ELLA FITZGERALD LIVE AT MISTER KELLY'S” SOLD-OUT AT CHICAGO’S CITY WINERY
Chicago singers re-create Ella Fitzgerald's historic 1958 LP recorded performance, in a sold-out show Monday, January 29, 2018, at City Winery. The evening captures the elegance and sophistication of 1950s Rush Street, where Fitzgerald recorded her legendary album at Chicago's iconic nightclub Mister Kelly's.
Called a "supernova in the local and national night life firmament," the legendary Mister Kelly's launched the careers of many household names and featured beloved entertainers such as Billie Holiday, Barbra Streisand, Nancy Wilson, Woody Allen, Bette Midler, Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, the Smothers Brothers, Joan Rivers, Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor. The nightclub's visionary owners, George and Oscar Marienthal, had their fingers on the pulse of the changing times smashing gender and racial barriers from the '50s through the early '70s. Their venue became a must-see spot for America's biggest stars.
Monday's event is produced in partnership with David Marienthal, Happy Medium Ventures and Daryl Nitz Entertainment. A portion of the evening's proceeds will be donated to a new documentary,
Mister Kelly's: Wasn't it the Time? which David Marienthal -- the son and nephew of George and Oscar Marienthal - will produce with screen writer/director Phillip Koch. As the stars who performed at Mister Kelly's reach their golden years, Marienthal and Koch are on a quest to collect the memories of the family and the club before they are lost. The result is a trip through time via interviews, images, music, and song with the most beloved and famous performers of our time.
Learn more in this article by the Chicago Tribune's Rick Kogan.
The evening will bring together generations of music lovers to support the legacy of Mister Kelly's, highlighting the documentary's partnership with WTTW Chicago Public Media with Dan Soles, Senior, Vice President & Chief Television Content Officer, who will join in the preview screening of the film's sizzle roll.