Though it`s debatable whether Las Vegas ever will recapture the glory days of the `50s, when the greatest acts in show business routinely played there, at least one venue is reaching for the stars.
The Desert Inn, once a showcase for the foremost names in live music and comedy, has booked a remarkable lineup for the coming months. Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin and Paul Anka, among others, have signed with the hotel, which has been renamed The Stars` Desert Inn.
Sinatra, who made his Las Vegas debut at the Desert Inn in 1951, will launch the new series of bookings with a five-day run beginning Wednesday.
The focus on legendary entertainers is notable because, in recent years, Las Vegas has seen a precipitous decline in live musical entertainment. Instead, canned music, synthesizers, light shows, magic acts and the like have predominated.
The Stars` Desert Inn will buck the trend, featuring a continuous run of live musical shows in two spaces, the Crystal Room and the Starlight Theatre; for details, phone 702-733-4444.
– Drummer Louie Bellson, trumpeter Conte Candoli, vibist Terry Gibbs, alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and pianist Frank Mantooth will play the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival Feb. 28 through March 1 in the school`s Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel.
Fourteen bands, 3 combos, 2 vocal jazz groups and 1 percussion ensemble are scheduled to perform. Phone 708-617-3187.
– The Jazz Passengers, Samm Bennett and Chunk, and the Thomas Chapin Trio will play Feb. 28 at Cabaret Metro, 3730 N. Clark St. Billed as ”An Evening with the Knitting Factory,” a reference to a New York club that showcases alternative music, the event is part of the JAM/Goodman New Music Series. Phone 312-559-1212.
– Pianists Ramsey Lewis and Billy Taylor will play Feb. 29 at the Paramount Arts Centre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Phone 708-896-6666.
– Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory will play at 8 p.m. Saturday at the University of Chicago`s Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th St. Phone 312-702-8068. – Three veteran singers play the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Ind., on Sunday: Billy Eckstine, Don Cornell and Helen O`Connell. Phone 312-721-4600.
– A ”Tribute to Benny Goodman” will be the theme of concerts by the Chicago Chamber Musicians Sunday in Northwestern University`s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 1977 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, and Monday in the De Paul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave. Phone 312-973-4513.
– Three jazz pianists will share the bill for a concert Feb. 15 in the Krasa Student Center of Illinois Benedictine College, 5700 College Rd., Lisle. Soloists are Mike Kocour, Brad Williams and Fred Simon. They`ll be backed by bassist Kelly Sill and drummer Jack Mouse. Phone 708-960-1500, ext. 627.
– A ”Tribute to Marian Anderson” will feature singer Albertina Walker Feb. 16 at the South Shore Cultural Center, 71st Street and South Shore Drive. The seventh annual event is sponsored by Jazz Unites Inc. Phone 312-667-2707. – The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble will perform Feb. 14 in the Lecture Hall Auditorium of North Park College, 3225 W. Foster Ave. Phone 312-583-2700.
Coming up at the clubs:
Cotton Club, 1710 S. Michigan Ave.: Melvia Chick Rodgers, Friday and Saturday and Feb. 21-22. Phone 312-341-9787.
Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway: tenor saxophonist Ed Petersen`s Quintet, Saturday; soprano saxophonist Dave Liebman, Feb. 15; singer Rebecca Parris, Feb. 21 and 22. Phone 312-878-5552.
