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Jon Reuck & "The Metropolis Five"
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the year 1977 I moved to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands I lived
there until 1990. I was very lucky and very blessed by the great
friends and the talented musicians that I had the good fortune to meet and
work with there. No one was more consistent as a friend or as a
Singer/Rhythm Guitarist than Jon Reuck. We jammed, partied,
supped, and collaborated on many projects and gigs throughout those
years. Our children were born there and our trials and triumphs were
dealt with or celebrated in each others company.
After hurricane Hugo, I left and worked in locations from New York to Mackinac Island to Kansas City and Florida and Jon went on a series of adventures as well. In 1994 I began to take work as a substitute Keyboardist on The Carnival Cruise Line during the winter break from "The Grand Hotel" at Mackinac Island, Mi. In February of that year I accepted an engagement on "The Ecstacy" (One of the two or three largest ships of the Carnival Cruise Line). |
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Who Are the Metropolis 5 ? In those days Jon Reuck had the live performance space outside “The Metropolis Bar" on “The Ecstacy”. He was set up next to a beautiful grand piano and we jammed literally every night that I was booked on that ship with him. The other guys in the band, (especially saxophonist Claude Rozier, affectionately nick-named “Mad Dog”, for his gentle demeanor and contrastingly funky saxophone style), all came around and joined in whenever their schedules would allow. Really, it was mostly Jon, Claude, and I who hung out there and we called ourselves “The Metropolis Five, Minus Two”, But, as you can hear from several of the tracks, sometimes we did live up to our name. This music is fun, bluesy, jazzy, funky, dixie, country, and something else I can’t describe, but without a doubt it is daring, dramatic, and totally "in the moment". Jon is a vocalist/Guitarist who innately knows how to make a song his own. His performances are personal and emotional, yet cool and direct. I have always loved playing with Jon and I only wish that we had recorded more of it.
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The Reunion I’ll never forget walking up the boarding plank to sign in on “The Ecstacy”. I was standing there looking confused with too much luggage and equipment, fumbling around and wishing that I could remember the name of the contact my agent had given me, when someone put his hand on my shoulder and said, “You’d better step out of line, Sir. We’re going to need to inspect that bag!” I turned my befuddled head around to see my great friend, Jon Reuck, standing there grinning. After he whisked me through the standard boarding rituals, (avoiding all the hang-ups, because, as usual, he was friends with everybody on the ship), I discovered that he had heard through the grapevine that I was coming and had planned out our agenda for the entire run. What a GROOVE! Jon arranged it so that we could fly to St. Croix for free from Puerto Rico, see our kids for a couple of days, play a gig with our friends, and meet the boat in St. Thomas in time for our next performances on the ship. Later, in the season, I was booked on "The Fantasy" (another of the large Carnival ships) and Jon managed to get himself booked onto that ship during my stay there. He took me to all the best restaurants, clubs, beaches, and shopping; he turned me on to tapes of great music; taught me the tricks of playing on the Ships; let me sit in on his gig every night and play whatever I felt; went with me and my kids to go and visit Jimmy Hamilton (it was Jon who took the pictures of Jimmy with my kids and I that appear on this website); and best of all was my true and thoughtful compadre’ in every way. I know well how very lucky I am to have a friend like Jon Reuck. In 1999 Jon ran a Restaurant & Nightclub in the Holger-Danske Hotel in Christiansted, St. Croix. He named it "The Usual Suspects", but everyone on St. Croix knew it as "Guthrie's" during the 1970's and early '80's. That location was special to me, because it was the first place that I played with The Jimmy Hamilton Quartet all those years before. He hired me to play there on all my free nights with the very guys who used to play with Jimmy; helped me get rooms for my wife, Malinda, and I and for all of our guests to stay in; helped me to arrange a cool New Years Eve gig; and generally was a perfect host to us even though he was swamped with the everyday operation of his business. Thanks Buddy- Greg Richter
Above: John Richter, Me, Jimmy Hamilton, & Starla Richter//Jon Reuck & Jimmy Hamilton photos taken at Jimmy's home on Mt. Welcome, Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI in March of 1994 |
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Last year Jon called me with sad news about the passing of our mutual friend, David Jaurequi. David, as anyone who ever heard him will attest, was a guitarist and vocalist on the highest level of expertise. He and Jon also had an amazing natural musical rapport. Their duo, "The Nonchalntz", was one of the best and busiest musical acts on the Island. Now, sadly, it is Jon's health that has taken a turn for the worse, and my family and I want to add our voices and prayers to those of all of his many friends and his family, So, to Jon: Here's wishing that your good days will outnumber the bad, as long you have to fight this. All the best, Amigo, from: Greg, Malinda, & Nick in K.C.; Carmen Richter in St. Augustine, Florida; John Richter in Denver, Colorado; and Starla Richter on St. Croix. ___________________________________________________________________________ When I wrote the words above Jon was still hanging on and now I want to add my condolences to Jordan. It is a bittersweet joy that you begin a new family as you lose your Father, but how wonderful that he was able to see the baby and that you were able to stay with him through this difficult time. I just wrote a new blues about Jon & David and I am posting the lyrics now, I will record it with Joe Straws on bass soon and will put a downloadable mp3 on this page as soon as it is ready. I have had to write music for a number of funerals recently, but Jon sang his own best farewell on "Sailin' Away" posted above. If any of Jon's friends want a copy of the full "Metropolis Five" CD just drop me an e-mail to bulldogjkd@hotmail.com . The same wishes still go out to my friend: All The Best To You, Amigo.
The Ballad of "The Nonchalantz": Cool, Steady, Minor Blues They played swing or rock or folk or even country tunes and more, And Jon could joke it up 'til folks were rollin’ on the floor, Those two could always feel a crowd and cater to their wants, And do it so relaxed and cool, with total Nonchalance.
2. David was a “Basque” who knew all about the blues. Jon had been around, he was a “Vet” who’d paid his dues. David played in every style, from “BB King” to Django” While Jon could lay down grooves that ranged from Western clear to Tango Any kind of music that anybody wants Those two boys delivered with total “Nonchalantz”
3. David played for TV shows and appeared once in a Movie. While Jon was pals with “Mose” and others famous, hip, and “Groovy”. When they dropped by to jam with Jim, the Ellingtonian master. They swung like mad and made the band play just a little faster. Any kind of scene at Beaches, Bars, or Restaurants, Was lifted up to Cool-ness when they brought in “The Nonchalantz”.
4. When Jon found out that life was slowly slipping through his grip, As worried friends began to call , he never seemed to trip. He kept his cool, his wit was sharp, he talked and reminisced, Without regret or comment on some thing he might have missed, He spoke of good times and good friends and of all his favorite haunts, He took off for the next world, still with that air of Total Nonchalance.
Jon, Jordan, & David Jaurequi.^ Jon Reuck in one of his early rock bands: "The Fabulous Dos Huevos" in 1968: Left to right in the photo are Darby Diaz, Gregg Gibson, Jon, Fred Summerfelt , and Richard "Snuffy" Abbey. The photo was taken at the Merry Monk in Long Beach, California. Jon and Fred Summerfelt are the ones with the Huevos, below:
ST. Croix Avis Remarks From Peter Des Jardins' Column:
Jon's Obituary From The Avis:
The next few pics are from "JJ Rocks" article: http://www.stcroixmusic.com/?mod=showarticle&column_id=253&article=0 Jon and His daughter on gigs on STX in early 2008:
Below are highlights from Bobby Forbes' account of the Memorial Celebration Held in Jon's honor on September 27th, 2008:
"Shiver Me Timbers, I'm Sailin' Away..."
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