A homemade sign reading “Thanks for the music Chad” hangs on the lower half of the club’s front door. Le Piano, 10/21/25.

By Dominic Guanzon

Monday, 10/20/25

ROGERS PARK — It was a bittersweet edition of Le Piano’s The Monday Jam, the first since the passing of the club’s owner Chad Willetts, and tributes have been steadily coming in across socials.

“He was a big dreamer and definitely quite a character,” wrote Chicago pianist Kevin Fort on Instagram. “He created something created something really special up in Roger’s Park”

The remembrances continued at the jam itself.

“I still can’t believe Chad is gone,” said jam leader Danny G Felix. “He had such a presence about him and a wild and unpredictable kind of energy. I am so grateful to him because he gave me my first real opportunity as a working musician here in Chicago when I first moved here in March. He has been very supportive of what I do. I also admired the way he befriended the street people in the neighbourhood.”

Felix debuted the jam in April of this year, beginning a Chicago version of the series originally started in Sydney, Australia.

“The show must go on. It always goes on, as Chad always said,” Felix continued, “and here we are, another Monday.”

Saxophonist Sam Hight was the special guest musician for the night’s house session, leading the house band’s Daniel Ellis Perez (b) and Jayden Richardson (d) through standards. He also took a couple of tunes on vocals, singing softly on Benny Golson’s “Along Came Betty” and his own original ballad.

After, Felix invited musicians and patrons to share both music and stories of the late owner.

“I so loved what he did to this room…what he created in this room,” said a patron, Katie. She specifically commented on Le Piano’s whimsical, and at times quirky, cabaret aesthetics. “The music that he created, I certainly hope that will never end.”

Jam guest Sam Hight (left) with a younger player. Le Piano, 10/21/25.

“When I met [Chad], it was one of the most beautiful ways to meet someone,” said a patron, Maasai, who works as an AV technician. “He had me lay down under the piano on a Persian rug, and he played this melody for five or ten minutes. I’m a big guy, I don’t cry a lot, but it was hitting me up. It was beautiful on top of beautiful.

“This was the first time I had met him…and I’ll never forget the experience. I think when you meet people like that, and they shine their light, it makes it all the better.”

Le Piano, 10/21/25.

In a 2018 Block Club article documenting the leadup to the club’s opening, Willetts discussed his hands-on philosophy of engaging with patrons and the community.

“I was feeding people, literally, the other night. Total strangers. Within five minutes they were sitting down with us having a glass of wine and I was poking a mushroom ravioli and saying here, try this,” Willetts said.

“You don’t have to know who the composer is, you need no prerequisite knowledge to get jazz. All you got to do is come in and just experience it.”

Ricardo Jimenez (voc). Le Piano, 10/21/25.

At times, Willetts apparently had an abrasive and controversial reputation, landing in hot water trying to re-open the club during 2020. Appropriately, the words “Destroy Your Reputation” adorns the club’s website as its motto to this day.

“Everyone seemed to really respect him even though he could be harsh and moody,” said Felix.
“It was interesting to witness.”

Multiple patrons acknowledged that side of him of their own accord, but for the regulars, it was part of the whole package that was Willetts.

“Chad and I had a love-hate relationship. He had a lot of, you know, opinions,” Katie continued, to laughter from the crowd, “We did get close enough so I could scream back at him. I loved him, and was so grateful for his presence in this club, and for bringing all of you here tonight.

“Please come back again.”

A trumpet lays across a Real Book opened to “Stella By Starlight.” Le Piano, 10/21/25.

“He was, frankly, not the best businessman,” wrote radio DJ Wayne Powers on Facebook, “But he was a magnificent dreamer – an artist who built a truly magical environment…Chad was a fixture on the drums, but also played piano and hosted the room with verve and flair. His artistry was reflected in every square inch of the chic nightclub he created. And he did it well, against all odds, for just shy of seven years.”

“My heart is breaking – It is impossible to believe I will never see Chad again,” wrote vocalist Barb Bailey on Facebook, “Chad Willetts is my Chicago brother. He was never supposed to die first.

“Over breakfasts at Ann Sather – we would pour out our souls to each other. We even drove to Indiana when the truck delivering beignets broke down so that there would be beignets at the club that evening. So many laughs – so many little secrets. So many dreams that Chad can no longer make come true.”

Phillip Tawanchaya, a long-time patron and unofficial house photographer for the club. Le Piano, 10/21/25.

Despite the somber moments, the jam continued as usual. Young players flipped through Real Books to quickly remind themselves of “Stella By Starlight.”

Older players laughed at each other over gospel lines.

Patrons enjoyed food and drink, with the regulars happily yapping amongst themselves, with the name “Chad” occasionally sticking out.

Meanwhile, the club’s de facto house photographer Phillip Tawanchaya documented it all, getting up close to musicians, leaning on walls, and standing on chairs to get every angle. His published book of photos sits on the bar by the entrance.

All this, while the house band carried on their sacred duty of keeping the music going.

Sam Hight (ts, voc)

Danny G Felix (tpt, p)

Daniel Ellis Perez (b)

Jayden Richardson (d)