During St. Louis’ Make Music Day last Friday, people gathered in places around the St. Louis area to do just that.
And on what was meant to be the longest, sunniest day of the year, it began to rain. While it halted some outdoor performances, many, like those inside Evangeline’s Bistro and Music House, went on.
The piano outside the restaurant, however, was not so lucky. Joe Jackson, owner of Jackson Pianos, and his team worked feverishly in the rain, trying to preserve the integrity of the instrument. This was the case in several locations around the St. Louis area, where pianos were scattered in celebration of Make Music Day.
Despite the weather, Jackson said he believes days like these are essential to a thriving local music scene.
“We need musicians,” he explained, “we need people understanding that music is part of how our culture advances, and heals, and develops.”
The sun came back out later that day, and so did musicians of all kinds. While Hudson and the Hoo Doo Cats, a blues trio, got people dancing in University City’s Farmers Market Plaza, more musicians lined the sidewalks of the Delmar Loop.
Outside the Moonrise hotel, Tommy Wasiuta flexed an unusual talent: tap dancing. Wasiuta shuffled on a wooden board to Miles Davis’ “So What” and other jazz classics.
Wasiuta said Make Music Day was an opportunity to share his art with the community, and to forge bonds within it, saying, “That’s what I think Make Music Day is all about: bringing people together.”
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