June is here, summer is bound to be here sooner or later, and the best way to stay warm is with hot music. We've got bookings for all of June of 2009, with returning favorite groups and surprising new groups!   Check at the bottom of this page for links to the latest videos we've added of our performers   We have an exciting new Open Mic format in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity. The Open Mic nights will be returning in the fall.   Click the calendar item on the menu to the left to check out what's happening at our Friday night shows, and be sure to check back often - musicians are added all the time! (Added link to Bruce Williams Trio video) Last updated June 16, 2009

 

We'll be closed on July 4th!

New!

Show your tickets at Green Town Tavern on Genesee St. Plato's Corner Restaurant or Fong's Kitchen on Genesee St. for specials you can enjoy before and after the concert!

We're just the MIDDLE of a fantastic evening!!

People have been saying nice things, and we want to share some of them with you. We recently got the following nice email:

"One never knows what one will encounter when you play at a new location, especially out in the boonies compared to Chicago, my home town. Last night my piano trio (The Pressenda Trio) played in Waukegan, Illinois at a small but charming cafe/performing venue called Joplin's Java in the downtown area. The room has hardwood floors and high ceilings and is large enough to host a comfortable crowd of enthusiastic music lovers. It was furnished with a fine grand piano. . . . there's a fine piano store right next door. . . .and it was a wonderful place to play. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. The coffee and snacks were first class too. And, most importantly, the hosting crew were wonderful friendly people. It made me want to come back soon, even as a non-participant. Highly recommended!"   David Taylor, Assist. Concertmaster, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

We've added a page of comments from our friends - the link is in the menu on the left side of the page. The News-Sun wrote a nice piece about us - a copy of it is on our comment page.

Joplin's Java and Ragtime Cafe is the newest part of the Family Piano Company, dedicated to providing the finest coffee to go with the finest pianos. More than just a place to pick up a quick cup of something black, it's part of our committment to music and the community. We offer the finest coffee roasted fresh for us by a little-known treasure in North Chicago. We offer the finest pastries brought to us daily by a local pastry treasure in Zion.

Music is more than just a part of our name, it's part of us. We're offering open mike nights and a 7' concert grand piano for you to perform on! There will be professional musicians performing some evenings. The jazz improvisation workshop, open to the public, will be taking the summer off, but will return in the near future.

We can't have musicians to perform for us and drink our coffee without music education. We're encouraging schools and teachers in the area to work with us. Two teaching studios for private lessons - equipped with top-quality pianos from our inventory - are part of our new space. Music lessons for the very young are available.

By the way, did we mention we're serving excellent coffee and food to go with all this excellent music?

New! We've added a page where everybody can enjoy some of the photos and videos we've collected! Check it out every so often - you never know when there will be new stuff...

The Latest & Greatest Videos

The Bruce Williams Trio (March 20th, 2009)  Barrelhouse Bonni (February 13th, 2009)  Abraham's Seed (February 27th, 2009)  Shawn Maxwell (January 16th, 2009)  Sammie Torres (December 5th, 2008)  D'Erania (November 28th, 2008)  Frank Portolese with The Chicago Hot Club (November 14th, 2008)  Mike Basin (November 7th, 2008)  Dracula Quintet at Halloween (October 31st, 2008)

New! There was a very nice article about us in the March/April issue of Chicago Jazz Magazine, one of the premiere jazz magazines in the country. You can read it on the Family Piano website here...