You would have to be pretty hip to know the difference between Las Guitarras de Espana and Ten Part Invention, or the Paul Wertico Trio and Von Freeman, but you could raise your hipness IQ by going to see them, and others, in September at the HotHouse.
Born in Wicker Park in 1987 and, since 1998, located at 31 E. Balbo Dr., HotHouse has been called “the most beautiful club in the city” by Chicago magazine. And that lively publication Barfly has deemed it “a mecca, if you will, of artistic and musical diversity.”
We say it is one of the best clubs on the planet. In an era when many clubs serve the same entertainment “meals,” the HotHouse menu is an eclectic explosion of films, forums, readings and mostly music, a vast and varied offering, full of spicy surprises.
Osgood and I last went there to see renowned local jazz singer Spider Saloff, who performed with Bill Sheldon and Tom Hope. The crowd for their show, “France For Better or Verse,” was young/old/black/white/brown, which pleased Saloff. “It was great, so much more interesting than some of the clubs I’ve played,” she said. “It’s beautiful and seems to get such a diverse audience.”
Running the 8,000-square-foot joint, which includes an art gallery, is Marguerite Horberg, known in some quarters as the older sister of film producer Bill, whose movie credits include “Cold Mountain.”
“We have been growing with every year,” says Horberg, who grew up with her brother on the North Side. “There are a lot of new residents in the area, a lot more activities at the nearby colleges [Columbia College and Roosevelt University]. We have started doing tie-ins with many of the city’s free summer programs, such as SummerDance. Things are good and getting better. We’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, a lot of exciting new projects.”
Such as?
“This fall we’ll be coming out with our first CD, on the HotHouse label,” Horberg says.
That’s nice. You’ll be able to buy it and listen to it at home. But do us a favor first: Go listen at the club.
