Traditional jazz by Salty Dogs and The Fat Babies returns to Fitzgerald’s March 21

This show was such a big hit in January that we’re bringing it back. That first show was in the SideBar but this time around, it’s moving to the club — plenty of room for dancing.

The roots of The Salty Dogs dig deep to the early jazz musicians of the 1920s — Hoagy Carmichael, King Oliver, The New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Biederbecke, Hitch's Happy Harmonists, and Louis Armstrong. They all recorded in Richmond, Indiana and many of their sidemen settled in the Chicago area.

In the 1950s and 1960s, many of these players were still active and performed side-by-side with members of The Salty Dogs. The list includes some of the greatest names in jazz history: Georg Brunis, Lil Armstrong, Quinn Wilson, Darnell Howard, George Lewis, Lou Black, Jim Lannigan, "Little Brother" Montgomery, "Banjo" Ikey Robinson, Franz Jackson and a host of others who shared their music, knowledge and notes with The Salty Dogs.

The current version of The Salty Dogs features players who have been together since 1957 plus several members of the Fat Babies who cross over to do double duty. “We look for the best in town to fill out the band and today those players are the Fat Babies,” said Salty Dogs’ banjoist Jack Kuncl.

The Salty Dogs have a long history at FitzGerald’s. The band has played here for decades, going back to a time when the venue was known as the Deer Lodge and before that the Hunt Club. In fact, there are photographs hanging on the wall at FitzGerald’s to the left of the stage of the Dogs playing here back in the day. So there’s a lot of history unwinding tonight. 

The Salty Dogs are Kim Cusack (clarinet), Andy Schumm (trumpet), Tom Bartlett (trombone), Mike Walbridge (tuba), Jack Kuncl (banjo), Paul Asaro (piano) and Alex Hall (drums).

The Fat Babies, a seven piece jazz band interpreting classic styles of the 1920s and ‘30s, is another FitzGerald favorite. Founded in 2010 by string bass player Beau Sample, its members include Andy Schumm (cornet), John Otto (reeds), Dave Bock (trombone), Jake Sanders (banjo and guitar), Paul Asaro (piano), and Alex Hall (drums).

Chicago Tribune writer Howard Reich included The Fat Babies 2012 disc, “Chicago Hot,” on his best albums of the year list:  “Few young musicians focus on pre-bebop jazz as intensely as the Fat Babies, and fewer still dispatch repertoire by Jelly Roll Morton, Joe "King" Oliver and other vintage masters with comparable tonal luster and knowledge of period style. "Chicago Hot" establishes the Fat Babies as important players in interpreting scores from the too-oft-forgotten early chapters of jazz history.” 

The evening includes a set by each band and ends with a jam session featuring both. The music begins at 8 p.m. March 21 at FitzGerald’s, 6615 W. Roosevelt, Berwyn. Tickets are $10 and available at TicketWeb http://www.ticketweb.com/snl/VenueListings.action?venueId=32814&pl=

For more on the Salty Dogs, go to http://saltydogsjazzband.com/.

For more on The Fat Babies, go to http://www.thefatbabies.com/.

For more on FitzGerald’s, go to www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.