Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
The Jazz Showcase, which has been homeless since the end of last year, is staging an impressive benefit tomorrow, March 1, at the Harris Theater, to help with relocation costs once it finds a new home, something owner Joe Segal says will happen. The club has long been the place in town to regularly check out the finest in mainstream jazz. The Tribune’s Howard Reich actually wrote a pretty good piece in Sunday’s paper examining the difficulties Segal faces these days—with a dying pool of talent, competition from institutions like Symphony Center, and a stubborn refusal to program many musicians that incorporate more contemporary (read: anything from the last three decades) developments into their work. Yet whatever Segal’s shortcomings, he’s remained an invaluable resource to the city, and it’s crucial that he resurface soon. Most of the performers are local, but a killer trio with drummer Jack DeJohnette and pianist Danilo Perez—who recorded a live album at the club a few years ago—suggests the loyalty and appreciation some jazz stars have for Segal.
