First stop on our spring break tour was Chicago. We were flying from here later on to Philadelphia. This part is about how we met Chicago blues and spirit of Czech president Vaclav Havel :]
After we arrived to Chicago we directly went to a blues club of Marketa's choice. And it was a good one! It is called Rosa's lounge.
Musicians were comming over to jam together.... from heart and for themselves. It was not a fancy club but very cosy. You get a free entry if you play any instrument on the stage.
Look at the lady behind the percussion! (You need to enlarge the picture). She is in age of my grandma and she is an awesome drummer!
There were lots of photoghraphs and paintings, collected over the years, hanging on the walls - musicians, instruments, cities, fans. The place felt very authentic.
This is a painting very typical for Rosa's lounge. (It appears on the T-shirts as well.)
The owner of the place referrs to it as a "Chicago most friendliest blues club."
Club's bar offers wide variety of drinks...
After being in Peoria from January without having rare musical (or any cultural or social) self realization me and Marketa were in heaven :]]]
Me, Marketa (both native Peorians) and Roman, who graduated from Bradley few tens of years ago (just making fun of him, he finished it in 2002) and he is living and working in Chicago now.
Guess what...Our former president Vaclav Havel visited this club in 1993. His large photo is hanging on the back wall behind us. This is what I found in the club's comments about the event:
Geoff says:
On Friday 6/3/05 7:18 PM
About 10 years ago, Vaclav Havel came to town and he told a friend he wanted to hear blues. The establishment wanted to snag him, traipse around the upper brow jazz scenes but his friend contacted me and i contacted rosa's and magic slim and arranged a gig at rosa's, havel and his traveling cabinet, his secret service guards, and a couple of my buddies, we played pool, listened to great blues, and left havel alone. he said later that he enyoyed the evening immensely. Rosa's...
We chatted with the owner about Havel's visit and he recalls it very clearly after more than 10 years. "I asked him how he became a czech president and we were siting right there...Chicago authorities did not want give me a permission to sell alcohol and it seemed that the place is gonna be shut down...Havel said I don't care, I can bring my own beer six-pack and drink it there."
Me and Marketa...
"Mama Rosa" is an Italian immigrant who came to Chicago almost three decades ago (1978). Her son Tony (the owner) found "the true spirit of the blues at South side lounges" and he opened Rosa's (1984) and named it after his mother.
What wrote the New York Times: Night Life
...There is still a vibrant blues scene in Chicago, but it's not as easy to find as it once was. Perhaps the best blues club in town is Rosa's Lounge, 3420 West Armitage Avenue, run by an Italian blues drummer who couldn't resist Chicago's pull (and whose mother, Rosa, tends bar all night long). Fans sit in front under a large portrait of Vaclav Havel, or play pool in back.
For more picures from club click HERE and also HERRREEE . It is definitely worth to see!!!!
Most of the pictures from Rosa's Lounge were taken by up coming talented photographer Marketa Veberova :]
Chicago blues visited
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