Chicago Detours uncovers hidden corners of Music History

Chicago Detours guides, who infect guests with their enthusiasm, will share vivid stories and thought-provoking perspectives on the Great Migration, Maxwell Street marke t, the rift between jazz and blues communities, and the recording techniques of Chess Records. A lesson on different types of jazz and blues will be shared, and guests will go on a brief, eye-opening walk around Uptown. The photos and documentary clips presented will include musical artists, former recording studios, clubs and theaters. 

Tours are curated with a journalistic approach, as Scotese and her team consult with local experts, such as music photographer Paul Natkin and former Blues Festival director Barry Dolins. “We curate our tours to include a wide variety of perspectives,” Scotese says, “Both by connecting with people who have lived the history, and also by studying archival materials like personal letters, club flyers, and old magazines.”

The company also visits a jazz spot on a walking tour about party history. The “Good Times Around Michigan Ave” tour explores drinking culture, elite entertainment, underground clubs, and vices, tying it to architecture located on side-streets off the tourist thoroughfare. Chicago Detours’ indoor walking tour, called “Inside the Loop: Explore the Unexpected” has received wide praise and was highlighted as a top pick for months on Metromix.com. Details on these tours are at www.chicagodetours.com/tours

Chicago Detours guides do not take tips; rather they take donations for worthy causes, such as initiatives to give tours to local schools free of charge. For this tour, they have partnered with the Jazz Institute and Blues Camp to support their educational initiatives.

Chicago Detours offers a new take on the tour standard of years past. The tours bring people to places that locals don’t even know about. Highly trained guides share forgotten stories from the past, and create an engaging dynamic to spark discussions and inspire new ways of viewing architecture, culture and history.

Since launching this past fall, the company has received feedback from tour attendees that has been widely positive, with top ratings on both Yelp and TripAdvisor.                                   Scotese honed her skills while employed as a guide and guidebook researcher with Rick Steves, one of the nation’s most well-known travel authors and television personalities. She enriched her knowledge of architecture, urban studies, and art history through her M.A. in the Humanities at the University of Chicago.

Jazz Record Mart serves as the meeting and end point for the tour, and then explores neighborhoods from north to south, with up-close visits inside and around music landmarks. Reservations are required. Launch is June 11th, with tours held Saturdays through September 10th, the weekend after the Jazz Festival. Tours start at 10am and 1:15pm, and last 2.5 hours. Adult tickets are $70; students/seniors $65; kids under 12 $50. Group size is limited to 25 to keep the dynamic personal.