Our Picks

House of Blues Back Porch Restaurant

The House serves Southern-inspired cuisine such as Rosemary cornbread, baby back ribs and creole jambalaya.

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Jazz Institute of Chicago

The Jazz Institute of Chicago was founded in 1969 by a small band of jazz fans, writers, club owners and musicians who came together to preserve the historical roots of the Chicago's music and to ensure that opportunities for the music to be heard would not be lost in a time when rock was subsuming cultural economics. Among the founding members were trad pianist Art Hodes, Muhal Richard Abrams, who a few years earlier had also co-founded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Harriett Choice, then music writer for the Chicago Tribune, Joe Segal, whose Jazz Showcase has kept the flame for bebop lit for 50 years, Bob Koester, owner of Delmark Records, Don DeMicheal, drummer and editor of Downbeat magazine, jazz promoter and supporter Penny Tyler and several other devoted souls.


Andy's Jazz Club

For lovers of Jazz Music Worldwide, one name has become synonymous with Chicago Jazz, Andy's. Visitors from Cleveland to China and Dallas to Denmark consider Andy's Jazz Club a "can't miss" venue for the best in Local, Home-grown, Chicago Jazz.


Artis' Lounge

Do you want an authentic Chicago blues experience? OK.  Well, how about cramming into a tiny South Side bar with a six-person band jamming two feet away from you, while they break out classics like "Strokin'," "Members Only" and "While You Were Steppin Out, Someone Else is Steppin In"?

Back Room

One of the city's oldest jazz clubs - it has seating on two levels that both offer a good view of the stage. They sometimes feature national talent, but usually it's local jazz greats. The candlelit tables give it a warm and romantic feel.

Blue Chicago on Clark

It will remind you of a tavern a long room with a stage at one end and a bar running down the side wall.  It’s one of the coziest blues room in Chicago, filled with the vocalizing of some of the best female blues singers the city has to offer. Gloria Hardiman and Big Time Sarah are the major attractions, and so popular they’ve recorded a best selling CD, "The Women of Blue Chicago."

Buddy Guy's Legends

At the South end of Chicago's Loop, nestled in among fast food restaurants, a liquor store and a parking garage, you’ll find the musical home of the man Eric Clapton called "the world's best guitar player – Buddy Guy." Buddy Guy’s Legends is a dark, smoky blues joint  right out of the pages of an Elmore Leonard novel.

Checkerboard Lounge

Both the college kids and the South Side regulars who frequent this place know it's a solid bet for good live music any night of the week.

Chicago Cultural Center - Jazz

This landmark building known as the Chicago Cultural Center serves as the city's official reception venue where the Mayor has welcomed Presidents and royalty, diplomats and community leaders. This is the "People's Palace," where Chicago's diverse communities gather. This remarkable structure was completed in 1897 as the city's main library. Constructed to be "an enduring monument worthy of a great and public spirited city" in the words of the founding library board the "People's Palace" is a testament to the foresight of Chicago's turn of the 20th Century cultural leadership.

Chicago Jazz Philharmonic

The Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP) was born out of an invitation to Artistic Director Orbert Davis from the Jazz Institute of Chicago to “think big” when planning his appearance at the 2004 Jazz Festival. This performance marked the first time for a resident Chicago Jazz artist to headline the festival, not to mention, being accompanied by a 55-piece jazz orchestra. The scope and scale of the performance was certainly unlike anything the Chicago Jazz Festival has ever witnessed.

Close Up 2

Close Up 2 (CU2) Jazz Club features live Contemporary Jazz, in a modern and  upscale environment with diverse professionals. Close Up 2 features the best of Local and Nationally recognized Contemporary Jazz Artists. Close Up 2 is a wonderful place to relax, listen to great jazz, network or just  participate in a stimulating conversation.


Columbia College of Chicago - Events

They are one of the largest and most diverse private arts and media colleges in the nation. Because of their size, they offer an unparalleled array of courses with exceptional technological resources in the heart of one of America's greatest cities. The city is there laboratory with 16 buildings that sit in the heart of Chicago's South Loop, home to the Chicago Symphony, the Art Institute, and the Museum Campus.

 


Cuatro

Cuatro strives to present the traditional flavors of Latin American and Caribbean cuisines in a modern, yet down-to-earth fashion.  Their approach is one of simplicity and boldness of flavors with an emphasis on popular Mexican cooking.

Davenport's Piano Bar & Carbaret

This isn't the first place you'd expect to find a tried-and-true piano bar and cabaret venue, but Davenport's does its best to revive a fading art form.
Owner Bill Davenport and his partners transformed a single-story storefront into an intimate, chic gem that provides a much-needed showcase for Chicago-bred talent, with a sprinkling of visiting performers from New York and L.A.
The piano bar in front is flashier than the subdued cabaret in back, featuring a singing waitstaff, blue velvet banquettes, funky lighting fixtures, and a hand-painted mural-topped bar

Dolphin Street

It offers fine music of Jazz, Soul, and Latin.  Enjoy exquisite dining in the club, the small green room, or on the romantic patio (weather permitting) located next to the river.  Go for the dining experience, then stay for the music and dance away a few calories

FitzGerald's

Built in the 1920s FitzGerald's has always been a gathering spot, from the early days as a hunting club and watering hole through its teen years as a jazz club during the '50s and '60s, featuring acts like Bob Scobey, Turk Murphy, Lil Armstrong, and the Original Salty Dogs. The FitzGerald family bought and renovated the building in 1980, and since then its reputation for great music in a casual, comfortable, unpretentious atmosphere has grown steadily. Chicago Magazine calls it "a musical gem," and the club has consistently found itself in the top 5 in Chicago polls of favorite venues.

HotHouse At the Viaduct Theater

The Viaduct Theater is a non-profit arts producer established in 1998 with the purpose of promoting, producing, and creating theater, film, art, dance, and music in Chicago.

House of Blues Back Porch Restaurant

The House serves Southern-inspired cuisine such as Rosemary cornbread, baby back ribs and creole jambalaya.


House of Blues Chicago

Known around the globe as "the place for blues" in a town that made blues famous, this well-known venue showcases all kinds of musicians: rising stars, superstars and legends. Located on the banks of the Chicago River, the House of Blues rocks out all night long putting on some of the most memorable and enduring shows in Chicagoland. Eclectic artwork covers the walls and, combined with the music, you get a tremendous sense that you have entered a one-of-a-kind place.

Jazz Showcase

If you have not been to the new home of the Jazz Showcase then you are in for a treat...
Much more space, unobstructed sight-lines yet that same intimate room for listening to great music is still there.


Joe's Be-Bop Cafe and Jazz Emporium

If you bought the kids, check out Joe's Be-Bop Café on Navy Pier. Their specialty is live jazz or blues every night and Southern home style food at moderate prices. Get there early because the lines are often long and they close early during the winter months.

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