Chicago After Dark - Chicago - page 157

Green Dolphin Street An old garage on the north branch
of the Chicago River was transformed, Cinderella-like, into this
sexy, retro, 1940s-style nightclub and restaurant. The beautiful,
well-appointed crowd shows up here to smoke stogies from the
humidor, lap up martinis, and take in the scene (there's also a fine-
dining restaurant whose patrons can move on to jazz after dinner
without paying the cover charge). Green Dolphin books jazz in all its
permutations, from big band to Latin. The main room is closed
Monday. 2200 N. Ashland Ave. (at Webster Ave.). & 773/395 - 0066. www.jazz
itup.com. Cover $7-$20. Subway/El: Brown Line to Armitage or Red Line to
Fullerton, and then a 10-min. cab ride.
Green Mill Green Mill, in the heart of Uptown, is “Old
Chicago” down to its rafters. It became a popular watering hole dur-
ing the 1920s and 1930s, when regulars included Al Capone, Sophie
Tucker (the Last of the Red Hot Mamas), and Al Jolson, and today
it retains its speak-easy flavor. On Sunday night, the Green Mill
plays host to the Uptown Poetry Slam, when poets vie for the open
mic to roast and ridicule each other's work. Most nights, however,
jazz is on the menu, beginning around 9pm and winding down just
before closing at 4am (5am Sat). Get there early to claim one of the
plush velvet booths. 4802 N. Broadway (at Lawrence Ave.). & 773/878 - 5552.
Cover $6-$15. Subway/El: Red Line to Lawrence.
Pops for Champagne A civilized, elegant way to enjoy jazz,
the Pops champagne bar is one of the prettiest rooms in the city, and
its River North location makes it a convenient walk from most
downtown hotels. 601 N. State St. (at Ohio St.). & 312/266-POPS. www.pops
forchampagne.com. Cover $5-$10 Tues-Sat; no cover Sun-Mon. Subway/El: Red
Line to Grand.
BLUES
If Chicagoans were asked to pick one musical style to represent their
city, most of us would start singing the blues. Thanks in part to the
presence of the influential Chess Records, Chicago became a hub of
blues activity after World War II, with musicians such as Muddy
Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Buddy Guy recording and performing
here. Chicago helped usher in the era of “electric blues”—low-tech
soulful singing melded with the rock sensibility of electric guitars.
Blues-influenced rock musicians (the Rolling Stones and Led
Zeppelin, for example) made Chicago a regular pilgrimage spot.
Today, the blues has become yet another tourist attraction, especially
for international visitors, but the quality and variety of blues acts is still

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