JIMMY BURNS & The SOUL MESSAGE Band @ SPACE, Evanston, IL

Tue May 26

Jimmy Burns and The Soul Message Band

Join us for a very special evening of blues and jazz as the legendary Jimmy Burns and The Soul Message Band perform songs from their Blues Music Award nominated album, Full Circle on Delmark Records. The Soul Message Band has long been co-led by organist Chris Foreman and drummer Greg The Rock Rockingham. Foreman and Rockingham were part of the Deep Blue Organ Trio along with guitarist Bobby Broom, and they also recorded together with guitarist Henry Johnson and saxophonist Red Holloway. Long-time fixtures in Chicago, they opened for Steely Dan for eight years and were inducted into the Hammond B3 Hall of Fame.The Soul Message Band previously recorded such albums as Soulful Days, Live At The Blue Llama, and People. On Full Circle, in addition to its co-leaders, The Soul Message Band features its newest member altoist Greg Jung on two songs and has appearances by guitarist Lee Rothenberg, tenor-saxophonist Geof Bradfield, and Steve Eisen on baritone and tenor with Typhanie Monique contributing background vocals on four numbers.

Jimmy Burns, who turned 82 in 2025, was born in the Mississippi Delta as the youngest of 11 children. When he was 12, he moved with his family to Chicago where he has lived ever since. He recorded a series of singles starting in 1964, took some time off to raise his family, and in the early 1990s became active again, leading six albums for the Delmark label during 1996-2007. Full Circle teams Jimmy Burns with the Soul Message Band and is a joyful listening experience. With the instrumentalists playing in the tradition of such classic 1960s soul jazz groups as those of Charles Earland, Jack McDuff, and Jimmy Smith, Burns sounds quite comfortable, contributing soulful and expressive vocals on eight of the ten songs. He particularly excels on the blues World Of Trouble, over the funky groove of I Really Love You, the rollicking Too Much Lovin, and Rock Me Mama, playing a bit of guitar on the latter. The Soul Message Band takes Ain’t That Funk For You and Since I Fell For You as instrumental features for altoist Greg Jung, Chris Foreman is a major force throughout the date both as an accompanist to the singer and as a soloist, and Greg Rockingham keeps the music grooving. Full Circle is a fine showcase for Jimmy Burns and the Soul Message Band and is easily recommended for fans of high-quality blues, soul jazz, blues ballads, and soulful music.

Get your tix here

https://www.ticketweb.com/event/jimmy-burns-and-the-soul-space-tickets/14761123

SOUL MESSAGE BAND

A soulful and infectious style crafted around classic organ grooves, and rooted in the tradition of great Hammond B3 organists like Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Charles Earland, Jack McDuff, and “Groove” Holmes.

Soul Message Band is founded on the enduring partnership of Chris Foreman, the Chicago-based and nationally celebrated Hammond B3 Jazz Organist, and award winning solid swinging drummer, Greg Rockingham, aka “The Rock.”

Greg and Chris have a 40 plus-year history of collaboration, including groups like the award winning Deep Blue Organ Trio.  Mr. Rockingham and Mr. Foreman have an unmistakable chemistry that has taken them from Chicago to Jazz Clubs and Arenas around the world as both headliners (Umbria Jazz Festival Italy) and opening group for Steely Dan for 8 years.  

Soul Message band featuring Chris & Greg were inducted into the Hammond B3 Hall of Fame. Soul Message can be seen in a worldwide attraction at Navy Pier, called Fly Over Chicago.  The band adds the captivating alto saxophonist, Greg Jung. Greg Jung is the trio’s newest and youngest member. He is a wonderful human being and educator.  He also is a world class musician. The powerful trio is not to be missed.

Jimmy Burns & Soul Message Band “Full Circle”

 The Soul Message Band has long been co-led by organist Chris Foreman and drummer Greg “The Rock” Rockingham. Foreman and Rockingham were part of the Deep Blue Organ Trio along with guitarist Bobby Broom, and they also recorded together with guitarist Henry Johnson and saxophonist Red Holloway. Long-time fixtures in Chicago, they opened for Steely Dan for eight years and were inducted into the Hammond B3 Hall of Fame. 

The Soul Message Band previously recorded such albums as Soulful Days, Live At The Blue Llama, and People. On Full Circle, in addition to its co-leaders, The Soul Message Band features its newest member altoist Greg Jung on two songs and has appearances by guitarist Lee Rothenberg, tenor-saxophonist Geof Bradfield, and Steve Eisen on baritone and tenor with Typhanie Monique contributing background vocals on four numbers.

Jimmy Burns, who turned 82 in 2025, was born in the Mississippi Delta as the youngest of 11 children. When he was 12, he moved with his family to Chicago where he has lived ever since. He recorded a series of singles starting in 1964, took some time off to raise his family, and in the early 1990s became active again, leading six albums for the Delmark label during 1996-2007.

 “Full Circle” teams Jimmy Burns with the Soul Message Band and is a joyful listening experience. With the instrumentalists playing in the tradition of such classic 1960s soul jazz groups as those of Charles Earland, Jack McDuff, and Jimmy Smith, Burns sounds quite comfortable, contributing soulful and expressive vocals on eight of the ten songs. He particularly excels on the blues “World Of Trouble,” over the funky groove of “I Really Love You,” the rollicking “Too Much Lovin’,” and “Rock Me Mama,” playing a bit of guitar on the latter.

The Soul Message Band takes “Ain’t That Funk For You” and “Since I Fell For You” as instrumental features for altoist Greg Jung, Chris Foreman is a major force throughout the date both as an accompanist to the singer and as a soloist, and Greg Rockingham keeps the music grooving.

“Full Circle” is a fine showcase for Jimmy Burns and the Soul Message Band and is easily recommended for fans of high-quality blues, soul jazz, blues ballads, and soulful music.

 Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian

MEET THE BAND

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.

CHRIS FOREMAN

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 ROCKINGHAM

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. 

https://www.soulmessageband.com

https://evanstonspace.com

This concept inspired Delmark to explore the historical recordings made by JIMMY BURNS when he was very young. The records were originally released as 45 rpm vinyl split singles, at the time so popular among music fans and venues with jukeboxes.

Jimmy also proposed a list of songs he always liked; songs that brought back nice warm memories, such as the two blues: Big Joe Turner’s World of Trouble, and Lil’ Son Jackson’s Rock Me Mama, as well as Express Yourself, a powerful tune by Charles Wright, who was also–like Jimmy–a Clarksdale, Mississippi area native. That’s how JIMMY BURNS has come FULL CIRCLE.