Mike Walbridge's Chicago Footwarmers

Biography

Mike Walbridge, a highly regarded jazz tuba player, was born in Los Angeles in 1937 and became a Chicago area native, active on the local scene for over 45 years. He formed the Chicago Footwarmers Hot Dance Orchestra in 1958 and led the group while also performing with the Chicago Salty Dogs and other ensembles like the Chicago Stompers. Renowned as the premier tuba player in the jazz field, Walbridge specialized in traditional hot jazz from the mid-1920s era, embodying a period style with the tuba's percussive role prominent before electrical recording shifted jazz instrumentation.[1][2][4][6]

Walbridge's career emphasized live performance over extensive recording, keeping him rooted in Chicago as a working musician. Key sessions include 1966-67 recordings with Kim Cusack (clarinet/alto sax), Eddie Lynch (banjo), Glen Koch (drums), and Johnny Cooper (piano), later reissued as Crazy Rhythm (Delmark DE 247) with a 2007 reunion session featuring Don Stiernberg (banjo/guitar) and Bob Cousins (drums). He also played tuba and cornet with bands nationwide, including the West End Jazz Band.[1][2][5]

Walbridge passed away on November 20, 2021, at age 84 after a brief illness, leaving a legacy of magnificent bass playing and extensive recording credits in traditional jazz preservation.[8]

Fun Facts

• The 2007 Crazy Rhythm session reunited Walbridge and Kim Cusack exactly 41 years to the day after their first 1966 session.
• Walbridge jammed with Kim Cusack since their teens, with Cusack around 20 and Walbridge nearing 30 during their 1966-67 recordings.
• He played both tuba and cornet with bands across the country while leading the Chicago Footwarmers.
• The tuba, Walbridge's primary instrument, fell from prominence in jazz after 1925 with the rise of electrical recording.

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Kim Cusack - longtime clarinetist/alto saxist and frequent bandmate since teens (Crazy Rhythm (1966-67 and 2007 sessions)) [1960s-2007]
• Eddie Lynch - banjo player in early sessions (Hip Flasks & Hotcha! (1966)) [1966]
• Glen Koch - drummer in early sessions (Hip Flasks & Hotcha! (1966-67)) [1966-1967]
• Johnny Cooper - pianist in 1967 session (Crazy Rhythm (1967 session)) [1967]
• Don Stiernberg - banjo/guitar in reunion session (Crazy Rhythm (2007)) [2007]
• Bob Cousins - drummer in reunion session (Crazy Rhythm (2007)) [2007]

External Links

• Spotify