In the summer of 2021 a friend I met in our neighborhood dropped off a package of cassette tapes, a record album, and some photos at the school I was, and currently still am, working at. My friend’s name is Shawn Boggs. Shawn is a talented carpenter and was doing some work on a neighbor’s deck. The woman didn’t allow smoking on her property and Shawn, being a smoker, respected her wishes and would take a break out on the “main road” (you wouldn’t call it that if you visited but it is) and I would frequently see him when I rode my bike to and from work. When he learned I was a jazz musician, he mentioned that his grandfather was a jazz musician of some notoriety in the area and said, if I was interested, he would bring some of his grandfather’s music for me to listen to. Shortly thereafter, the package showed up at the school.
I told Shawn we’d put some of the music and info on the SJS website so here is the beginning of that effort. I have digitized all the tapes and am working trough each one, breaking out each tune and will post them here as I finish them. Enjoy the music!
If you have any info about the Silver Stope that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it and, if applicable and appropriate, post it here as a historical archive of the music and musicians who made that scene happen. From the sound of the tapes, it was a fun, community oriented hang! You can use the contact forms on this site to be in touch.
Here’s “I Want to be Happy” (thanks to Alan Feeney for identifying the tune) from the Silver Stope on May 29th, 1982 (Track 1 on the cassette)
After You’ve Gone (Track 3. May 29th, 1982)
Oh Lady Be Good! (Track 4. May 29th, 1982)
Charmaine (Track 5, May 29th, 1982)