Fats Jazz Band is a nine-member swing orchestra that revives the tradition of jazz and swing from the 1930s and 1940s. It was founded by Ladislav Fančovič. The orchestra performs original swing music based on transcriptions of authentic historical recordings. An integral part of this authentic revival of swing tradition also includes reconstructed period instruments and vintage-style clothing.
The repertoire of Fats Jazz Band features the most remarkable pieces of American jazz from the 1930s and 1940s, including works by Thomas “Fats” Waller, after whom the ensemble is named.
Fats Jazz Band also performs compositions by other major figures of the jazz scene of that era, such as Louis Armstrong, Teddy Wilson, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Clarence Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, and others.
Members of Fats Jazz Band also perform in leading orchestras and big bands, including the Slovak Philharmonic, Gustav Brom Big Band, Bratislava Hot Serenaders, and the Orchestra of the Slovak National Theatre.
Despite its relatively short existence, the ensemble has gained a large following both in Slovakia and abroad. Fats Jazz Band regularly performs in the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary. The orchestra’s members have revived the long-standing tradition of swing dance events in Bratislava, where audiences attend in period attire and rediscover the long-forgotten charm of social etiquette.