Wonderful!

The Deep Blue Organ Trio speaks as one.
John Ephland, DownBeat

Chicago's dynamic Deep Blue Organ Trio returns with their 4th album, this time bringing their singular approach and sound to the music of Stevie Wonder. Influenced deeply and early on by his compositions, artistry and cultural impact, guitarist Bobby Broom, organist Chris Foreman, and drummer Greg Rockingham bring reverence and musical honesty to their interpretations of "Tell Me Something Good," "Golden Lady," "As," and "Jesus Children of America," among other gems.

"A new release from the Deep Blue Organ Trio is always cause for celebration..." - Audiophile Audition

Production Info:

Produced by Bobby Broom
Arrangements by DBOT
Recorded December 18, 19 and 20, 2011
Recorded and mixed by Josh Richter at Victorian Recording, Barrington, IL
Mastered by Allan Tucker, Foothill Digital, New Rochelle, NY
Photography by John Broughton and Harvey S. Tillis (tray card)
Cover design by John Bishop

Reviews of Wonderful!

The Jazz Word (John Barron)
A Tuesday night mainstay for years at Chicago's Green Mill Lounge, Deep Blue Organ Trio has been receiving wide-spread attention as of late, touring the U.S. as opening act for Steely Dan. Hoping to perpetuate this deserved recognition, the trio is set to release its fourth release Wonderful!, a tribute to the songwriting legacy of Stevie Wonder. T ...

Downbeat (Aaron Cohen)
In the not-too-distant future, Stevie Wonder's compositions will become standard repertoire for jazz musicians. When that day comes, the Deep Blue Organ Trio's Wonderful! will serve as the example for how his tunes should be interpreted. The group fully knows Wonder's catalog, going deeper than the obvious hits. And they know each other even better ...

Music and More (Tim Niland)
Carrying the torch of the great blues, bop and ballad organ trios of the past, the DBOT plays straight-ahead swinging jazz, that is accessible to fans of Hammond Heroes like Jimmy Smith and Richard "Groove" Holmes. The trio is a deeply integrated unit consisting of Chris Foreman on Hammond B3 Organ, Bobby Broom on guitar, and Greg Rockingham drums. ...

All Music Guide (Alex Henderson)
It's always amusing when a jazz snob claims that jazz and classical are the only legitimate forms of music and that popular culture, past and present, has no artistic value whatsoever. Typically, those who make such ludicrous statements will turn around and sing the praises of The Great American Songbook, meaning prolific Tin Pan Alley pop composer ...

All About Jazz (Dan Bilawsky)
When it came time for the SFJAZZ Collective to choose a composer to honor in their eighth season, they surprised a lot of people when they went with the one and only Stevie Wonder. While some likely view this decision as a statement that, after covering Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and ...

All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
Chicago's Deep Blue Organ Trio mines one of popular soul artist Stevie Wonder's most fertile creative periods?the late sixties through the early seventies?on Wonderful!. The organ trio format is known for its unvarnished soulfulness, and the group's reverent treatment of these familiar hits gives a breezy lift to Wonder's always engaging and ebulli ...

Jazz Wax (Marc Myers)
Back in the '70s, jazz organists such as Jimmy McGriff, Charles Earland and Leon Spencer Jr. took on soul hits of the day, giving them a funky, dynamic groove. Now the '70s are again being taken seriously by contemporary jazz artists. On their fourth album, Wonderful!, the Deep Blue Organ Trio pays tribute to the music of Stevie Wonder, and the res ...

Notes on Jazz (Ralph A. Miriello)
Having grown up in New Jersey in the sixties and seventies, there was always a slightly seedy lounge or dim lit bar where despite the over whelming smell of stale beer hanging dead in the smoke filled air, a young guy with a slightly altered id could go have a beer and hear the sweet sound of a magnificent Hammond B3 organ playing a mix of jazz, so ...

The Pace Report (Brian Vincent Pace)
During the mid-1950's a musical innovator was making waves in jazz music by playing the organ. Jimmy Smith had sonically taken the Hammond B-3 and played with either a quartet or trio that changed and gave way for how blues, gospel, soul, and jazz music was played forever. Although the organ trio wasn't nothing new at the time, Jimmy took what hear ...

Musicisbad.com (Bob Simpson)
By far the best jazz album of the year, the Deep Blue Organ Trio pays tribute to Stevie Wonder with, Wonderful! (Origin Records). A jazz perspective on the soul-pop legend, this is no smooth elevator jazz record. Its organ filled brilliance and over all maturity is a radiant homage done very tastefully. It would be absurd to even consider another W ...

