The Fat Babies Uptown

The Fat Babies
Uptown
Delmark

The Fat Babies are an eight-piece jazz band interpreting classic styles of the 1920s and 30s. Founded in 2010 by string bass player Beau Sample, its members include Andy Schumm (cornet), John Otto (reeds), Jonathan Doyle (reeds), Dave Bock (trombone), John Donatowicz (banjo and guitar), Paul Asaro (piano), and Alex Hall (drums).

This is their fourth album for Delmark. Like their previous ones, this recording is a gem of traditional jazz, whether reworking King Oliver, some early Kansas City Jazz, James P. Johnson, and others or playing some original compositions that sound like they were from the 1920s and 1930s. A prominent example is "Uptown," composed by Andy Schumm. It evokes Bennie Moten, and the lesser-known George E. Lee Orchestra, with its steady gait and an opening solo from Bock on trombone working into trading licks between Bock and the other horns. Schumm wrote most of the arrangements. Doyle did arrange Bennie Moten's "Harmony Blues," with the vibrato-laden horn lines, hot cornet from Schumm, growling trombone, and a stately piano solo while Donatowicz provides a crisp rhythm on banjo. It is followed by Schumm's transcription and arrangement of Jesse Stone's "Ruff Scufflin'," with The Fat Babies transversing the intricacies of the melodic elements of this tune. The original George E. Lee Orchestra recording was one of the classics of Kansas City Jazz.

Asaro sings in the fashion of a crooner of a twenties sweet band on "Out of a Clear Blue Sky," with handsome backing and a clarinet trio chorus. After an evocative Doyle original, "Sweet Is the Night," there is the jumping James P. Johnson, "Thumpin' "N" Bumpin'." On the latter number, Bock and Schumm add a bit of heat with their short breaks. "The Spell of the Blues" is more of a torch song than an actual blues song that features crisp alto sax and cornet breaks. The spirited cover of Clarence Williams'"Harlem Rhythm Dance" features Schumm's fiery plunger mute cornet, Asaro's vocal, and Doyle's tenor sax.

There are few bands (Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks in New York is another) that play the music of the twenties and thirties as well as do The Fat Babies. "Uptown" is superbly played and an absolute delight for fans of early jazz.

I received my review copy from Delmark Records. Here are The Fat Babies in performance performing "It's Tight Like That," which is not on this recording.

 

The Fat Babies Solid Gassuh

The Fat Babies
Solid Gassuh
Delmark Records

The Chicago classic jazz band The Fat Babies have a new release from their extensive repertoire that includes more idiomatic renditions of songs from the twenties and thirties. The Fats Babies is comprised of leader Beau Sample on bass; Andy Schumm on cornet; Dave Bock on trombone; Paul Asaro on piano and vocals; Jake Sanders on tenor banjo and guitar; Alex Hall on drums; and John Otto on clarinet and saxophones, the same personnel that were on their first album, "Chicago Hot," accounting for the crisp ensemble sound and assured solos. Unlike that earlier album, the songs here are lesser known songs of the era than those on the earlier album. Like that recording, they inject a definite spirit in their recreations.

Ricky Ricccardi, Director of Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum, notes that band soften playing such music get hot as playing "nostalgia" or "museum pieces," but suggests that the appeal of The Fat Babies is that they "treat this music as a living, breathing thing." This is something that is difficult to accomplish while trying to say stylistically true to the recordings that are the source for these performances. A lively rendition of the Luis Russell-Paul Barbarin "Doctor Blues" opening this album is a joyful reaffirmation of the quality of their performancers of these vintage numbers. Schumm, who arranged this music, plays his cornet in the spirit of Bix Beiderbecke like on "Slow River," a lesser known Clarence Williams composition.

In its playing, The Fat Babies generally avoids being 'nostalgic,' and also  being campy, but there are exceptions in the vocals. Pianist Asaro's crooning on "Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?" is appealing with Sanders' guitar adding a nice touch here, although his Ted Lewis styling on "Egyptian Ella," comes off as a bit campy. The spirited rendition of Thomas Morris' "Original Charleston Strut" (with Hall's drumming standing out with his rhythmic accents), and the lively rendition of "Alabamy Bound" (one of the most familiar numbers here), are other standout selections. Also noteworthy is the rendition of Arthur Schutt's "Delirium," which Ricccardi suggests they provide "an almost Bix-meets-Raymond Scott treatment," taking what was originally a unique chart and performing "something surprising, unpredictable and even a little haunting," although I might suggest evocative as the mood engendered.

A breakneck tempo rendition of "Maple Leaf Rag," closes "Solid Gassuh," which Riccardi observed would be quite a very high compliment from Louis Armstrong and appropriate to use describing the music herein. If this listener has some reservations about several vocals, there are none about the consistent solid performances by The Fat Babies.

I received my review copy from Delmark Records. Here The Fat Babies perform Jelly Roll Morton.

The Fat Babies Are Chicago Hot

Its surprising to hear a jazz band whose members are in their twenties and thirties and devote their talents to the hot jazz that would be heard in Chicago in the twenties and thirties. That is The Fat Babies, whose debut Delmark CD, Chicago Hot, has spirited interpretations of songs associated with Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke and King Oliver. The band is comprised of leader Beau Sample on bass; Andy Schumm on cornet; Dave Bock on trombone; Jake Sanders on banjo; Alex Hall on drums; Paul Asaro on piano and John Otto on clarinet and saxophones. Mike Walbridge guests on tuba for the last of the 16 tracks.

