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For Rogers Park's Rose Colella, Jazz is Her Day (Night) Job

By Josh McGhee | December 3, 2015 9:56am
 Rose Colella performs at Uptown Underground on Nov. 23.
Rose Colella performs at Uptown Underground on Nov. 23.
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DNAinfo/Josh McGhee

UPTOWN — Before Rose Colella steps on stage, there's something you should know about her — she was born with jazz in her blood.

She began singing it as a child under the tutelage of her grandmother Lola Bard, a vocalist from the 1930s who worked stages in New York and recorded with trumpet player Bobby Hackett and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.

"When I was growing up, she would teach me tunes and we would talk about music a lot," said Colella about two hours before her set begins at Uptown Underground, at 4707 N. Broadway.

Bard, who died in 2000, is the inspiration behind Colella's production company, Lola Bard Productions, which "represents Chicago's finest jazz musicians, vocalist and classical ensembles tailored to individual client needs," according to its website.

Bard's influence can also be heard on Colella's new album "Cocktail," which features Colella's take on one of her grandmother's tunes "You, You, And Especially You." Bard wasn't the only inspiration for the album, which took about nine hours to record but about a year "to get exactly what we wanted," said the Rogers Park resident.

"The inspiration behind it was basically my whole life thus far. Some of the inspiration just came from some of my favorite songs that I’ve always loved to sing," Colella said.

Another inspiration was her parents.

"They were very musical as well and were responsible for my musical training and upbringing. One of the songs on the CD is called 'Scotch and Soda.' It was something my dad used to sing to me when I was little," she said.

The Iowa transplant moved to Chicago in 1999 to study jazz at Roosevelt University and fell in love with the city's music scene, even though it's not quite the same as performing on stages in New York as her grandmother did, she said.

"Chicago is a very friendly city for musicians. It's not as competitive as other cities such as New York City. There is this great allure to cities like New York City, but Chicago has a lot of places to play and you can actually make a living here playing music every night," she said.

Chicago musicians "embrace each other and it’s another form of community, which I hear in other cities is a bit rare," said Colella, who performs at venues across the city, including the Green Mill in Uptown and the Jazz Showcase.

Still, Colella, who's recently performed in California and Iowa, hopes to bring her music to bigger stages and Europe. And the album is helping, she said.

"[It] has really helped with PR. I’ve gotten a lot of great responses from the audiences I’ve been performing for, venue owners and club owners... Ever since then I’ve been performing all over the city. Having a CD and somewhat of a following helps you get booked at venues more prominent than others," she said.

A few minutes after 8 p.m., Colella takes the stage in a black dress quickly ending every conversation among the 50 or so people gathered in the intimate venue. It's a chilly November Tuesday, but there's a warmth in the late-night spot as Colella begins her hourlong set with "Hang On, Little Tomato" in a cool light soprano.

"I love it because every day is different and every night is different," said Colella of her career.

After the song ends and the applause die down, she lifts her glass of Chardonnay and toasts the crowd before getting back to work — almost like she was born to do it.

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