London House (Chicago)

The London House was a jazz club and restaurant in Chicago located at the corner of Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue, in the London Guaranty and Accident Company Building, 360 N. Michigan Ave.[1] It was one of the foremost jazz clubs in the country, once home to successful jazz artists including Oscar Peterson, Ramsey Lewis, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland, Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley, Erroll Garner, Ahmad Jamal, Nancy Wilson, Barbara Carroll and Bobby Short. On the occasion of its 20th anniversary in November 1966, Frank Sinatra, Jr. headlined the club in his Chicago debut.[2]

View from the London House rooftop bar

Renovated in 1946 by George and Oscar Marienthal, the club was crafted from the original Fort Dearborn Grill. Known as a "famed dining spot" the club was revamped in 1955 to include jazz music and stay open until 4 A.M. rather than be a strictly dining establishment that closed at 10 P.M.[2] After jazz had finally waned as popular music, losing out to rock and roll, The London House closed during the early 1970s.

The LondonHouse Hotel opened in the building in 2016.

Recorded at London House

The following were recorded at the London House.[3]

Other albums recorded there include Gin and Orange by Brother Jack McDuff and Barbara Carroll "Live" Her Piano and Trio by Barbara Carroll.

George Shearing and his group often played at this venue in the 1960s, as did Ramsey Lewis, whose trio started out as the house band. On the venue's closing night, a group of notable jazz musicians gathered to say goodbye, and Shearing wrote and performed "A Foggy Day in London House."

References
  1. Demlinger, Sandor; Steiner, John (11 August 2003). Destination Chicago jazz. Arcadia Publishing. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-7385-2305-7. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  2. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (November 5, 1966). "Show to Mark Marienthal's London House's 20th Year". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 26. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  3. Happy Medium Ventures Archive, Chicago, www.happymediumventures.com



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