San Francisco Feetwarmers

James Bubber Miley, born 1903, was the very talented African-American trumpet player whose hot horn sparked the early Ellington band and propelled it to nationsl prominence in the mid twenties. Bubber died a tragic death before his 30th birthday but left a legacy of compositions and of recordings that established him as King of the plunger mute.
The Feetwarmers were proud to be playing for Bubber's centennial celebration. They performed hot versions of East St Louis Toodle-o, Mood Indigo, Black and Tan Fantasy, Black Beauty, Cotton Club Stomp, Rent Party Blues, Creole Love Call, The Mooche, etc..

A great tribute to Johhny Dodds - his life and Music
Sonoma Dixie Jazz Fest, Aug 17, 2002.

"One cold windy afternoon in 1920, the train from New Orleans pulled into Chicago and discharged a short man carrying a travel bag and a small bundle wrapped in newspaper - his clarinet. An onlooker could have been excused for taking little notice of Johnny Dodds, who that evening was to join the Creole Jazz Band at the Dreamland. Shortly he would establish himself as one of New Orleans' greatest clarinetists, performing and recording in Chicago with Keppard, Oliver, Armstrong and Morton - the giants of classic jazz."

Feetwarmers performed the wonderful music of Johnny Dodds on Saturday Aug 17 in the Chardonnay Room at the Doubletree Hotel, Rhonert Park, Ca. Classic jazz like Perdido St. Blues & Flat Foot and rare tunes like Forty and Tight, Piggly Wiggly, and 29th and Dearborn went over big with the audience. Mike Slack sprinkled in some entertaining anecdotes about the legendary clarinetist.

Standing room only as Feetwarmers presented a Salute to Jelly Roll Morton at the Sonoma Dixie Jazz Fest, Nov 2001

Jelly Roll Morton, the legendary New Orleans pianist, was a braggart, a dandy, a ladies man, a gambler, a pimp, a pool shark, and a fight promoter but above all he was a great jazz musician and composer. He would often tell folks how good he was, then sit down at the piano and prove it. Morton's recordings with the Red Hot Peppers are the high water mark of Classic Jazz.

Feetwarmers performed the wonderful music of Mr Jelly Lord on Saturday Nov 10 at 3:30pm in the Chardonnay Room at the Doubletree Hotel, Rhonert Park, Ca. It was standing room only 15 mins before the event. The band enjoys Mortons tunes (such as the Crave, Why, Froggiemore Rag, Black Bottom Stomp, Sidewalk Blues, Pearls, Buddy Boldens Blues, Mr Jelly Lord etc.), they did an exceptional job and when the set concluded they got a standing ovation. Way to go!

Jelly Roll Morton

Feetwarmers and Jacques Gauthe Record New CD - "Blues, Brahms n' Bechet"
- Released in Feb 2001.
Right after the Sonoma festival (Aug 2000) New Orleans soprano sax player Jacques Gauthe and the Feetwarmers went into Bay Records, Berkeley and laid down sixteen tracks. We were full of the excitement from the festival, still feeling the affection of our fans and man, the energy was there. What an evening!
We captured a bunch of the Bechet tunes from the festival special, a piece from Brahms (jazz arrangement by Mike), several Blues, a piano rag and some classics by Morton, Armstrong, Ory and Hines.
We are real happy with the results and can now share them with you. Mixing and mastering was done by Mike Cogan of Bay Records.

"I like this album (CD103) - nice to know we've still got folks that play the real thing!"

----- Mike Foley's Record Review, And All That Jazz, April 2001.

Jacques Gauthe

SAN FRANCISCO FEETWARMERS 2nd CD IS HOT

San Francisco Feetwarmers plays
the Early Music of Duke Ellington

Rent Party Blues, Black and Tan Fantasy, Mood Indigo, Creole Love Call, The Mooche, Black Beauty, Cotton Club Stomp, Solitude, Sweet Mama, East St Louis Toodle-oo, Going to Town, Stevedore Stomp, Saratoga Swing, Birmingham Breakdown, Shout 'em Aunt Tillie.

" Has that early jungle sound down pat. Right on - I like it.".... Mikeys Record Review, Oct. 1999.

Our second CD, a tribute to the Duke on the centennial of his birth, was released on Aug 16.

