Welcome to The Rosebud
It was like “Field of Dreams,” where these baseball players from the past come back to today for a game. A voice speaks to Kevin Costner: “Just build it and he will come.” A line, sometimes altered to say “…and they will come,” that has become a classic. The effect, as I sat in the movie theater years ago, was pure magic. And impossible. Right?
Well, not impossible. Just change the subject from baseball to ragtime and it happened. The first Monday in January. And continues to take place the first Monday of each month.
The “field” for this is The Rosebud Cafe, which is part of the Scott Joplin House. This in a part of town you probably don’t get to very often. In fact, there’s only one reason to come here. Ragtime. The music and the legacy.
Back in the day, this was a vibrant St. Louis neighborhood, the streets teeming with life, lined with stores, shops, clubs, bars, homes. Then slowly, almost unnoticed, it slipped away, ignored by the rest of the city. Considered dead and buried by some. There’s a rich history here, but this is not a history lesson. You can google or chatGPT for that story.
On Delmar Boulevard, just a block west of Jefferson Avenue, sits an old house built around 1860. Scott Joplin moved here in 1901. This is where he composed some of his most famous pieces, including “The Entertainer” and “Elite Syncopations.” Closed for decades, the house opened as a museum in 1991. And here is where The Rosebud Cafe enters the scene, a music club and bar that is part of the house with a separate rear entrance.
The echoes of a century ago may have disappeared but new life gathers here now. Thanks to the efforts of T. J. Muller, a British transplant and ragtime aficionado who lives in St. Louis, along with a group of incredible musicians gathered here on the first Monday of January this year. I feel obligated to tell you their names, if not for you then for them.
Josh Duffee from Davenport, Andy Schumm from Chicago, Mike Davis from New York, Matt Tolentino from Cincinnati, Colin Hancock from Austin. And TJ., who deserves much of the credit for bringing back The Rosebud. Before the band began at 7:00, a series of remarkable piano players entertained. I don’t know all their names, except Dr. Dave Majchrzak. This guy dazzled everyone. As did Valerie “Miss Jubilee” Kirchhoff and blues & boogie partner Ethan Leinwand.
The Rosebud was packed, SRO, every table, chair and barstool occupied. The people were here to listen, watch, join in the spirit of the evening, pay homage to the music and the musicians. It’s indeed a rare sort of scene. Also there to listen- Royce Martin.This guy does things on the piano you’ve got to hear to believe. Catch him sometime at Blue Strawberry in the CWE.
The evening ended about 8:30, after a couple of encores, and a satisfied crowd headed for their cars. Yes, The Rosebud comes alive once a month. The musicians may vary, but the homage to this distinctive American music remains constant.
Don’t be surprised if you hear a voice one day that says, “Play it and they will come.” That’s your cue to come to The Rosebud.