Cheathams Are Still Jivin’ and Jumpin’ for Joy

Jeannie and Jimmy Cheatham have warmed music lovers’ souls for more than 40 years now. Consider the husband-and-wife team one of the few keepers of the Kansas City flame--a lighter, jumping, 1920s and 1930s style of jazz and blues noted for its bluesy vocals, percolating horn solos and rhythmic thrust.

The pair--Jeannie plays the piano and sings, Jimmy is a bass trombonist and arranger--is known for giving lively, often uplifting concerts. Fans can catch up with the Cheathams and their seven-piece Sweet Baby Blues Band tonight in Long Beach as part of the Museum of Art’s Summer Concert Series.

For Jeannie Cheatham, each live performance brings some adventure and a sense of renewal.

“I don’t know how many people have come up to us after shows and said, ‘You guys look like you’re having so much fun up there’--and they’re absolutely right,” she said from their home in San Diego.

“It’s all very spontaneous and full of improvisation. There’s lots of ‘sparring,’ and so much of the time, we have no idea who’s gonna solo next. That keeps it exciting and fresh for all of us.”

But just as essential to the feel-good vibe onstage is the mood of the audience.

“There are a lot of great technicians playing out there, but you gotta be able to move people, you know what I mean?” said Jeannie, who learned to sing in her church choir in Akron, Ohio. “We try to make the audience a part of our show, to get them laughing, singing, dancing--you know, involved. But that’s not something you can pretend or force. It just doesn’t work that way.”

The couple’s personal and professional relationship began in 1957. Jeannie was touring with a band in Ontario, Canada, and on weekends they’d go down to a hangout in Buffalo, N.Y. Jimmy, who was attending Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles, came home to Buffalo to visit his mom. They met one evening at a jam session, hit it off, and married soon after.

The Cheathams taught music at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, before moving to San Diego in 1978. Jimmy taught improvisation and black music history at UCSD and served as director of its jazz program. In 1993, he retired with professor emeritus status in music.

Over the years, Jeannie has performed alongside numerous greats, including Cab Calloway, T-Bone Walker, Joe Williams, Jimmy Witherspoon and Big Mama Thornton, among others. Jimmy’s resume is no less impressive: Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Thad Jones, and Ornette Coleman, plus he served as musical director for drummer Chico Hamilton for many years.

Of her work with some of the biggest names in jazz and blues, Jeannie says, “They’re all immensely talented individuals. . . . They never gave me much advice because you learn best by watching and then doing. I believe accompanists are born, not made. I think you have to have a certain intuitive feel for it.”

In 1984, looking to strike out on their own, the Cheathams released their debut album, “Sweet Baby Blues Band,” on the Concord label. It has their signature song--the delightfully steamy “Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On,” which has been covered by several groups, including the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

On each of their next seven releases, at least one guest star participated, including tenor saxophonists Plas Johnson and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis; alto saxophonists Hank Crawford, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and Charles McPherson; the late violinist Papa John Creach; and Texas guitarist Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown.

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How were the Cheathams able to lasso such a renowned supporting cast?

“Hell, they’re all Jimmy’s friends, and they hang around so they can tell us all of their troubles,” Jeannie said with a laugh. “Seriously, the people that can play what we’re looking for--with their own voice and some exuberance--are getting fewer and fewer. I mean, you know when ‘Lockjaw’s’ playin’. . . . It’s getting less and less that you can tell who’s playing, and I never thought I’d say that.”

Asked if she feels closer to either the blues or jazz, she said, “It’s like trying to figure out which you like better--chocolate or angel food cake. They’re both s-o-o sweet. It just depends on your mood at the time.”

The Cheathams and their Sweet Baby Blues Band have been together a long time, a rarity itself in the music business.

“This band of ours has been very loyal over the years, and you just don’t find that every day,” Jeannie said. “We’re not raking in the dough, but it’s a rich way of life.”

* Jeannie and Jimmy Cheatham & the Sweet Baby Blues Band performs tonight at the Long Beach Museum of Art courtyard, 2300 E. Ocean Blvd. Betty Hall Jones opens at 7 p.m. $9-$12; children under 12 are free. (562) 439-2119.