Jazz--In the first great wave of black migration from the South just after World War I, jazz was transported from the Storyville section of New Orleans to Chicago. Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong made Chicago a jazz hotspot in the 1920s, and their spirit lives on in a whole new generation of musicians. Chicago jazz is known for its collaborative spirit and a certain degree of risk-taking -- which you can experience at a number of convivial clubs.
Blues--If Chicagoans were asked to pick one musical style to represent their city, most of us would start singing the blues. Thanks in part to the presence of the influential Chess Records, Chicago became a hub of blues activity after World War II, with musicians such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Buddy Guy all recording and performing here. Chicago helped usher in the era of "electric blues" -- where low-tech soulful singing melded with the rock sensibility of electric guitars. Blues-influenced rock musicians (the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, for example) made Chicago a regular pilgrimage spot. Today, the blues has become yet another tourist attraction (especially for international visitors), but the quality and variety of blues acts in town is still impressive. Hard-core blues fans shouldn't miss the annual (free) Blues Fest, held along the lakefront in Grant Park in early June.
Rock (Basically)--In the early 1990s, Chicago's burgeoning alternative rock scene, which produced such names as the Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, Veruca Salt, Urge Overkill, and Material Issue, attracted the national spotlight. Although the city's moment of pop hipness quickly faded (as did most of the aforementioned bands), the live music scene has continued to thrive without all the hoopla. Most Chicago bands concentrate on keeping it real, happy to perform at small local clubs and not obsessing (at least openly) about getting a record contract. The city also is a regular stop for touring bands, from the big stadium acts to smaller up-and-coming bands. Scan the Reader or New City to see who's playing where.
The biggest rock acts tend to play at the local indoor stadiums: United Center (tel. 312/455-4500), home of the Bulls and Blackhawks, or Allstate Arena (tel. 847/635-6601), in Rosemont near O'Hare Airport. During the summer, you'll also find the big names at the outdoor Tweeter Center (tel. 708/614-1616), inconveniently located in the suburb of Tinley Park, about an hour outside the city (and cursed with pretty bad acoustics).
But you can catch other rock acts at local venues with a lot more character. The Riviera Theatre, 4746 N. Racine Ave. (tel. 773/275-6800), is a relic of the Uptown neighborhood's swinging days in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. A former movie palace, it retains the original ornate ceiling, balcony, and lighting fixtures, but it has definitely gotten grimy with age (head upstairs if you want to avoid the crowd that crushes toward the stage during shows). The Aragon Ballroom, a few blocks away at 1106 W. Lawrence Ave. (tel. 773/561-9500; Subway/El: Red Line to Lawrence), was once an elegant big-band dance hall; the worn Moorish-castle decor and twinkling-star ceiling now give the place a seedy charm all its own. A former vaudeville house is now the Vic Theater, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. (tel. 773/472-0366; Subway/El: Red or Brown line to Fullerton), a midsize venue that features up-and-coming acts (get there early to snag one of the lower balcony rows).
More sedate audiences love the Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave. (tel. 773/929-5959; Subway/El: Brown Line to Armitage, or bus no. 22 [Clark St.]), both for its excellent sound system and its cabaret-style seating (no mosh pit here). I've caught excellent shows there with Sarah McLaughlin and Tori Amos, artists typical of the kinds of acts that thrive at the Park West. For tickets to most shows at all these venues, you're stuck going through the service-fee-grabbing Ticketmaster (tel. 312/559-1212).
Country, Folk & Ethnic Music--The mix of cultures and ethnicities in Chicago's neighborhoods translates into a wealth of music clubs catering to all kinds of musical tastes, from mellow folk and melancholy Irish to suave salsa and spicy reggae. Chicago is also the place to hear the so-called insurgent country sound (country music meets rock and punk) pioneered by local indie record label Bloodshot Records and bands such as Wilco, Robbie Fulks, and the Waco Brothers.
