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Villa Rosa Showboat

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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)
  • Joe Williams (1977)
  • Phil Woods (1977)
  • Dexter Gordon (1977)
  • Great Guitars (1977)
  • Yusef Lateef (1977)
  • Monty Alexander (1977)
  • Woody Herman (1977)
  • Charlie Byrd (1977)
  • Billy Taylor (1977)
  • Kenny Burrell (1977)
  • Woody Herman (1977)
  • Pat Martino (1977)
  • Big Joe Turner (1977)
  • Buddy Rich (1977)
  • Mose Allison (1977)
  • Jon Hendricks (1977)
  • Les McCann (1977)
  • Dexter Gordon (1977)
  • Sonny Rollins (1977)
  • Great Guitars (1977)
  • 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)

Bibliography

Bennett, Bill. “Jamal Still in the Mainstream: Pianist Inspired by a Variety of Styles.” Washington Star, June 9, 1976.
Bennett, Bill. “Jazz: Herman Vets Still Swinging.” Washington Star, January 11, 1978.
Bennett, Bill. “Jazz: A History Lesson from Soprano Summit.” Washington Star, February 1, 1978.
Bennett, Bill. “Pop: Baretto in a New Latin Format.” Washington Star, February 15, 1978.
Bennett, Bill. “George Shearing, the Velveeta of Jazz.” Washington Star, January 31, 1977.
Bennett, Bill. “Jazz: Bill Evans, A Man Absorbed.” Washington Star, February 16, 1977.
Bennett, Bill. “The Blues: Helen Humes Still Sings with Conviction.” Washington Star, March 23, 1977.
Bennett, Bill. “Jazz: Joe Pass Skips Down the Solo Road.” Washington Star, February 24, 1977.
Kernis, Mark. “Stanley Turrentine.” Washington Post, January 19, 1978.
Kernis, Mark. “Dr. Billy Taylor’s Warm Piano.” Washington Post, February 8, 1978.
Kirchner, Bill. “Phil Woods.” Washington Post, January 6, 1978.
Kirchner, Bill. “Mongo Santamaria.” Washington Post, January 27, 1978.
Kirchner, Bill. “Ray Barretto’s Latin-Jazz-Rock.” Washington Post, February 15, 1978.
Kirchner, Bill. “McCann Quintet.” Washington Post, February 22, 1978.
Kirchner, Bill. “The New Prominence of Woody Shaw.” Washington Post, March 17, 1978.
Kirchner, Bill. “Sims and Cohn: Back to the Mellow Jazz Swing.” Washington Post, January 12, 1978.
Kirchner, Bill. “Charlie Byrd.” Washington Post, March 3, 1978.
Robinson, Marilyn. “Soprano Summit.” Washington Post, February 1, 1978.
Rohter, Larry. “New Ideas from Stan Getz.” Washington Post, October 13, 1976.
Rohter, Larry. “Frenzied Recording of a ‘Live’ Album.” Washington Post, November 23, 1976.
Rohter, Larry. “Jazz Guitarist Pass.” Washington Post, February 25, 1977.
Rohter, Larry. “Gimmicks, Gadgets and Some Jazz.” Washington Post, March 31, 1977.
Rohter, Larry. “Dexter Gordon’s Dexterity.” Washington Post, June 1, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Inspiration in Melodies of Harmonic Brilliance.” Washington Post, August 26, 1976.
West, Hollie I. “Trumpet and Humor Shine Through.” Washington Post, September 23, 1976.
West, Hollie I. “New Sounds from Lateef’s Quartet.” Washington Post, November 25, 1976.
West, Hollie I. “The George Shearing Sound: Effortless, Melodic - and Diverse.” Washington Post, February 2, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Bill Evans’ Poetic Piano.” Washington Post, February 17, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Breezy, Earthy Blues.” Washington Post, April 14, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Sterling Sounds from Kenny Burrell.” Washington Post, August 24, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Joe Turner, Rolling On and Booming Those Blues.” Washington Post, September 8, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Singing Life Into Old Jazz Tunes.” Washington Post, October 12, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Dexter Gordon.” Washington Post, October 26, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “The Diz and the Expatriate: Two Jazz Horns of Plenty.” Washington Post, June 18, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Just Simply a Trio of ‘Great Guitars.’” Washington Post, December 7, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Taylor’s Graceful Pianism.” Washington Post, August 18, 1977.
West, Hollie I. “Showboat: A Jazz Club Sails Away.” Washington Post, March 28, 1978.
West, Hollie I. “On the Jazz Scene: A Local Revival.” Washington Post, May 8, 1976.
West, Hollie I. “Uplifiting Jazz.” Washington Post, May 27, 1976.
West, Hollie I. “Sonny Rollins: Mixing New Rock and Old Jazz.” Washington Post, February 12, 1977.
“Showboat Lounge Calls It Quits.” Washington Star, March 25, 1978.

Wiki Tags: 1970s

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