The St. Regis is bringing back the nostalgia of the 1920s and injecting a new dose of glamour into the live music scene with the launch of Jack’s Club, an intimate cabaret experience. Named in honor of St. Regis founder John “Jack” Jacob Astor 4th, the club, which will be rolled out at properties around the world next year, revives the romance of cabaret dinner shows with intimate live music experiences in luxurious settings.
The St. Regis Chicago, the hotel group’s newest property, played host to the one-night-only inaugural Jack’s Club event last week, offering a peek at what is to come. The star of the show was Bossa Nova legend Bebel Gilberto, who took to the stage alongside performances from trumpeter Marquis Hall, performance artist Daphne Always and singer and musician Chris Norton. Gilberto gave the audience a mixed set of English language jazz songs as well as some of her classic Bossa Nova hits. “Let’s transform the mood here,” she said in her sultry voice.
Bebel Gilberto
Courtesy St Regis
The event was preview what was to come when Jack’s Club rolls out at St. Regis hotels globally next year. The jazz platform is a throwback to an age of cultural discovery that started more than a century ago when Astor was known to host an array of superstars and up-and-comers at his original New York property’s rooftop ballroom.
“Jazz has long been the soundtrack of the brand,” said Amanda Nichols, global brand leader of St. Regis. “At the height of the Jazz Age, the St. Regis New York played host to some of the finest musicians in history. This is our modern interpretation.”
The inaugural event in the hotel’s transformed ballroom offered guests a preview of the dinner and show experience, evoking the spirit of classic speakeasy style nightclubs. In a room awash in red velvet, guests enjoyed martinis, oysters, caviar and Champagne from the award-winning chef Evan Funke, whose Italian restaurant Tre Dita opened in the hotel this spring and is one of the most sought after reservations in the city.
The Jack’s Club relaunch event also marked the one-year anniversary of the St. Regis Chicago. The hotel, considered a masterpiece of design, is the world’s tallest building designed by a woman, architect Jeanne Gang. The design masterpiece, emerges like a glass sculpture overlooking Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, just off the city’s Magnificent Mile.
The entertainers took inspiration from the city’s rich jazz tradition. “They say jazz was born in New York, but grew up in Chicago,” said Norton as he performed classic Louis Armstrong songs while playing trumpet. A full jazz band performed with him on the small stage that felt like the being in the storied founder’s living room. Guests were further charmed by the grammy-nominated Gilberto, who came down to mingle with the audience after the show. “Who is going to join me on the roof to watch fireworks?” she asked with enthusiasm. “The views here of the city are magic.”
