The Jazz Supper Club is Reborn

Once upon a time, a millennium ago, there were magical places called Supper Clubs. They served fine wines, perfectly mixed cocktails, crisp salads made with exotic greens and entrees diners still described with awe years later. Best of all, there was the music. Vocalists who sang the Great American Songbook in a way that soothed the soul accompanied by musicians who made their instruments sing melodies all their own.

These days great jazz is rarely offered in venues serving extraordinary food.

Fortunately, there are some exceptions. One of these is the Eastgate Café. A full-service restaurant in the Oak Park Arts District, the Eastgate specializes in continental dishes inspired by Eastern European cuisine. And now it’s featuring a musical series entitled “Jazz Supper Club Nights” that is happily bringing back the tradition of the jazz supper club.

On Saturday, February 1 the Eastgate will present the Terry Sullivan Trio.

Featuring vocalist Terry Sullivan, the trio includes pianist Tom Muellner and bassist Jim Cox. All have played together many times before, but this is the first time they’ve performed together at the Eastgate.

Growing up in a small town in Ohio, Terry’s first exposure to music was playing the flu thte starting in fourth grade. She continued her music studies through college, earning a degree in flute, and after graduation moved to Chicago to become a singer. Her initial pursuit of a career as a jazz singer, though, was short-lived.

“I had jazz in me but was just too young and shy at the time,” Terry explains. “Aside from jazz I was singing in an early music vocal ensemble, and decided to go that route instead.”

Traveling several times to England to hear various fine vocal ensembles, Terry concluded, “Nobody does this genre like the English. It opened my eyes to what could be done.” Terry enjoyed considerable success for over 20 years singing in ensembles and even performed for more than a decade in the renowned concert choir His Majestie’s Clerkes. She then felt an urge to return to jazz. “By this time, I was comfortable enough in my own skin to do it.”

Soft-spoken and slender, Terry feels a certain kinship to Blossom Dearie.

Blossom's girlish voice was a fixture in jazz night clubs on both sides of the Atlantic for decades. In fact, Terry's understated singing style, like Blossom's, is a perfect fit for the compact dimensions of the Eastgate Cafe.

After singing at the Café’s Sunday pro jazz jam session several times, Terry was booked there last summer with guitarist Lee Rothenberg and bass player Stewart Miller. It was a sellout. Seating only around 40 people, the restaurant offers an environment that’s closer to a concert venue than the usual jazz club. And for her upcoming gig with Tommy and Jim, Terry is looking forward to presenting a repertoire that will make the most of the Eastgate’s intimate ambiance.

Tommy Muellner is a Chicago treasure.

His Monday night jazz jam session at the Serbian Village is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and has become a major fixture of the city’s jazz nightlife.

As with Terry, music has been part of Tommy’s life from childhood. John Muellner, his dad, played the accordion in a dance band, and Tommy learned to play drums, guitar, bass and organ as well as piano. He started playing gigs while still in school and gravitated toward piano, inspired by his family’s favorite, Erroll Garner. Bill Evans was a major influence on his development, as were Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and pianists such as Tommy Flanigan, Hank Jones and Oscar Peterson. As Tommy puts it, “they made me realize that Jazz is more than music. It is great art and a philosophy with spiritual ramifications."

Playing with master instrumentalists like Ira Sullivan, Tommy developed a unique style of his own, focused on harmonic movement, improvisation and musical interplay. Now one of the most respected jazz pianists and composers in the area, he is also known for his generous mentorship of young talent. He too, played at the Eastgate last year, accompanying singer Wayne Powers in his Chicago debut.

Terry and Tommy were introduced to each other by the late drummer Rusty Jones.

Tommy was playing with Rusty at Pete Miller’s when Terry came in to sit in. A few years later, Terry reconnected with Tommy. They quickly discovered that they were not only both intuitive innovators but natural collaborators. As Tommy describes Terry’s musicality, “Whatever I play, she follows me out the door.”

Since their first gig together, they’ve been meeting periodically to run tunes. During one of these sessions they worked through “A Sleeping Bee” by Harold Arlen and Truman Capote from the 1954 musical “House of Flowers.” They’re both particularly proud of the harmonically adventurous version of this jazz classic that resulted from their collaboration.

The third member of the supper club trio will be bass player Jim Cox.

Jim grew up in Champaign, Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1979. He toured with Earl “Fatha” Hines from 1979 until 1982 and worked regularly with Marian McPartland for almost 20 years. Able to play a wide range of musical genres from jazz and classical to klezmer and cabaret, Jim has performed with a host of show business legends from Liza Minnelli to Lamb Chop. His last appearance at the Eastgate was this winter with Don Stiernberg and Andy Brown – two fellow string players he performs with on a regular basis.

And now these three extraordinarily talented musicians are collaborating on creating a timeless magic all their own. So, if you hunger for sophisticate European dining while listening to classic American jazz, join Terry Sullivan and her colleagues on February 1 for a Jazz Supper Club Night at the Eastgate Café.

The Eastgate Café is at 102 Harrison St., Oak Park, IL – two blocks west of the Austin Exit of 290. Tickets for the Jazz Supper Club Night are $45 each and include a Pre Fixe three-course dinner with a choice of filet mignon, salmon, lasagna or Chicken entrée. The Eastgate also has a full bar and serves cocktails. On-the-street parking is free and easy to find. Reservations are required one week in advance. Please call 312.213.0485 by Jan. 25 to make yours.