[Dixielandjazz] Killer Musical Instruments was fights at concerts

Mon May 14 10:39:17 PDT 2007

There was a club in West St. Louis County which during the 20's was out in 
the woods and pretty remote to the city.  I played there in the 60-70's 
occasionally.  The name had changed several times and I don't know what the 
original was.  It's long gone due to urban re development but the way it was 
built was something else.

It was sort of like a WWII Quonset hut with a cupola on the top that housed 
a 30 cal machine gun. (long removed by the 60's).  To approach the place you 
drove up a winding "S" shaped drive like the switch backs in the mountains. 
The front door let you into a small area where the doorman sat before you 
could go to the main left and right rooms.  The original buzzers and light 
flashers were still there that signaled the bars.

Another unique thing was the armor in the building and the extremely ornate 
doors that opened into the two main rooms.  The doors were 1" bullet proof 
glass and the scroll work was 1/2" x 1 1/2" steel.  There was no way to get 
through them quickly if they were closed.  I was told that there was steel 
plate in the walls of the place.  The Bar had a liquor dump where they could 
dump the evidence down the sewer.

A couple of times I played there they had a trio dressed in 1920's style 
cloths playing 20's music. I remember that the piano player wore a pin 
striped, double breasted pinch back suit and a fedora hat.  I think I 
remember him because he wore spats too.  We did some wedding receptions 
there.

This club was so cool and unique I can't believe that it was bulldozed..  I 
could see where it wasn't large enough to be a money maker but would be a 
very cool museum today.  I don't know if any of the old speaks are even in 
existence today especially one like this.

It was located, as I recall, on Olive Street Road just West of the present 
Highway 270.  There have been so many changes to that area that I wouldn't 
be able to find where it was today.

I was wondering if anyone else had ever been to this place?
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2007 1:57 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Killer Musical Instruments was fights at concerts

> Great post Ginny. That was the first time I'd ever seen it, having missed
> the movie I guess. I'm cured and will never joke about banjos again.
>
> And how about those "violins" that the Chicago gangsters carried? House
> Thompson Machine Guns. That "violins music" was a killer.
>
> And the "Chicago Piano" of WW 2 fame? The nickname of the quad 50 cal.
> machine guns that were used as anti aircraft guns on ships and on half
> tracked WW 2 vehicles. I played that piano a few times in the 1950s.
> Awesome, but now superceded by the new gattlings.
>
> As an aside, in the late 50s, I had a gig at the Melody Lounge in 
> Sunnyside
> NY (NYC). Rough crowd there each weekend. Numerous fights during the 6
> months we were there.
>
> Best one was when someone was in the public phone, booth near the rear 
> door
> beside the bandstand. Guy in the booth wouldn't yield it quickly enough 
> for
> another guy who wanted to use it. Both dressed in white shirts and ties.
>
> So the guy on the outside slammed the folding booth door into the user,
> grabbed him by the tie and hauled him out. Both proceeded to whale away 
> and
> the bouncer pushed both of them outside. About 5 minutes later, the winner
> came back in, with no shirt, just the collar and tie spattered with blood.
> He grinned at the band and said "You should see the other guy."
>
> We had kept playing, scared to death because the joint was frequented by
> petty hoods some carrying weapons. Later that year, a guy came in with his
> mother to hear the band, they had a great time and we later found out that
> he went to prison the next day for a third degree murder.
>
> Had to be as close as it gets to playing in Chicago during the 20s for the
> likes of Al Capone.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
>
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