Laugh My Weary Blues Away

Kellie Everett of the Hooten Hallers and Southwest Watson Sweethearts makes her production debut as the bandleader of  “Laugh My Weary Blues Away.” Funded in part by the Regional Arts Commission, this album is a collaborative effort between St. Louis’ top traditional jazz performers to preserve and breathe life into hot jazz songs that were written in St. Louis during the early 1900s. The CD comes with expansive liner notes about St. Louis’ contributions to the jazz era written by Kevin Belford, local historian and author of Devil at the Confluence. 

Featuring several members of Pokey LaFarge’s band as well as Big Muddy staple musicians Ryan Koenig and Joey Glynn, this album is a must have for trad-jazz aficionados and a great doorway into the genre for music fans who are unfamiliar with the style.