Joe Segal with Dizzy Gillespie © Marc Pokempner

Good news from Chicago—the Jazz Showcase will reopen in winter 2008 at the Dearborn Station, on Polk between Dearborn and State Streets! "We still have to dot the 'i's' and cross the 't's,'" said Segal, quoted in the Chicago Tribune. And while the details are yet to be finalized, jazz fans can celebrate that Chicago’s most prestigious jazz venue will soon be reborn, and touring artists will again be coming into the Loop. Over the years, the Showcase has hosted such famed musicians as Frank Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Chris Potter, Danilo Perez, Larry Coryell, Paul Wertico, James Carter, Winard Harper, and more. Ahmad Jamal recorded his trio album Chicago Revisited at the club in 1992.

Segal and company have not been idle in the past year, continuing sponsorship of the annual Jazz Party at Sea. This year, the M/S Norwegian Sun sails from Miami on November 3^rd for seven nights of floating jazz heaven, featuring Lou Donaldson, David Sanchez, the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band and a many more bands. But of course it is the legacy of nearly nightly live jazz on the Showcase stage that has made Segal a legend and has helped Chicago maintain its reputation as one of the nation’s premiere jazz centers. On the order of the Village Vanguard in Manhattan, but with a lot more legroom and full service bar, the Jazz Showcase has existed in only two locations until the upcoming move. First ensconced in the Blackstone Hotel, the club moved in the mid-90s to its West Grand Avenue location.

Perhaps my favorite memory of the Showcase was my most recent visit in the winter of 2006. We had reservations for a 4 pm Sunday matinee of the Kenny Barron Trio with Buster Williams and Ben Riley. It was the end of a week-long run, and there were two evening sets scheduled as well. It was a cold afternoon, and we were among a total of 7 in the audience—maybe the only time I was ever at the Showcase when there were seats available at showtime. We sat in the front row, just to the right of the piano, practically sharing the bench with Barron. This is what is meant by an intimate space! I’m eager to return to Chicago next year, reserve a Sunday afternoon performance, and hope for bad weather again. Most of all, though, I look forward to many visits to Chicago, to hear the musicians that don’t venture far off the path from New York to LA.

Check the Jazz Showcase website for updated information regarding the reopening of the club in winter 2008: www.jazzshowcase.com