Local cabaret mainstay Daryl Nitz and his team of musical mavens have been busy lately — preparing special centennial tributes to honor the 100th birthdays of Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday.
Due to such big demand for tickets to “Ladies Sing the Blues: A Billie Holiday Centennial Birthday Celebration” at 8 p.m. Friday at the Skokie Theatre, Nitz & Co. were forced to add a second show, which now will begin at 10 p.m. Friday.
A large roster of Chicago’s best blues, jazz and cabaret singers will be belting out Holiday’s classics, like “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” “A Fine Romance,” “Easy Livin’,” “Strange Fruit,” “Body and Soul” and so many more.
•Also on the docket is the 8 p.m. June 20 concert (also at the Skokie Theatre), where Nitz has organized “It Was a Very Good Year: A Centennial Birthday Concert for Frank Sinatra.” Along with Nitz, the group singing Sinatra’s greatest hits includes Steve Biossat, Mark Madsen, Bob Moreen and Paul Motondo. Johnny Rodgers will be the evening’s musical director, with Jim Cox on bass and Phil Gratteau on drums.
