A Night at the Ozark | “Keeping jazz alive”

Published: November 16, 2011

Montana-native and world-traveled musician Philip Aaberg has created a wonderful gift for everyone who enjoys Montana music and history – A Night At The Ozark. This magnificent two-CD set is comprised of both old historical recordings of Sunday jam sessions at the Ozark Club in Great Falls and new jazz tracks by representatives of Montana’s excellent contemporary jazz musicians.

Clearly, this new album was a labor of love for Aaberg, who first heard about the club (which burned down in 1962) from Jack Mahood, a Big Sandy farmer and jazz musician who used to sit in on, and record, the weekly jam sessions.

Through this CD set, Aaberg has rescued the Ozark Club and its music from the dustbin of history and made it come alive once again.

“We have a very rich and long history of jazz in Montana, which we often forget,” he says. “I hope this recording encourages us to keep jazz alive.”

The Ozark Club, which was built in 1919 and owned by the Lemar family of Great Falls, was known as a “black club.” But it opened its doors to young white people who were interested in jazz, becoming one of the few places in the 1940s and ’50s that allowed African-Americans and whites to congregate together.

Retired University of Montana professor Jim Todd remembers, “When my brother Mike and I grew up in Great Falls during the ’40s and ’50s, black people were unofficially segregated, and the Ozark Club was part of that segregation. Mike and I were both interested in jazz, but Mike broke the color barrier, and became close to members of the black community including the Lemar family, who owned the Ozark, and various jazz musicians.”

His brother, a budding jazz bassist, died tragically in 1960 at 21 in an auto accident that also claimed the life of Leo Lemar's son. “Mike and I both loved jazz, but Mike and the Ozark Club introduced me to the human source of jazz – the black community,” says Todd.

Long-time Helena jazz guitarist Walter "Blackie" Nelson remembers visiting the Ozark Club once in the 1950s. "I think we were the only white people in the club, but the music was great," Nelson said. He added that they didn't go more often because he was pretty much working every night as a jazz musician in Helena.

Mahood’s historic recordings of Sunday jam sessions form the core of this two-cd set. Mahood used to sit in with the regular Ozark Club jazz musicians, and made “Recordio Discs” of the sessions, in which we hear him on alto sax and vocals, keeping right up with the regular quartet on the bandstand.

Take a listen to these great songs, “C Jam Blues” by Duke Ellington, “Royal Roost” by Lester Young, and the classics “Body and Soul,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “These Foolish Things” and “I Surrender Dear.” They sound a little scratchy because Aaberg didn’t want to destroy the very essence of these old recordings.

In addition, numerous Montana jazz musicians who have performed at the New Ozark Club in the History Museum appear on the CD. The contemporary segment leads off with Michael Aaberg (Phil’s son) with Dayna Stephens on bass and Jaimeo Brown on drums, performing his composition, “Mocking Bird.” This burner of an opening is followed by composer, pianist, conductor and MSU professor Eric Funk and Backburner (Alan Fauque on tenor sax, Eddie T on bass and Mike Gillan on drums) on their original composition, “Fly Swatter.”

David Morgenroth brings a beautiful solo piano interpretation of Duke Ellington’s “Just Squeeze Me – But Please Don’t Tease Me” to the album. Next, Kelly Roberti on bass and Ben White on guitar offer a very melodic and flowing Roberti composition, “The Cleansing in the Dance of the Sad.”

A couple former Montana residents also contribute: Dartanyan Brown on bass and his wife, Marcia Miget, on flute and their quartet perform their composition, “Slow Roll”; and pianist Taylor Engsti and a red-hot group chime in on “Teeth,” a Dayna Stephens composition.

From Billings, the Alex Nauman Trio with Brad Edwards on drums and Erik Olson on Hammond C3 and Fender Rhodes offer an up-tempo jazz-fusion song titled “Rumi,” from their Loud Lullabies album.

Finally, the Tommy Sancton/Lars Edegran New Orleans Heritage Band plays “High Society,” with a solid second line and a rhythmic anchor in Jason Marsalis on drums.

A Night at the Ozark’s mix of historic recordings with the sound of some of today’s top national and Montana jazz musicians is a joy to listen to, and the album design by Linda Short rounds out a very professional package.

Do yourself a favor and relive Montana in the ’40s and ’50s by listening to the first disc, then sit back and enjoy a representative sample of great Montana musicians playing some of their favorite contemporary jazz songs.

Aaberg hopes this project helps Montanans realize that jazz has been part of their history for a long time. “My great uncle Phil used to play in Joplin, back in 1918,” says Aaberg, “Jazz has a longer history and tradition here than the bluegrass music that came much later to Montana.”

“I would like to see jazz continue in Central Montana at the New Ozark Club in the History Museum and in clubs throughout the state,” he adds. To that end, proceeds from album sales will be donated to the Ozark Club Performance Fund at The History Museum.

To learn more, or order the new recording, visit www.sweetgrassmusic.com.

– Wilbur Rehmann