Show List

Jazz Showcase's Upcoming Shows

Richie Pardo Quintet

Richie Pardo Quintet

Tue, Jun 30

Todd Herbert, Art Davis, Tim Davis, Kevin O’Connell, Richie Pardo Pardo has been playing music professionally in the Chicago area since the 1970s, He started out as a pianist working in various R&B bands and then as a pianist in Chicago jazz bands before deciding in 1979 to switch to bass, which he continues to play.
Soul Message Trio

Soul Message Trio

Wed, Jul 01

CHRIS FOREMAN Chris Foreman is a masterful musician and heir to the throne occupied by the soulful, bluesy jazz organ legends who were once his influence. Blind at birth, Foreman started playing piano at age five and began formal training at seven. As a teenager he was attracted to the organ sounds of Jack McDuff, Groove Holmes, JimmySmith and Jimmy McGriff. This attraction led Chris to pursue playing jazz on the organ, which he undertook through intensive study of recordings. Unlike many African- American musicians whose musical knowledge begins and is established through the church, Chris didn't start his apprenticeship as a church organist until he was almost twenty years old - well after his jazz roots were established. He has arrived at a most exciting blend of blues-gospel and jazz and has developed a stunning command and range on the instrument. The blend of his sound is evident in his professional experience, which has included work with Hank Crawford, Albert Collins, Bernard Purdie, The Mighty Blue Kings and Deep Blue Organ Trio. GREG ROCKINGHAM Drummer Greg Rockingham began playing when he was just three years old and debuted as a professional musician at age five in his father's jazz ensemble. An alumnus of the famed Interlochen Arts Academy and Northeastern University, he has won numerous musical awards from the Notre Dame Jazz Festival. Greg has performed or recorded with a wide range of famous names, including the orchestras of Glenn Miller and Guy Lombardo, vocalists Freddie Cole, Patty Page and Jerry Vale and instrumentalists Nat Adderley, Kenny Burrell, Charles Earland, Irene Reid, Ellis Marsalis, Nancy Wilson, and Deep Blue Organ Trio. GREG JUNG Greg Jung is a Chicago based alto saxophonist, originally from Albany, NY. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Purchase where he studied with Jon Gordon, Ralph Lalama, Gary Smulyan, Mark Vinci, Steve Wilson, Todd Coolman, Jon Faddis, Hal Galper, Charles Blenzig and others. In 2014 Greg won the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition, and traveled to perform that year in Paris, France. He spent three years in NYC before deciding to travel the country, performing in clubs and on the street in many of America’s great cities and small towns. It was in this way that he ended up in Chicago, where he has performed at venues like the Green Mill, Andy’s, Winters, Hungry Brain and the Chicago Jazz Festival. Since emerging onto the scene, he has shared the stage with many of the world class musicians that reside in the city. Greg received the Chicago Luminarts Cultural Foundation Fellowship in 2023.
Justin Dillard's tribute to Dr. Lonnie Smith Feat Corey Wilkes w/ Henry Johnson & Xavier Breaker

Justin Dillard's tribute to Dr. Lonnie Smith Feat Corey Wilkes w/ Henry Johnson & Xavier Breaker

Residency

Thu, Jul 02

Born and raised on the west side of Chicago and attending both Vandercook College of Music and The Velvet Lounge; Justin Dillard’s studies at both institutions gave him the honorable privilege to work with innovators locally and globally performing/recording with and/or receiving tutelage from the likes of Branford Marsalis, Robert Irving III, Ornette Coleman, the late jazz master Von Freeman and Roscoe Mitchell to name a few. Howard Reich (Chicago Tribune arts critic) writes: “A new generation of jazz improvisers has emerged in Chicago in recent years, but few are more promising than organist/pianist Justin Dillard. Musically, Dillard tends to be all over the keyboard, drawing upon the examples of virtuosos such as Dr. Lonnie Smith, Eddie Harris, and McCoy Tyner. But there’s something more to Dillard’s work as well; a quest for new ideas in music, in the manner of his AACM mentors.” Justin has performed on national television (ABC) with his organ expose’ The DOT and has played in various genres spanning Avant-Garde with the late tenor master Fred Anderson to a Dave Matthews tribute band (Crash). He continues to transform his career by composing for and performing with his vast array of ensembles; all while accompanying great musicians all over the world. Stay tuned…

Justin Dillard's tribute to Dr. Lonnie Smith Feat Corey Wilkes w/ Henry Johnson & Xavier Breaker

Justin Dillard's tribute to Dr. Lonnie Smith Feat Corey Wilkes w/ Henry Johnson & Xavier Breaker

Residency

Fri, Jul 03

Born and raised on the west side of Chicago and attending both Vandercook College of Music and The Velvet Lounge; Justin Dillard’s studies at both institutions gave him the honorable privilege to work with innovators locally and globally performing/recording with and/or receiving tutelage from the likes of Branford Marsalis, Robert Irving III, Ornette Coleman, the late jazz master Von Freeman and Roscoe Mitchell to name a few. Howard Reich (Chicago Tribune arts critic) writes: “A new generation of jazz improvisers has emerged in Chicago in recent years, but few are more promising than organist/pianist Justin Dillard. Musically, Dillard tends to be all over the keyboard, drawing upon the examples of virtuosos such as Dr. Lonnie Smith, Eddie Harris, and McCoy Tyner. But there’s something more to Dillard’s work as well; a quest for new ideas in music, in the manner of his AACM mentors.” Justin has performed on national television (ABC) with his organ expose’ The DOT and has played in various genres spanning Avant-Garde with the late tenor master Fred Anderson to a Dave Matthews tribute band (Crash). He continues to transform his career by composing for and performing with his vast array of ensembles; all while accompanying great musicians all over the world. Stay tuned…