Blues/Jazz Clubs in Chicago

For Jazz in the North Michigan Ave. area check out the Jazz Showcase,which has many national acts coming through usually for a week at a time,and Andy's which has more of the local artists(Like the Henry Johnson Organ Express on Wednesday nights)and they have some pretty good food as well. Also The Green Mill at Broadway and Lawrence(used to be a Capone hangout and the decor is still the same)where you can check out both national and local artists, both Kurt Elling and Patricia Barber can be heard on a regular basis when in town.For Blues there's Buddy Guys Ledgends,and Rosa's Lounge(kind of out of the way but worth it)also Blues and the Kingston Minds on Halsted St.This should keep you busy.
Check out the Chicago Reader for listings. They have a web site, I think it's Chicagoreader.com.Enjoy!!!

Green Mill
4802 N. Broadway

Buddy Guys Legends
754 S. Wabash

Kingston Mines
2548 N. Halsted

Jazz Showcase
59 W. Grand

Andys Jazz Club
11 E. Hubbard

Jillys Piano Bar
1007 N. Rush

Buddy Guys is my favorite, I go there every trip. He was in the house sponsoring a new band's CD debut on my last visit. Sometimes he treats and plays but not that night :-(

If your heading to the windy city then don't miss Buddy Guy. Hopefully he isn't on the road when you're visiting. Seeing Buddy Guy is worth the trip to Chicago on its own let alone any other reason you have. He's a consummate showman. I recently saw him in a theatre in Milwaukee. He doesn't have any set playlist when he gives a show...he just plays whatever he feels like at the time, including improvisation...and his band just has to (try to) keep up. Occasionally they just give up and wait until he "returns", as he will, eventually. (He has an excellent band) Much like Picasso did in painting, Buddy can (and does) play in the style of about any blues/rock artist you can imagine and he's old enough to have played with most of them. He has a style of working/talking with an audience that's almost conversational and makes you feel he's not so much giving a stock show (which he isn't) as he's just hanging out with you for an evening and doing some jamming. He likes to walk down into the audience while he's playing and talk to people. Sort of a relaxed evening mixed with incredible music. In the show I saw he played long past what he was scheduled for...they had to pry him off the stage as he was just getting warmed up.

What can I say that I haven't said...go see him.

You have some good suggestions here, but I am surprised that no one mentioned Rosa's Lounge. It is unlike the others listed, not as upscale, very local, very "authentic", out of the Loop, located on the West side. The neighborhood is not frequented by tourists. It is small. But the music is the real thing. The Stones performed at Rosa's before their stadium shows in Chicago.

If you seek a local, authentic epxerience, very diverse crowd, gritty, then check out Rosa's Lounge.

http://centerstage.net/music/clubs/rosas.html