Looking for more free music this summer? Return to the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch for a free performance by St. Louis based duo Cherry & Jerry of ragtime classics, early blues, and jazz standards.
Looking for free summer fun for everyone in the family? Put your visits to the Rock Island Public’s Library on repeat this summer! Another chance for free musical entertainment comes with the Cherry & Jerry Ragtime Show, which features ragtime, early blues, and jazz standards from the 1900s through 1920s. The free one-hour performance is at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, June 25, in the Rock Island Public Library Watts-Midtown Branch auditorium, 2715 30th Street.
“Cherry & Jerry” is Isaac Cherry on percussion and Jerry Rabushka on piano. The upbeat performance takes Cherry and Jerry audiences on a walk back in time, from familiar tunes like The Entertainer, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, and St. Louis Blues, to lesser-known songs that also sparkle. Hear the likes of W.C. Handy, Scott Joplin, May Aufderheide, Irving Berlin, Charlotte Blake, Euday Bowman, and more. Jerry performs the original sheet music, while Cherry adds percussion via a setup of cajon box drum, cymbal, and bell tree. The St. Louis-based duo will also talk about how this music evolved as America’s first “pop” music.
The performance is free and suitable for all ages. Cherry and Jerry frequently tour the music of the ragtime era throughout the greater Midwest, performing for libraries, museums, restaurants, special events, and festivals.