If Jazz was born in New Orleans, it was raised right here in Chicago. The city’s clubs, dance halls, ballrooms, and speakeasies were like a siren song to the best musicians of the era. As Jazz evolved, those early sounds were considered corny and out of time. But the jumpin’ rhythms and complex counterpoint of “trad Jazz” seems to always bring in new generations of listeners and musicians. One of the best groups anywhere is Chicago’s The Fat Babies. They joined us last year in our Jim and Kay Mabie performance studio to play and talk about the present and future of their classic sound. Photo Courtesy of The Fat Babies’ website Photo: Flickr/Zolk