downbeat as is my wont so I might benefit from the music with out interruptions from the servers. The service was amazingly quick, however which may depend upon what you order. I additionally wished to nab seat, which I did.

As it turned out, the gang was somewhat sparse throughout the first set however then the home crammed up and remained so nearly till the top at 10 PM. Naturally, the band has its followers who present up nearly each week. I acknowledged a number of who had been to the Bix pageant that weekend. Several Bix musicians additionally got here in, and two of them—David Boeddinghaus and Sam Chess—sat in over the past set. Two others—Dave Bock and Richard Edsall—had been there however didn’t play (Dave is a former band member). What stunned me in regards to the night was that no Walter Donaldson tunes had been performed. He is Andy Schumm’s favourite composer, and mine as effectively. I requested Andy a few explicit Donaldson tune, which it seems is of their e book, however Andy hadn’t introduced it with the evening’s charts.

There was a sub on banjo, Jon Donatowicz, who had been within the band up to now. Otherwise, all of the regulars had been there. The common string participant, Jimmy Barrett, is recovering from surgical procedure and gained’t be again for some time. At the Bix pageant, Gavin Rice took his place.

If you go to the Tonk, it is perhaps best to make use of public transportation. There is free road parking on Sundays, however many of the facet streets near the venue require a resident allow. On at the present time there was additionally a close-by road pageant which shut down a number of blocks and put an extra pressure on parking. I discovered areas with out a lot looking out 5 blocks away on W. sixteenth. I didn’t really feel uneasy strolling again to the automobile at 10:30 pm, and the automobile was not bothered. Parked automobiles far newer and extra useful than mine had been additionally untouched. The Pink line of the El stops at 18th and Paulina, which is 5/8 of a mile west of Racine, and the trains run fairly late within the night. Buses additionally run on 18th, however I didn’t examine them. If you just like the Cellar Boys (and who doesn’t?), it’s price any journey hassles to get to the Honky Tonk.