CLARKSVILLE, Mo. — They’ve traveled the world and played at all kinds of venues.

But something keeps the jazz and blues band Cornet Chop Suey coming back to the Raintree Arts Council Apple Shed in Clarksville.

This year’s performance – after a year off due to the pandemic – is Saturday, Sept. 25. Doors open at 6 p.m. with pre-show entertainment by local favorite Debbie Ingram. Cornet takes the stage at 8.

One explanation for the annual Pike County show is that Clarksville is the home of renowned Cornet woodwind player Jerry Epperson. But bandleader and principal vocalist Brian Casserly offers a couple of other reasons.

“The Apple Shed has very unique acoustics,” he said. “It sounds great and the crowd is always responsive. It’s a wonderful balance of being a good sounding room for the musicians as well as being an intimate space.”

Casserly admits the past two years have been difficult as COVID forced the cancellation of dates or the closure of concert halls. Cornet is playing more locally, and a bright spot is that the virus has not stopped the most important element.

“The one thing I hold onto is that music brings people together,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much joy I feel to be able to be playing back at The Apple Shed in Clarksville. Music has always been there from the beginning, in sad times and in happy times. Music will endure. It keeps us young.”

Other faces that will be familiar to the Clarksville audience are Tom Tucker on trumpet, Brett Stamps on trombone, Rick Zelle on piano and Jay Hungerford on bass.

New to the lineup is Dick Maley, who has performed with just about everybody who’s anybody in jazz. Retired drummer John Gillick always thrilled Clarksville audiences with a solo, and fans can rest assured that Maley plans the same. He also sings.

“This is a rare opportunity to bring him up from his home in Florida,” Casserly said. “He’s a wonderful drummer, arranger and vocalist.”

Cornet is celebrating its 25th year, and is named after a hit by American legend Louis Armstrong. One gem the Clarksville audience can expect is a Fats Domino classic that Armstrong had a top seller with in 1949.

The group plays many standards – tunes such as “Hello, Dolly,” “St. James Infirmary” and “What a Wonderful World” – but also likes to reflect the fluidity of jazz by experimenting with songs from different genres. At one previous Clarksville, the band performed a rollicking version of the David Allan Coe country song “You Never Even Called Me by My Name.”

“Cornet Chop Suey started out as an all-star jazz band,” Casserly explained. “Being an all-star, everybody has an influence on our sound and selection of tunes. All the guys are from a variety of backgrounds and styles of music. Cornet Chop Suey has always prided itself on being able to play myriad different styles well. It reflects our comradery, and sometimes that comes out in unexpected ways.”

Casserly says jazz “expresses many ideas and is a wide label put on a wide variety of styles,” but that “at its most basic is people expressing feelings of joy and excitement and joy of life, and that message is universal.”

Clarksville audiences tend to be older, but Casserly is encouraged that more young people have attended in recent years. The band also does regular gigs at schools in Pike and Lincoln counties, which Raintree covers.

“If you listen to movie soundtracks to commercials and other music around us, jazz is there,” Casserly said. “In Cornet Chop Suey, we are committed to continuing the mentoring that each of us had when we were younger. We work to reach out to schools and young people whenever we can. We are also inspired by young people in jazz. A perfect example is in the ‘Star Wars’ cantina song, which was inspired by a performance of some young friends of ours.”

Tickets for the Clarksville show are $20 for adults, and will be available at the door. People ages 18 and younger get in free. Premium seating for a table of eight is $200 or a table of 10 for $250 is available in advance by e-mailing administrator@raintreeartscouncil.org.