TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
Chicago’s Jazz Showcase is one of the great guardians of the music. Founded in 1947 by Joe Segal, the Showcase became a home for the biggest names in jazz.
Legends like Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, and McCoy Tyner all stood on its stage, not as passing acts but as regular visitors who trusted the room, the audience, and Segal’s deep commitment to the art form.
What makes the Jazz Showcase so important today is that it has never lost that mission.
Through relocations and shifting musical tastes, it remains dedicated to presenting world-class jazz night after night.
Young players come to learn the tradition; established artists return to reconnect with it.
This has been Rapp on Jazz—a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.