Chicago's Best Blues: Rosa's Lounge and Melvin Taylor
Looking to head to Chicago for some serious blues? You can checkout the best club and best band at the same time and place when Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band are playing at Rosa's Lounge.
Rosa's is generally acknowledged by the town's blues cognoscenti as Chicago’s finest blues room. Tony the owner, emigrated from Italy and opened the club in 1984, and nice boy that he is, named the place after his mother. Rosa's is to Chicago's blues clubs what the Village Vanguard is to NYC's jazz scene.There is undefinable atmosphere about the place that cannot be manufactured. The lounge is just the right size for a blues room - cozy without being cramped, with excellent sightlines and sound system.
Check the schedule and don't miss Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band if they are in town. They frequently set up residence, playing every Tuesday night for a month straight. Melvin is an amazing guitarist, conjuring up riffs from Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Christian, and Link Wray - ALL IN THE SAME SOLO! Finding good blues acts most any night of the week in Chicago is not a problem, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better act than Melvin and his band.
Check out this YouTube video of Melvin's version of "Black Magic Woman"
Getting There
Cab: Rosa's Lounge is located at 3420 Armitage Ave and it is a good distance from downtown. It is a 10-15 minute cab ride from the Loop and it will cost about $15. Don't expect the cab driver to know about Rosa's. Have the address ready when taking a cab.
Public Transportation: You can find the Chicago Transit Authority's Trip Planner on Rosa's website (under Directions). We don't recommend the subway/bus combination because catching the right bus,heading in the right direction is easier said then done. If you don't mind walking in unfamiliar urban environments, Rosa's is about a 25 minute walk from the Blue Line's Western Station. Directions from Downtown: Take the Blue Line northbound to Western. Follow Milwaukee Ave. north a few blocks to Armitage. At Armitage, turn left and walk a little over 0.5 miles.