In the late twenties, Ellington's Washingtonians - a small New Orleans-like group with the King Oliver influenced Bubber Miley on trumpet- recorded some red hot gems of traditional jazz which have stood the test of time. This warm, wonderful and challenging music was performed by the San Francisco Feetwarmers at the Sonoma Dixie Jazz Festival in Aug 1998 and is featured on their new CD.


... playing New Orleans, Dixieland & Traditional Jazz Home Photo Album News Musicians Gigs CD's Reviews Jazz Legends Links Contact NOJB	NEWS FLASH Roy Rubinstein will be the featured trombonist with the San Francisco Feetwarmers Jazz Band on Wednesday April 25 2012, 7:30 to 10:00 PM. at The Rossmoor Jazz Soc, The Club House at Rossmoor, Walnut Creek, CA Roy leads Roy Rubinstein's Chicago Hot Six and is well known in the Bay Area for exciting performances with Mike Slack and with the with SF Feetwarmers at Sacramento. selected prior events are listed below San Francisco Feetwarmers Jazz Band blew up a storm at the NAPA VALLEY DIXIELAND JAZZ SOC. on Sunday Oct 9 2011, 1:00 to 5:00 PM. at The Rossmoor Jazz Soc, Walnut Creek, CA Mike Slack's New Orleans Jazz Band were featured at THE VINE 135 Parrott Street, San Leandro, CA on Saturday July 23 2011, 7pm - 9pm. A great place to enjoy great wine and tappas plus fabulous music. (link to The Vine Vine ) San Francisco Feetwarmers Jazz Band were at CLINE CELLARS WINE & JAZZ FESTIVAL Cline Cellars, Sonoma, CA on Saturday July 17 2010, 11am - 6pm. Picnics on the lawn and fabulous music. Mike Slack's New Orleans Jazz Band were a big hit at ANNA'S JAZZ ISLAND, 2120 Allston Way , Berkeley, CA at 7:00 pm on Sunday June 14, 2010. Mike Slack's New Orleans Jazz Band is drawn from the San Francisco Feetwarmers, and features Mike on cornet, Jim Rothermel on reeds, Darby on vocals, Bill DeKuiper on Guitar and Tom Clark on str. bass The quartet in action .... photo by Kai Shuman. Directions to ANNA'S JAZZ ISLAND Located at 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley (cross street = Shattuck) and convenient to BART and local Parking. For info on more music at Anna's check this Link ANNA'S *"A day without good trad jazz is like a day without sunshine."* NEWS FLASH NEW CD Mike Slack's New Orleans Jazz Band, an offshoot from the Feetwarmers, has recorded a second CD "West End Blues", which was released in June 2009. .... it is fabulous, hot and features Darby Tanko (vocals) and Jim Rothermel(reeds). See the CD page for more details, and then go to the CD Order form. Guest Stars Bandon Au on trombone was last October's guest star with Mike Slack's New Orleans Jazz Band at the Baltic. Bandon Au from Sacramento, October's guest star. S. F. FEETWARMERS 4th CD, *"THE JOINT IS JUMPIN"* GEMINI CD 104, our fourth CD, was released mid February 2005. Another top quality CD recorded at Bay Records, celebrating in part the centennial of the fabulous Fats Waller and featuring our hot singer Darby Tanko. Selections include : Stealin' Apples, I've Got a Feelin', The Joint is Jumpin', Ain't Misbehavin', The Entertainer, Preachin' the Blues, Saratoga Shout, Gimme' a Pigfoot, The Waltz You Saved for Me, Nuages, The Crave, Downheated Blues, Hard Hearted Hannah, Only You, Blues in My Heart, and Blackstick. More exciting heart-felt jazz from the San Francisco Feetwarmers - Enjoy. See order form on CDs page and add this great disc to your collection. FEETWARMERS were back at the SACRAMENTO JUBILEE May 28 & 29, 2005 Really had a blast at the big one. The band featured Roy Rubinstein all the way from Chicago on trombone. Highlight - playing in the Firehouse Courtyard to appreciative fans. Firehouse Courtyard is a really great venue.....enclosed in ivy covered walls and roofed with leafy trees. Thank you Roger Krum for inviting us. DUKE ELLINGTON SOCIETY presented a JAMES BUBBER MILEY CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION featuring music from the San Francisco Feetwarmers Dec 14, 2003 from 2:00 to 4:30 pm at Fort Mason Center (Building C, Room C205), San Francisco, CA James Bubber Miley, born 1903, was the very talented African-American trumpet player whose hot horn sparked the early Ellington band and propelled it to nationsl prominence in the