Market Street Stomp - The Missourians

As their band name would imply, most of the musicians in the Missourians were from St. Louis and the Kansas City area. They began as Wilson Robinson's Syncopators in 1923, touring throughout the mid-west. They made it to New York in 1924 where the Violinist Andy Preer took over leadership and got them a job as the house band for the Cotton Club. They made seven sides for Columbia in 1925, six of them were issued. In February of 1927, the band made a record for Gennett under Andy Preer's name. Preer died suddenly in May of 1927 and lost thier residency at the Cotton Club to Duke Ellington's band. After that the band toured with singer Ethel Waters and when they returned to New York they changed the band's name to the Missourians. They were playing at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem alongside Fess Williams' band when they made this particular side. Market Street Stomp was the first title recorded at that session. Named after one of the main streets in St. Louis' red light district, it had first been recorded as "Swinging The Swing" in 1925, on OKeh by Harry's Happy Four. Trumpeter Harry Cooper and pianist Earres Prince were one half of the Happy Four and now were in the Missourians. Recorded in New York on June 3, 1929. Personnel (from the 6th edition of Jazz Records by Brian Rust): Lockwood Lewis, director: R. Q. Dickerson, Lammar Wright, trumpet / De Priest Wheeler, trombone / William Thronton Blue, George Scott, clarinet, alto sax / Andrew Brown, clarinet, tenor sax / Earres Prince, piano / Morris White, bjanjo/ Jimmy Smith, tuba / Leroy Maxey, d, vocal interjections. mx: BVE 53802-2 Victor V-38067, HMV JF-16 (Dutch)