Chicago Jazz (Hrayr Attarian )
Deep Blue Organ Trio's Wonderful! is much more than just another Stevie Wonder tribute. Covering nine songs from Wonder's "classic" period, the members of the trio dissect the music, get to the spirit of it and reconstruct it in their own, unique vision. Although formed 11 years ago, the three have played together for almost 20 years now. This has ...

NPR - Fresh Air (Kevin Whitehead)
Deep Blue Organ Trio's Wonderful! ? a new set of Stevie Wonder tunes, drawn mostly from his 1970s golden age ? opens with "Tell Me Something Good." As a great American songwriter, Wonder attracts some attention from jazz musicians, but maybe not enough. His songs are jazz waiting to happen, with their suave harmonies, rousing choruses, undercurrent ...

All About Jazz (Mark F. Turner)
Since the 1960s, Stevie Wonder's "My Cheri Amour" has remained one of the most memorable love songs in popular music. In collaboration with Motown songwriters Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy, the hit song was originally titled "Oh My Marcia"?at the time, a tender ode to Wonder's girlfriend in his adolescent years. The two broke up, the song underwent a ...

Just Jazz Guitar (Brandon Bernstein)
Chicago based musicians Bobby Broom (guitar), Chris Foreman (organ), and Greg Rockingham (drums) pay tribute to legendary musician Stevie Wonder with their release Wonderful! The album, which was released in August 2011 on Origin Records, is guitar/organ trio at its best and pays homage to Stevie Wonder by doing jazz arrangements of nine of Wonder' ...

Downbeat (Jennifer Odell)
Earlier this year, the SFJAZZ Collective reminded listeners of the incredible flexibility Stevie Wonder incorporated into so many of his hits when the group named the legendary singer and songwriter as its muse for its album and tour. Attention-wise, that fact may overshadow the new Wonder homage released by Chris Foreman's organ trio--but it would ...

JazzTimes (Owen Cordle)
In my well-worn copy of the third edition of the 'All Music Guide to Jazz,' Stevie Wonder is mentioned 42 times--more than Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Arlen or Cole Porter. It was inevitable that jazz musicians would discover Wonder. For the generation that came of age in the mid-60's through the '70s, including members of the Deep Blue Organ Trio, ...

Jazziz (Critics' Choices)
Jazz artists from Carmen McRae to Joe Pass to Grover Washington Jr. have interpreted Stevie Wonder's music. But now, a generation of jazz musicians who grew up drawing inspiration from Wonder during his heyday have also been acknowledging his importance. Count among their number the Chicago-based Deep Blue Organ Trio, who this year released the t ...

Jazziz (Ross Boissoneau)
Stevie Wonder's music has inspired countless musicians. Included among them are B3 player Chris Foreman, guitarist Bobby Broom and drummer Greg Rockingham, a.k.a. the Deep Blue Organ Trio. On Wonderful!, the threesome offer a fresh take on the soul-funk-pop icon's songbook. Foreman and Rockingham start things rolling on "Tell Me Something Good ...

Cadence (Larry Hollis)
The Deep Blue Organ Trio has been around long enough to be super-tight in all aspects of musicianship. For their fourth outing they have gone the concept album route with a project containing the songs of Steveland Morris (aka Stevie Wonder). The triad of Bloom, Foreman and Rockingham transform these nine titles from first class pop writings to veh ...

Audiophile Audition (Robbie Gerson)
One of the leading B-3 Trios bearing soulful jazz today. ****1/2 Stars The music of Stevie Wonder is unique. As pop songs, they are precise and infectious. But the gospel and r&b roots seem to create a natural feel for jazz arrangements. Wonder?s experimental approach to chord structure allows for edgier jams. Deep Blue Organ Trio, a veteran gro ...

All About Jazz (Chris M. Slawecki)
Wonderful! presents the Deep Blue Organ Trio's jazz take on nine Stevie Wonder hit songs that span Talking Book (Motown, 1972) to Songs in the Key of Life (Motown, '76), plus Wonder's 1969 hit single "My Cherie Amour" and "Tell Me Something Good," Chaka Khan's breakout from Rags to Rufus (MCA, '74) by Rufus (and which Wonder never recorded ...

All About Jazz - Featured Artist Jazz Article (Trish Richardson)
"Blood may be thicker than water, but you can't live without water." -Novelist Jane Porter While the members of Deep Blue Organ Trio were not brought together by shared parentage, guitarist Bobby Broom, drummer Chris Rockingham and organist Chris Foreman share a closeness, mutual respect, and loyalty that many families would envy. Their bond and b ...