This Friday and Saturday (July 8th and 9th), the Chicago-based jazz quartet Soul Message Band will celebrate the release of their first recording with vocalist Hinda Hoffman at the iconic Green Mill Jazz Club in Uptown.
The group features B3 master Chris Foreman, drummer Greg Rockingham, guitarist Lee Rothenberg and saxophonist Greg Ward. This special event will also mark Hinda Hoffman's debut with Soul Message. Hoffman, a gifted vocalist who has been performing on the Chicago scene for many years, has performed with Soul Message in the past but never recorded. The addition of Hoffman’s powerful voice to this already dynamic ensemble is sure to create exciting interactions that you need to experience in person.
July 8th & 9th 2022 – 8pm-midnight
Visit the Green Mill website for tickets and information
About Hinda Hoffman
Hinda Hoffman is a gifted singer, but that is just a part of what creates her sound and voice. Despite having this extraordinary vocal gift, Hinda had and did face her demons on her life journey. All of this is part of what makes her and her sound special and unique. When Hinda first started following her passion of performing she was a court reporter by day and would sit in at clubs at night. She soon started making connections and leading her own groups at some of Chicago's most well known clubs. Now retired from her day job Hoffman can spend more time following her passion which is performing live jazz with her incredible voice.
About Soul Message Band
Chris Foreman, Greg Rockingham, Lee Rothenberg, Greg Ward
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 began playing drums 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.
Lee Rothenberg was born in Philadelphia and started playing guitar at the age of 14 after studying classical piano for 8 years. His obsession with jazz began at age 16 after spending a summer at Interlochen Arts Camp where he devoted many hours listening to Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane in the listening library. He moved to Evanston, IL in 2000 to attend Northwestern University where he studied with jazz pianist Mike Kocour. Since his arrival in 2005, guitarist Lee Rothenberg has emerged as an in-demand sideman in the Chicago Jazz Scene. Noted for a style that is deeply rooted in the Jazz Guitar Tradition, Lee's playing exhibits the sacred elements of melody, swing, and creativity. Lee has performed as both a leader and sideman at venues such as The Green Mill, Andy's, the Jazz Showcase, Pete Millers's, and the Jazz Estate with a venerable list of chicago artists such as Chris Forman, Dennis Carroll, Greg Rockingham, George Fludas, Greg Ward, Dan Trudell, and Bobby Broom. Currently he is working on a quartet record with legendary Multi-Instrumentalist, Ira Sullivan that includes Dennis Carroll on bass, and George Fludas on drums. Stay tuned!! “Lee Rothenberg is a confident, groovin' player that pulls his own weight!!", Chris Foreman.
Greg Ward is a saxophonist and composer that was born in Peoria, IL. Currently based in Chicago, Ward has had the opportunity to perform and record with a varied group of artists like Prefuse 73, Lupe Fiasco, Tortoise, William Parker, Andrew D'Angelo, and Mike Reed. Recently, Ward has collaborated with another composer, sound designer, and performer, Caleb Willitz. First, they composed the film score for Beresford Bennett's film, Pinch, which was an official selection of the 2015 San Diego Black Film Festival. Second, Ward and Willitz will be releasing an electro-acoustic project, Gaps and Spaces: Synoptic Optiks. Ward maintains an active international touring schedule with various ensembles and has recently been appointed to the faculty of the Jacob School of Music at Indiana University as Assistant Professor of Jazz Saxophone.