Show up early, if you want a table at the House of Swing’s 28th Anniversary Party. It’s always a big bash, but it’s a touching affair too. Before the music kicks off, regulars — and long-absent former regulars — reconvene and pay tribute to Lou Kallie, the blues club’s deceased founder, a rabid record-collector who established the place where everybody knows your name.

This article appears in May 25-31, 2005.