Velvet Lounge Reopens

On Monday Howard Reich of the Trib notified readers that the Velvet Lounge, an authentic and esteemed jazz club on the South Side, had shut its doors amidst disputes between the saxophonist Fred Anderson’s descendants who have run the club since his death in June. Fred Anderson’s son Eugene, who is taking over control from his own daughters, told Reich the club would open again this week and said, “I’m going to make some changes at the Velvet, to upgrade it for 2011.”

Yesterday Areif Sless-Kitain of TOC added that the club is scheduled to reopen today, but that trumpeter Corey Wilkes, who had a standing Wednesday night gig, had left the Velvet Lounge in support of Eugene Anderson’s daughters. Noting the significant contributions of Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, who were aligned with the now former management, Sless-Kitain concluded, “it’s hard to imagine the future of the Velvet without the support of that organization.”

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