Jazz Showcase - Ian Torres Big Band

Chicago is approximatly a two hour drive from my house. My wife and I decided to make the trip to Chicago to see some old high school classmates of mine play at the Jazz Showcase. We arrived at our hotel and then ate supper at State Street Bread Company. Fairly good meal a little expensive, but hey it is to be expected in Chicago. After eating we headed to the Red Line Subway station, which happened to be in front of our hotel. It took about ten minutes to get from our hotel to the Polk street station. I was pretty impressed, it certainly beat driving in traffic. So then a one block walk over to the Jazz Showcase. We arrived about a half hour early and paid our $10 cover charge. After a short wait we proceeded into the main hall and found a seat. Ian, who went to high school with me, greated us right away. The Jazz Showcase is the second oldest jazz club in Chicago. It has been at this location for a little over a year. Tons of jazz memorbilia adorn all of the walls. A huge mural of Charlie Parker is behind the stage. Another classmate of mine, Mark, came over and greated us. He plays trumpet in the band. The Ian Torres Big Band began playing approximatly at 8PM. This is a big band that features the music that Ian has written or arranged. The band has some very good musicians. One thing that struck me right off was that the audiance in the Jazz Showcase was there specifically to listen to the music. That is refreshing as most of the clubs around here are primarily for socializing and the music is secondary. After the first set the band went into the audiance and mingled with the crowd. At approximatly 10PM the second set began. The crowd thined out a bit but most stayed for the whole set. After the set we said goodbye to Marc and Ian and headed back out to the Red Line. Fifteen minutes later we were at the hotel and ready for some sleep. After sleeping in and having breakfast we did some window shopping, saw some street musicians, and then headed home. If you ever get a chance to see the Ian Torres Big Band, or chance to visit the Jazz Showcase, make sure you do it. We had a great time and I am sure I will visit this place for future concerts. As for the Ian Torres Big Band I am obviously a big fan!!!