A century ago, San Francisco's Barbary Coast was a waterfront hub of loose living, dance- crazy club-goers and wild new music. The Barbary Coast had been notorious for fifty years before the 1906 earthquake, and within hours of the last trembler its saloons and whorehouses were open for business again. In a town settled by gold-seekers and rogues—where men far outnumbered women—it was 'sin city' with a rugged western energy. The Barbary Coast was a sideshow, skid row, and music mecca—all rolled into one. It was here that bandleader and pianist Sid LeProtti made his mark, and traveling jazzmen like King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton came calling.
Pianist Sid LeProtti was active on the Barbary Coast in its heyday between 1907 and 1917, leading his band at Lew Purcell's So Different Cafe. In the 1950s, Sid Le Protti sat down with San Francisco trombonist and bandleader Turk Murphy to record his memories of the Barbary Coast.
This week on Riverwalk Jazz (distributed nationwide on Public Radio International and Sirius/XM), we hear rare recordings of Sid LeProtti playing piano and actor Vernel Bagneris bringing LeProtti's words to life. The Jim Cullum Jr. Jazz Band plays classic tunes that might have been danced to in the night spots of Pacific Street, such as “Shimmy Sha Wobble," “Ballin' the Jack," and a King Oliver-inspired “Riverside Blues."
Other guest artists featured on the show—pianist Dick Hyman, Bay Area cornetist Leon Oakley, Chicago tuba player Mike Walbridge, Australian cornetist Bob Barnard, New Orleans singer Topsy Chapman, and the San Antonio-based pianist and arranger John Sheridan.
The Riverwalk Jazz website features streaming of the entire show plus performances by Sid LeProtti, courtesy of the San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation.
Pianist Sid LeProtti was active on the Barbary Coast in its heyday between 1907 and 1917, leading his band at Lew Purcell's So Different Cafe. In the 1950s, Sid Le Protti sat down with San Francisco trombonist and bandleader Turk Murphy to record his memories of the Barbary Coast.
This week on Riverwalk Jazz (distributed nationwide on Public Radio International and Sirius/XM), we hear rare recordings of Sid LeProtti playing piano and actor Vernel Bagneris bringing LeProtti's words to life. The Jim Cullum Jr. Jazz Band plays classic tunes that might have been danced to in the night spots of Pacific Street, such as “Shimmy Sha Wobble," “Ballin' the Jack," and a King Oliver-inspired “Riverside Blues."
Other guest artists featured on the show—pianist Dick Hyman, Bay Area cornetist Leon Oakley, Chicago tuba player Mike Walbridge, Australian cornetist Bob Barnard, New Orleans singer Topsy Chapman, and the San Antonio-based pianist and arranger John Sheridan.
The Riverwalk Jazz website features streaming of the entire show plus performances by Sid LeProtti, courtesy of the San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation.
