City Winery Chicago’s November 12–15 slate offers a compact picture of its booking identity: artists whose work gains texture when a room pays attention. The West Loop venue presents live music across R&B, jazz, soul, folk, rock, and comedy, with concert dining served at the seat. Across Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, its Main Stage moves from Eric Roberson’s Improv Sessions to Ami Taf Ra and Kamasi Washington’s presentation of The Prophet & The Madman, then to Marcus Veltri and Rob Landes’ request-driven piano-and-violin show. The throughline is participation, whether it comes through spontaneous creation, a deep collaborative album project, or songs selected from the crowd.[1][2][3][6]

Thursday, November 12: Eric Roberson’s Improv Sessions begins the run

The Eric Roberson Improv Sessions opens the stretch at 6 p.m. Thursday, November 12. Its placement says something useful about the room: City Winery Chicago regularly mixes concert formats with spoken-word, comedy, and other live-entertainment contexts, leaving space for a program whose name foregrounds process. Roberson’s date sits at the start of a weekend whose other bookings also emphasize exchange between performers and listeners. For people who value a show as an occasion with its own shape, this is the anchor of the three-night sequence: an early evening entry point before the larger collaborative presentation on Friday.[1][6]

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Friday, November 13: Ami Taf Ra and Kamasi Washington bring an album into the room

Friday at 6 p.m., Ami Taf Ra and Kamasi Washington present The Prophet & The Madman. Their City Winery itinerary includes Chicago on November 13 and 14, while Ami Taf Ra’s official tour page confirms the Chicago dates. The record, released through Brainfeeder in 2025, was produced by Washington and draws together Moroccan gnawa, Arabic musical traditions, gospel, soul, and spiritual jazz; its framework comes from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. That range makes the engagement a particularly strong fit for City Winery Chicago’s seated, dinner-service setting. It invites attention to color, voice, ensemble detail, and the particular collaboration between Taf Ra and Washington, whose presence appears on the album as producer and featured musician.[2][3][4][5]

Sunday, November 15: Marcus Veltri and Rob Landes leave room for the audience

Marcus Veltri and Rob Landes close the selected run at 7 p.m. Sunday, November 15, with Requests on the Road. City Winery Chicago describes the piano-and-violin duo’s live format as one shaped by audience song requests, turning the room’s choices into part of the evening’s material. That approach brings the venue’s practical design into focus: guests are seated, food and wine service comes directly to the table, and the Main Stage format supports a performance where individual prompts can register across the room. In a weekend built around improvisation and collaboration, Veltri and Landes provide its most literal audience-facing chapter.[1][6]

Planning the City Winery Chicago weekend

City Winery Chicago is at 1200 West Randolph Street in the West Loop. The selected dates are Eric Roberson on Thursday, November 12 at 6 p.m.; Ami Taf Ra and Kamasi Washington on Friday, November 13 at 6 p.m.; and Marcus Veltri with Rob Landes on Sunday, November 15 at 7 p.m. The programming makes a persuasive case for choosing one night based on the kind of attention you want to give: open-ended R&B process, a spiritually oriented cross-cultural jazz collaboration, or crowd-shaped instrumental arrangements. Recheck City Winery Chicago’s official event pages before leaving, since show details and venue hours can change.[1][2][3][6]

Sources

  1. City Winery Chicago | Live Music Concerts and Stand Up Comedy Shows, Restaurant, Winery, and Private Events — City Winery
  2. Kamasi Washington & Ami Taf Ra Tour — City Winery
  3. Ami Taf Ra & Kamasi Washington presenting The Prophet & The Madman — City Winery Chicago
  4. The Prophet and The Madman — Ami Taf Ra
  5. The Prophet and The Madman — Ninja Tune
  6. Marcus Veltri & Rob Landes - Requests on the Road — City Winery Chicago