If I hear another person spouting off about how horrible the CTA trains are, I'm going to park a bus in their mouth. For many months now, the CTA has been warning all of us to expect delays. There are signs posted everywhere. They've been up forever. And the CTA is doing all it can. So give them a break, folks.
The Red Line is not slowing down just to piss you off. The Blue Line is not experiencing delays just to make you late for work. And trust me, the Brown and Purple Lines aren't as evil as certain newspapers in this city make them out to be. Leave your house earlier, and you'll make it to work or play on time. The CTA has been telling you that for quite a while. Maybe it's time you started listening. And incidentally, when was the last time you were at a public CTA hearing to voice your opinion? Visit transitchicago.com to find out when the next one happens.
On to some sad news. The InterContinental Hotel has decided, without warning, to close down the long-running Jazz act of pianist-singer Judy Roberts and her husband saxophonist Greg Fishman. I read that she had been performing there since 1991, and the very few times I had the good fortune to stop in, the shows were incredible. If you're looking for some stellar music, visit her web site at JudyRoberts.com to pick up a few CDs and find out where she'll be next.
I tried to order a stuffed spinach pizza without remembering the spinach ban. The phone operator was polite with just a touch of you-idiot-what-are-you-thinking in his voice. The Greek in me pines for spinach in mass quantities frequently. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. Spanakopita may never be the same again.
Monday mornings are becoming increasingly difficult for me. Late on Sunday evenings I've been spending my time at The Green Mill listening to the Kimberly Gordon Organ Trio. Their formula is simple: Kimberly, the quiet storm on vocals, Andy Brown with his magic guitar, and Chris Foreman, master of the Hammond B-3 organ.
But their music is far more complex. They offer, each Sunday starting at 11 p.m., a three hour Jazz experience second to none in Chicago. The trio's songbook stretches far and wide, and every audience request is both welcomed and appreciated. The music and the venue fit like hand in glove.
The darkness and light of Kimberly's vocals embrace you in song. Andy's understated and driving guitar makes you follow his lead in every direction. And Chris spins you around and around with his Hammond, taking you from a quiet riff to the high-powered screaming church sounds that only a B-3 organ can make. Their dance in the music is the essence of Jazz.
If you don't know a lot about Jazz, they are the perfect educators. And if you do know a lot, let them swing one of your favorites into tomorrow. Take a Sunday afternoon nap and Jazz your way into Monday with them. Trust me, it's worth the fuzzy head on Monday. Check out kgjazz.com for more details.
With you in 4/4,
Peter Mavrik
peter@windycitymediagroup.com