Jazz Showcase Chicago

Jazz Showcase is one of the oldest and continuing jazz clubs in Chicago, founded in 1947 by Joe Segal (April 24, 1926 – August 10, 2020). The club changed locations many times around Chicago, from rundown showrooms to elegant clubs and concert halls. According to Segal, he presented jazz shows at more than 60 locations. As of 2024, it is managed by Wayne Segal, Joe’s son, and it still highlights jazz in its current venue at 806 South Plymouth Court in Chicago. 

Former owner Joe Segal, who ran the club until 2020, was a lovable grump with a passion for jazz, especially bebop, and kept the club running at his own financial risk, despite downturns in the popularity of jazz and the economy overall. He worked with great jazz musicians like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and Sun Ra. For his contribution to jazz, Segal was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship in 2015. On the last day of his life, Wayne reported that Joe was listening to Charlie Parker, his musical hero.