mid twenties. Bubber died a tragic death before his 30th birthday but left a legacy of compositions and of recordings that established him as King of the plunger mute. The Feetwarmers were proud to be playing for Bubber's centennial celebration. They performed hot versions of East St Louis Toodle-o, Mood Indigo, Black and Tan Fantasy, Black Beauty, Cotton Club Stomp, Rent Party Blues, Creole Love Call, The Mooche, etc.. A great tribute to Johhny Dodds - his life and Music Sonoma Dixie Jazz Fest, Aug 17, 2002. "One cold windy afternoon in 1920, the train from New Orleans pulled into Chicago and discharged a short man carrying a travel bag and a small bundle wrapped in newspaper - his clarinet. An onlooker could have been excused for taking little notice of Johnny Dodds, who that evening was to join the Creole Jazz Band at the Dreamland. Shortly he would establish himself as one of New Orleans' greatest clarinetists, performing and recording in Chicago with Keppard, Oliver, Armstrong and Morton - the giants of classic jazz." Feetwarmers performed the wonderful music of Johnny Dodds on Saturday Aug 17 in the Chardonnay Room at the Doubletree Hotel, Rhonert Park, Ca. Classic jazz like Perdido St. Blues & Flat Foot and rare tunes like Forty and Tight, Piggly Wiggly, and 29th and Dearborn went over big with the audience. Mike Slack sprinkled in some entertaining anecdotes about the legendary clarinetist. Standing room only as Feetwarmers presented a Salute to Jelly Roll Morton at the Sonoma Dixie Jazz Fest, Nov 2001 Jelly Roll Morton, the legendary New Orleans pianist, was a braggart, a dandy, a ladies man, a gambler, a pimp, a pool shark, and a fight promoter but above all he was a great jazz musician and composer. He would often tell folks how good he was, then sit down at the piano and prove it. Morton's recordings with the Red Hot Peppers are the high water mark of Classic Jazz. Feetwarmers performed the wonderful music of Mr Jelly Lord on Saturday Nov 10 at 3:30pm in the Chardonnay Room at the Doubletree Hotel, Rhonert Park, Ca. It was standing room only 15 mins before the event. The band enjoys Mortons tunes (such as the Crave, Why, Froggiemore Rag, Black Bottom Stomp, Sidewalk Blues, Pearls, Buddy Boldens Blues, Mr Jelly Lord etc.), they did an exceptional job and when the set concluded they got a standing ovation. Way to go! Jelly Roll Morton Feetwarmers and Jacques Gauthe Record New CD - "Blues, Brahms n' Bechet" - Released in Feb 2001. Right after the Sonoma festival (Aug 2000) New Orleans soprano sax player Jacques Gauthe and the Feetwarmers went into Bay Records, Berkeley and laid down sixteen tracks. We were full of the excitement from the festival, still feeling the affection of our fans and man, the energy was there. What an evening! We captured a bunch of the Bechet tunes from the festival special, a piece from Brahms (jazz arrangement by Mike), several Blues, a piano rag and some classics by Morton, Armstrong, Ory and Hines. We are real happy with the results and can now share them with you. Mixing and mastering was done by Mike Cogan of Bay Records. "I like this album (CD103) - nice to know we've still got folks that play the real thing!" *----- Mike Foley's Record Review, And All That Jazz, April 2001.* Jacques Gauthe SAN FRANCISCO FEETWARMERS 2nd CD IS HOT San Francisco Feetwarmers plays the Early Music of Duke Ellington Rent Party Blues, Black and Tan Fantasy, Mood Indigo, Creole Love Call, The Mooche, Black Beauty, Cotton Club Stomp, Solitude, Sweet Mama, East St Louis Toodle-oo, Going to Town, Stevedore Stomp, Saratoga Swing, Birmingham Breakdown, Shout 'em Aunt Tillie. " Has that early jungle sound down pat. Right on - I like it.".... Mikeys Record Review, Oct. 1999. Our second CD, a tribute to the Duke on the centennial of his birth, was released on Aug 16. In the late twenties, Ellington's Washingtonians - a small New Orleans-like group with the King Oliver influenced Bubber Miley on trumpet- recorded some red hot gems of traditional jazz which have stood the test of time. This warm, wonderful and challenging music was performed by the San Francisco Feetwarmers at the Sonoma Dixie Jazz Festival in Aug 1998 and is featured on their new CD.