The Chicago Jazz Dads isn’t just a name—it’s simply the most accurate description of five Midwest musicians, who fell into making music together the way most great bands do: completely by accident. True to their name, the idea for the group started on the playground and at kids’ soccer games. Little did they know they’d soon form a quintet that’s quickly becoming a fixture of Chicago’s jazz scene.
Despite its humble origins, the band has chops. Vocalist Gordon Wright brings a smooth, confident vocal, shaped from years of busking in the subway and touring with a rock band in his youth. David Williams developed his tasteful guitar style playing in both small combos and big bands, with European tours that included the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival. Drummer Jonathan Singer brings a keen musicality behind the kit, with technical chops honed at a French music conservatory and years playing professionally. Bassist Eric Perney got a music degree from the University of Michigan before spending years jobbing in the Bay Area and recording with everyone from Tom Waits to Joanna Newsom. Saxophonist Leo Kawczinski rounds out the group with a lush tenor sound and decades of experience on Chicago’s music scene (as well as his own appearance at Montreux).
Like many musicians, each found himself pulled away from performing as life’s demands multiplied. But the funny thing about jazz—you never really quit. As the kids got older, the guys found more time to dust off their instruments, and what started as casual porch sessions quickly became something more serious. Not because they had grand ambitions, but because the music was too good to keep to themselves.
Now the group has developed its own unique sound, serving up standards with a twist, jazz interpretations of pop hits, and the occasional original—all with the kind of spontaneous energy that only comes from musicians who genuinely love what they’re doing. They’re serious about the music but refuse to take themselves seriously, creating an atmosphere where jazz feels accessible to everyone from the hipsters in the back of the bar to the toddlers and grandparents dancing up front.
