Chicago ( That Toddlin’ Town )

Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town) is an American popular song written by Fred Fisher and published in 1922. Fisher wrote both the music and lyrics. The song celebrates the lively character of Chicago during the early 1920s and quickly became one of the best-known musical tributes to the city.

Django Reinhardt recorded Chicago on 26 April 1937 in Paris with the Quintette du Hot Club de France. The recording features Stéphane Grappelli on violin, Django on solo guitar, Pierre “Baro” Ferret and Marcel Bianchi on rhythm guitars, and Louis Vola on double bass. Their version transforms the American popular song into the characteristic acoustic swing language of the Hot Club.

Musical character:
Chicago is lively, playful and strongly rhythmic, reflecting the dance-music atmosphere of the early 1920s. Its memorable melody and straightforward harmonic movement made it particularly adaptable to jazz, allowing performers to increase the swing feel and use the tune as a vehicle for improvisation.

Connection to Manouche Jazz:
The connection is direct through Django Reinhardt’s 1937 recording. The tune is a good example of how the Quintette du Hot Club de France absorbed American popular songs and reshaped them for violin, acoustic guitars and double bass. Django’s version helped give the piece a lasting place in traditional and Gypsy Swing repertoire.

Interesting facts:

• Fred Fisher wrote both the music and lyrics of the song.
• The song was published in 1922.
• Early sheet music sometimes printed the subtitle as That Todd’ling Town as well as That Toddlin’ Town.
• The lyrics celebrate Chicago nightlife and mention State Street, one of the city’s famous entertainment districts.
• The song also refers to evangelist Billy Sunday, joking that even he could not shut the city down.
• Several recordings appeared already in 1922, including versions by Ben Selvin and the Synco Jazz Band.
• Django Reinhardt recorded the tune in Paris on 26 April 1937; the surviving matrix is 0LA 1713-1.
• Frank Sinatra later made the song famous to another generation with his 1957 recording.

Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town) began as a spirited celebration of one American city but became an international jazz standard. Django Reinhardt’s version shows how easily its lively 1920s character could be transformed into the acoustic swing language of Paris and the Hot Club.