813 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring, MD [Villa Rosa Restaurant]
Opened May 24, 1976. Closed March 26, 1978.
Owned by Charlie Byrd and Pete Lambros. Earlier (1967-1969) had been Byrd's Nest. Manager John Dimitriou (until November 1976).
At first it was advertised as the New Showboat Lounge, but soon just as the Villa Rosa/Showboat, often called just the Showboat. The club was downstairs, the restaurant upstairs on the ground floor. Performers occasionally appeared in the upstairs restaurant.
“Rumblings persist that the Showboat, the Silver Spring jazz club, is in hot financial water. The club has now gone to a four-days-a-week schedule, back from six-days. If that doesn’t work, the Showboat’s days could be numbered.” (WES 3/10/78 p.C3)
“closed recently under the pressure of increased talent costs and heavy competition from other clubs.” (WP 5/12/78 p.30)
Scheduled Elvin Jones engagement (starting March 30, 1978) did not happen.
Recordings by Phil Woods (1976), Soprano Summit (1978).
Artists
- Buddy Rich (1976)
- Les McCann (1976)
- Mose Allison (1976)
- Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (1976)
- Ahmad Jamal (1976)
- Earl Hines (1976)
- Marva Josie (1976)
- Heath Brothers (1976) [check on Arthur Prysock]
- Monty Alexander (1976)
- Great Guitars (1976)
- Charlie Byrd (1976)
- Monty Alexander (1976)
- Stanley Turrentine (1976)
- McCoy Tyner (1976)
- Milt Jackson (1976)
- Gary Burton (1976)
- Freddie Hubbard (1976)
- Buddy Rich (1976)
- Clark Terry (1976)
- Howard Roberts (1976)
- Dizzy Gillespie (1976) [did not happen?]
- Great Guitars (1976)
- Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1976)
- Stan Getz (1976)
- Monty Alexander (1976)
- Count Basie and Joe Williams (1976)
- Charlie Byrd (1976)
- Stan Kenton (1976)
- Mongo Santamaria (1976)
- Phil Woods (1976)
- Yusef Lateef (1976)
- Monty Alexander (1976)
- Stan Kenton (1977)
- Mongo Santamaria (1977)
- Freddie Hubbard (1977)
- George Shearing (1977)
- Sonny Rollins (1977)
- Bill Evans (1977)
- Joe Pass (1977)
- Eddie Russ (1977)
- Maynard Ferguson (1977)
- Mongo Santamaria (1977)
- Joe Venuti (1977)
- Sun Ra (1977)
- Helen Humes and Ray Bryant (1977)
- Eddie Harris (1977)
- Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (1977 upstairs)
- Charlie Byrd (1977)
- Joe Williams (1977)
- Phil Woods (1977)
- Woody Herman (1977)
- Great Guitars (1977)
- Yusef Lateef (1977)
- Monty Alexander and Milt Jackson (1977)
- Woody Herman (1977)
- Charlie Byrd (1977)
- Dexter Gordon (1977)
- Joe Pass (1977)
- Matrix (1977)
- Dizzy Gillespie (1977)
- Arthur Prysock (1977)
- Maynard Ferguson (1977)
- Esther Phillips (1977)
- Monty Alexander (1977)
- Sonny Stitt and Eddie Russ (1977)
- Stanley Turrentine (1977)
- Charlie Byrd (1977)
- Charlie Byrd and Billy Butterfield (1977)
- Earl Hines (1977)
- Billy Taylor (1977)
- Kenny Burrell (1977)
- Woody Herman (1977)
- Pat Martino (1977)
- Big Joe Turner (1977)
- Buddy Rich (1977)
- Mose Allison (1977)
- Joe Pass (1977)
- Joe Williams (1977)
- Jon Hendricks (1977)
- Les McCann (1977)
- Dexter Gordon (1977)
- Sonny Rollins (1977)
- George Shearing (1977)
- Yusef Lateef (1977)
- Count Basie (1977)
- Charlie Byrd (1977)
- Larry Coryell (1977)
- Great Guitars (1977)
- Charlie Byrd and Joao Gilberto (1977)
- Abdullah Ibrahim [canceled?]
- Monty Alexander (1977)
- Phil Woods (1978)
- Al Cohn and Zoot Sims (1978)
- Stanley Turrentine (1978)
- Mongo Santamaria (1978)
- Soprano Summit (1978)
- Billy Taylor (1978)
- Ray Baretto (1978)
- Woody Herman (1978)
- Les McCann (1978)
- Charlie Byrd (1978)
- Woody Shaw (1978)
- Mose Allison (1978)

I remember seeing George Shearing at the Villa Rosa Showboat lounge, Silver Spring in the 1970s
Thanks for writing! Shearing was there twice – January 28 to February 4, 1977 and then for a two-week stretch from November 8 to November 20, 1977. The band for the first one was Ron Combes (vbs), Rob Wizert (g), Chris Amberger (b), Rusty Jones (d), and Danny Carr (v). Don’t know about personnel on the second one.