About: Jazz, Ltd.

Jazz, Ltd. was a Dixieland jazz band, nightclub and a record label in Chicago. The band was active from June 1947 to April 1978 and was managed by Bill Reinhardt. The nightclub was active from June 1947 to February 1972 and was managed by his wife, Ruth Reinhardt. Bill and Ruth co-owned the nightclub. For 31 years Jazz, Ltd renewed public interest in Dixieland jazz music—when swing music, then Bebop, then rock and roll were the dominant styles. It was the first jazz club owned by a musician in Chicago. It provided a steady job to many jazz musicians at a time when they needed one. Bill and Ruth Reinhardt estimated that over 700 musicians played at Jazz Ltd. Some were pioneers of Dixieland jazz. By hiring the best jazz musicians in the country, forbidding singing and dancing (which incurred