There are plenty of youthful bands that approach materials from this era in a campy fashion. One thing to appreciate about The Fat Babies is that they play this music straight. That doesn’t mean that their performances are sterile recreations. There is pretty of life here from the opening Snake Rag, from King Oliver; San, a number associated with Bix Beiderbecke; the pop standard I Surrender Dear, that was so memorably performed by Louis Armstrong; Weary Blues that has become a staple of the New Orleans traditional scene; and Tight Light This, that was a celebrated recording by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five.

Schumm’s cornet playing, based in Bix Beiderbecke’s lyrical style, stands out. He is, however, quite capable of generating fireworks as on Tight Light That, where Armstrong’s influence is a bit more prominent while the rest of the band provide support. Snake Rag and Jelly Roll Morton’s Froggie Moore, (another song associated with King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band), impress with the band's marvelous ensemble work and the contrapuntal playing between the horns. Pianist Asaro is featured on the Gershwin classic, Liza (All the Clouds’ll Roll Away), as he opens wistfully before picking up the tempo and turning this into a piano stomp. He incorporates ragtime and stride while supported by the understated rhythm section and trading fours with Hall. Asaro also has a nice chorus on Tight Like That as does clarinetist Otto.

Kim Cusack, a veteran of the traditional Chicago jazz scene, observes that not only has this band appealed to listeners old enough to be grandparents of the band members but also have a substantial youthful following. Listening to the performances on Chicago Hot, one can understand the appeal of The Fat Babies crisp and spirited playing that has goes beyond the existing audience for traditional jazz.

I was provided a review copy from Delmark. Here is a video of The Fat Babies performing Snake Rag with a few enthusiastic dancers.

Billy Boy Arnold's Heartfelt Big Bill Broonzy Tribute

The last year and a half saw two books about the great Chicago-based blues artist big Bill Broonzy. Bob Riesman’s I Feel So Good, emerged as the major chronicle of Broonzy’s life, correctly information about his date and place of birth and his development of his musical career. While he made use of archival interviews and other materials, one of his sources was bluesman Billy Boy Arnold was captivated by Broonzy as well as Broonzy’s friend, John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson and while Billy Boy wanted to record with Broonzy, Broonzy directed him to musicians more in keeping with the contemporary blues scene.

Now over fifty years after Broonzy’s passing, Billy Boy has recorded a tribute album, Sings Big Bill Broonzy on Electro-Fi. It is produced by Eric Noden who plays acoustic guitar and others supporting Billy Boy are Billy Flynn on electric guitar and mandolin, Beau Sample on acoustic bass and Rick Sherry on washboard, percussion and clarinet. The 15 songs, all written by Broonzy, selected were recorded between the late 1930s and the early 1950s.

Bob Riesman in his liner notes that they attempt to play in the spirit of Broonzy’s work, rather than recreate the recordings. The lack of piano as well as Billy Boy’s harmonica helps to insure that. Arnold’s vocals also do not possess the ebullient quality that Broonzy brought to his recordings (the late John Cephas was one of the few singers of the past few years who had a comparable vocal style), but then again Muddy Waters’ vocals also lacked Broonzy’s good-natured exuberant quality when he recorded his Broonzy tribute shortly after Broonzy’s passing.

There is the lament of Sweet Honey Bee followed by the lively, relaxed swing of Going Back To Arkansas where Sherry contributes washboard and clarinet to help contribute a flavor of some of the Broonzy-Washboard Sam collaborations. Arnold added additional lyrics to the nice slow blues, Girl In The Valley a.k.a. Water Coast Blues, with Sherry again adding washboard while Flynn contributes mandolin in support. Key to the Highway is among the best known songs heard here and done quite strongly with some nice guitar in the backing.

These performances do also highlight Broonzy’s gift at crafting sophisticated songs with irony and wit in his expression of the blues, analogizing to a rooster in Looking Down At Me, or take the voice of a prisoner in Cell No. 13 Blues. The rendition of the former song is done in the fashion that Sonny Boy Williamson might have performed the song with a nice harmonica break. There is the mix of the contemporary and traditional in I Want You By My Side, that adapts the melody of Careless Love, and has a crisp Billy Flynn guitar solo.

The easy swing is also present when Billy Boy sings about Living On Easy Street, where he tells women if you want money get your man on the WPA but if you want good loving you got to do what I say. When I Get To Thinkin’, is nicely reworked and a bit more laid back than the Muddy Waters more emphatic 1960 recording that is a bit more threatening towards his lover. Arnold also provides his own spin to Broonzy’s fanciful It Was Just a Dream with its surrealistic imagery has been revived and reworked by a number of bluesman, most notably the late Louisiana Red, as he sings about waking up in the White House and the President shaking Bill’s hand.

This recording was heralded in Bob Riesman’s Broonzy biography, and its release has met the expectations for it. Today, one might find it hard to appreciate how significant Big Bill was in the history of the blues. Along with Riesman’s book, this tribute recording addresses that in a fine and spirited manner.

I was provided my review copy from the label.  Here is a video clip of the legendary Big Bill Broonzy.

Here is Billy Boy Arnold doing a Sonny boy Williamson number.