St. Louis Jazz

Great music, great band!

A *Scintillating* Set Of Vintage Tunes & An Indispensable Lesson In American Music History!

Who better than The Arcadia Dance Orchestra to offer us the all-time most enchanting and enlightening history lesson about the American-born music that dazzled the world 100 years ago? Each tune on this alluring album is an exquisite *gem*. The arrangements and compositions are world-class, and the performances by each of the members of The Arcadia Dance Orchestra are impeccable. You'll definitely wish to practice your Charleston and Foxtrot steps while listening to this scintillating set of recordings recalling the urbane elegance, astounding innovation, and ebullient energy of early Jazz and Blues music!

Excellent Perspective on St. Louis Jazz

This is a wonderful album focused on St. Louis jazz history anchored by T. J. Muller's excellent Arcadia Dance Orchestra, augmented by several fine guest artists including Andy Schumm and Mike Davis. They play a strong selection of tunes largely tied to St. Louis by bandleaders such as Charlie Creath, Gene Rodemilch and Herbert Berger. This is more than a history lesson, however. This is living, hot jazz played by musicians who know how to make the music their own. And while the focus might be on the guests, one should not overlook the core Arcadia band which is comes off very well when allowed to stand on its own. The last two tunes are acoustically recorded, and provide an interesting comparison on what a contemporary band sounds like through 1920's "technology." Makes you wish we could have heard Charlie Creath recorded by Rivermont in 2025