Congratulations to the Sidney Street Shakers, who new collection of early 1900s St. Louis hot jazz is available now through the Big Muddy Records store!

Kellie Everett of the Hooten Hallers and Southwest Watson Sweethearts makes her production debut as the bandleader in “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 (past and present) including 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.