Dave Specter

Dave Specter's Cool Azul Organ Trio brings together Chicago B3 legend Chris Foreman, drummer extraordinaire Greg Rockingham and guitarist Dave Specter for an exciting and soulful evening of blues, jazz and beyond.

Dave Specter, a 40 year veteran of the Chicago blues scene, just released his 14th album, Live at SPACE on Delmark Records. He appears on over 50 albums as a guitarist, bandleader and/or producer including compilation recordings with Carlos Santana, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Eric Clapton and Mike Bloomfield. Downbeat magazine calls Dave one of the few top-tier guitarists, and he's performed in 19 countries with recent shows in Spain, France, Belgium and Switzerland. Dave's unique guitar style combines elements of Chicago blues with influences ranging from Magic Sam, Buddy Guy and Otis Rush to the Texas/West Coast styles of T-Bone Walker, Gatemouth Brown and the Vaughan brothers.

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, Jimmy Smith and Jimmy McGriff. This attraction led Chris to pursue playing jazz on the organ, which he undertook through intensive study of recordings. Unlike many 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 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.