(May 27, 2026) For musicians who live in a city rich filled with music history, an embrace of the city’s legends often encourages their artistry and performances. One can ask John Fournier, an accomplished saxophonist/arranger from Chicago whose special affection for soul jazz recordings from natives Ramsey Lewis and Eddie Harris inspired him to form a future influential band. And the six-piece The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective (including trumpeter Ryan Nyther) bought into Fournier’s vision.
The group immediately won over regional concert audiences and jazz radio stations that caught on to their 2018 soul jazz tribute entitled, Soulophone. And as the group progressed from that debut release, it kept the soul jazz mission alive but occasionally dipped into other genres, like blues swing demonstrated on “Where Do You Go When You Dream,” their 2020 introduction to SoulTracks readers on a song fronted by vocalist Raul Midón.
With their sophomore First Listen spotlight, C.S.J.C. flexes a victorious attitude that entails the title track of their latest CD, No Wind & No Rain, this time in a heavy funk base. “No Wind & No Rain” proves the invincible history behind the Windy City has carried the band through difficult times, illustrating even a worst-case scenario will never win out: “Can’t knock it down, can’t push me around, no matter how hard they try.” And lead vocalist Dee Alexander firmly yet calmly assures the song’s case by keeping perseverance at the forefront.
Like another legendary Chicago act, Earth Wind & Fire, C.S.J.C.’s rhythm section of producer Larry Brown, Jr., Amr Fahm, Micah Collier, and Keith Brooks II, affirmed by brass men Fournier and Nyther, proudly sends a funky statement of Chicago’s enduring music legacy. Listen up!
By Peggy Oliver
