“The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective with the city’s own grand dame of jazz Dee Alexander waste no time in rousing us with the opening track “Mama Are We There Yet?” from the band’s third album, sustaining the bristling energy throughout On the Way to Be Free…Together they build a vibrant bridge between the classic era of soul jazz and a fresh approach that keeps this music so timeless.”
What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella
“On the Way to Be Free is a deeply funky album, dripping with soul. Everything about this album feels like the best that Jazz in the 70’s had to offer, with the texture and feel of Freddie Hubbard’s, Joe Henderson’s or Gil Scott-Heron’s early to mid-70’s output. And much like on their last album, this all-original program holds its own with nearly anything coming out of New York, Los Angeles or London at this point in 2022.”
CHICAGO SOUL JAZZ COLLECTIVE MEETS DEE ALEXANDER “ON THE WAY TO BE FREE”
“If you are a lover of punch-driven, Tower-of-Power type horn harmonics and Earth Wind & Fire music, some of this album by the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective is reminiscent of that musical era…The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective is a very soulful band that blends R&B, funk and jazz into a contemporary mix of excitement that’s interpreted by solid jazz players.”
CHICAGO SOUL JAZZ COLLECTIVE AND ACCLAIMED VOCALIST DEE ALEXANDER TEAM UP
“The name of this band tells you what you need to know about its purpose and history. Chicago, where Louis Armstrong moved to make his first records, is also the birthplace of gospel music, which gave rise to its secular cousin, soul; and few cities grooved harder to the post-bop soul-jazz revolution of the 1950s and ‘60s than Chicago. Decades later, here comes the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, co-led by saxophonist John Fournier and trumpeter Marques Carroll, doubling down on this storied jazz idiom and hitting pay dirt for a new century…”
Chicago Soul Jazz Collective Pleases All Musical Palettes, ‘On the Way to Be Free’
“Luscious, pin-drop music. Every word, consonant, and vowel, lovingly, fully endowed. A casual, slip-and-slide coming together, spontaneous combustion before the big bang. Big bang, big band crackle-popping in a sync-groove, slightly off-set toward the sweetly harmonic dissonance of something this way comes…jazz at its most populace-pleasing…”
On the Way to Be Free
CSJC at The Venue
Rounding out the evening at 9 p.m. will be The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective. In 2017, The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective began paying tribute to old soul jazz records and quickly realized there was more there for the band to uncover. Adding original compositions by saxophonist John Fournier, this ensemble not only pays tribute to the great soul jazz recordings from the past but pushes forward with new music…
Jazz Times
“The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective shouldn’t be accused of false advertising; they are exactly what their name suggests. On their second recording, they begin to move away from the classic repertoire (and its long shadows) that made their debut recording Soulophone more of a position paper than a celebration. Here, they roll with seven originals that show the band finding its footing, merging its influences, and beginning to assert an independent spirit and voice…”
American Songwriter
““I try not to overwrite,” he says. “With a lot of jazz albums, you can tell the writer is trying to write complicated harmonies and rhythms. I try to write simply so the band can settle into it and do more with it. I would describe it as a satisfying listen. It’s emotionally rewarding without being too difficult to follow. You can follow the melodies and the form. You can hear what each player is doing and how it all fits together.””
Americana Highways
“Once upon a time in 2017, tenor saxophonist John Fournier and trumpeter Marques Carroll, between takes at a recording session with famed singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks, struck up a conversation in which they discovered that were both dealing with the tumultuous state of the world in much the same manner – by listening to and taking solace in their classic soul jazz records…”
Bleu Bop Podcast
What's new on WDCB?...with Paul Abella
New Music Monday
SongFacts
“In 2019, Billie Eilish asked the question, When we all fall asleep, where do we go? on her song "Bury A Friend." Here, Chicago Soul Jazz Collective spin that sentiment into a love song, asking the lady where she ends up in her dreams. Is it Paris on a carpet ride? Up over the rainbow?”
”The big question, though, is, Do you ever dream of me?”