Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six

BEST MUSIC RESIDENCY IN A CHICAGO CLUB:
Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six at the Elbo Room
The New City Newspaper

It's a tough call to make, especially since the residency didn't last more than four months, and Robbie Fulks also spent a series of nights playing Schubas. But Mr. O'Donnell's Quality Six, with permanent featured guest Andrew Bird, was a nugget of gold before it washed away in the stream of business. Not only was the Quality Six's music a score - modern takes on hot jazz, jump blues and ragtime - but it livened up Monday nights, typically a void in Chicago's music scene. The Elbo Room, although way too loud (especially the brass parts of the Quality Six), never got packed, so you could sit down, enjoy the sounds and not get smoked and/or crowded out of the room. But alas, the Quality Six is no more at the Elbo Room. If you're sorry you missed it, you can bet you're not as sorry as Mr. O'Donnell.