By Dave Leucinger

How do you look to the future when nearly everyone wants to ask you about the past? For bassist Jimmy Sutton, leader of Chicago's Four Charms, the ghosts of his years in the Mighty Blue Kings haunt his new venture - whether in questions from fans and journalists, in his teaming with former MBK bandmate, saxophonist Jonathan Doyle, or even in the rare instances when the bands play in the same cities, as recently happened in Madison. Clearly, the visit that night by current Blue Kings members testified that friendships still remain amongst the musicians. But Sutton bristles at any mention of his former troupe. "The facts are that Jonathan and I played in that group; that in 1994 I co-founded the group; and that by the summer of 1997 I felt the group had gone its course, so we parted our ways," he said. But he doesn't regret the time he spent in the limelight. "It was a good building experience," he
said.

Sutton wasted little time after leaving the Blue Kings before redirecting his efforts. For much of 1998, he built his musical relationship with Madisonian Joel Paterson, a veteran of Paul Black's Flip Kings and the Jim Liban Combo. "Joel and I were mentally on the same track," Sutton said. "It isn't easy finding two people who have the same (musical) ideas." What drew them together was the fusion of classic American music. "I've been a hard-core fan of old country , blues, R&B, jazz, and country blues all my life," Paterson said. Sutton, who was first drawn to vintage music in old movies, had fused these styles together even before the Blue Kings, while slapping bass in the Moondogs, a rockabilly quartet. Following Paterson's move to Chicago in late 1998, Doyle and drummer Jim Barclay were incorporated into the quartet, thanks to their own draw to mid-century music. "I'm always listening to different music - moving from older jazz to older R&B," Doyle said. Jazz roots are also a part of Barclay's past. "I've been a jazz musician for years," he said. "More recently, I've been expanding my musical perspective by listening to other vintage/older styles of music." That sharing of cool obscurities cuts to one of the group's core strengths, according to Sutton. "We're always exposing each other to new music, turning each other on to
something else."    

What makes Sutton's Four Charms stand out from other revivalists, even at their young age, is how the group blends different but similar backgrounds into a playful, crisp ensemble. The snap-quick improvisation between group members is uncanny - as crisp as something rehearsed a hundred times, yet unmistakably fresh. Much of that credit rests in the group's chemistry, which was an early emphasis for Sutton - and remains a core element for the group. "It's to Jimmy's credit that he brought together musicians empathetic enough to listen to different stuff," said Barclay. Sutton underscored that the vitality of the group comes from simply having fun. "That's the basic concept of the group, and a huge goal for us," he said. "We want to create a sound that is true to how we feel. When we are loose and have fun, everything pools together."

As focused as Sutton and his bandmates are on their future, you'll have to forgive them for paying little attention to the peripheral "swing" sound. It's not based on disrespect for the other musicians, but more from concentrating on their own strengths. "The trend is great, but we don't feel a connection to it, though," said Paterson. Sutton observed that it isn't fair to compare many of the groups under the big tent of this trend. "If you try to compare a new band with an old group, the new band will get creamed every time," he said. "But a new band is trying to be its own entity; taking the influences of jazz and blues for its style. The 'swing' definition is really a new term that's now become a generalization. Every band with a horn player and suits becomes a 'swing' band. But I stick with the old line - there's really only two kinds
of music: good and bad."

The Four Charms repertoire is still heavily based on acetate gems from the past, but more songwriting is one of Sutton's short-term goals for the group. "It' s definitely something we want to emphasize in the months to come," he said. "We're doing two originals currently - 'Flatland Boogie' and 'Sherry Flip.'" It's probable that the new tunes will continue to feature the vocal strengths of group members; whether in call-and-response style or harmonies, that, too, ranks as one of the key elements in the group. Sutton aspires to bring all these elements together by the summer for a recording session. "I'd like the CD to be at least half to three-quarters originals," he said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to do that. But what people need to realize is that we're still only two months old - we did our first gig New Years' Eve."

The pressure to be an instant success may not be there, but the specter of past achievements is still present for the group members. "I feel it sometimes," said Paterson, "but it's based on the standards we set for ourselves." Barclay also admits feeling the push to achieve new heights. "It's both an external and internal thing - we want to play every show better," he said. Sutton agreed, noting that going beyond previous accomplishments is natural. "There's always that pressure for me to top myself," he said. "It's just a natural human progression." But he isn't gunning for the end result overnight. "A band needs to start slow, and progress slowly - those are the ingredients for a healthy band," Sutton said. "It can be frustrating as an artist if things aren't making that progress - but a line can be crossed between what's healthy
and what's unhealthy."

The Four Charms' rapid acclaim has spread beyond its Chicago base; shows in Madison are usually sell-outs. They've established a regular Wednesday night gig in the Windy City, and are venturing out to other surrounding states. But starting April 20, Sutton returns to a forum that provided the springboard to his past success. The group will be featured every Tuesday at the legendary Green Mill Bar in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago - filling the same night at the same venue that the Blue Kings did four years ago. "At first, I was scared of the idea," Sutton said. "I didn't want to go down the same path again. But we did a show there Saturday, February 13 - and it seemed like the right thing to do. Between the staff and the audience, nobody can beat 'em. I'm proud and honored they asked us to do it." If history does repeat itself, don't be surprised. "We just want this band to go out and be as true as possible to enjoying ourselves," Sutton said. "We'll stick to our guns, and hope our audience finds us. We're not going to bend things
to commercialize our music."