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Because of the double bands, the pool tables, the pinball machine and the jukebox–where’s the girl in the hula hoop?–the Bop Shop has gone from one of the best jazz clubs in Chicago to something resembling an arcade. The two-band setup is brutal. After listening to one band for an hour, a break from listening–not another 60 minutes of music immediately after–makes going to clubs cool. Also, I have seen one band’s fans listen to that band for their set and totally ignore the following band. This, I feel, is unfair to this following band, but then again, these patrons have just taken in a 60-minute set. (Anyone attending the recent Funky Wordsmyths/Jeff Newell Quintet gig knows exactly what I’m talking about. It was something like the Phil Woods Quintet trying to follow a slammin’ Public Enemy set.)
This is not meant to dis the Bop Shop at all. I have enjoyed going there since it opened and admire Kate Smith (the owner) a lot. But she needs to know that she is damaging a special jazz club by doing too much of too much. Please, Kate, appeal to as many people as you can to frequent your club, but not all at once.
Neil Tesser replies:
