Lucky 7s

The Lucky 7s were born in reaction to Hurricane Katrina, when New Orleans trombonist Jeff Albert and Chicago trombonist Jeb Bishop put together a band of Chicago regulars and New Orleans evacuees (who would soon become Chicago regulars). Prior to the levee failures, Quin Kirchner (drums) and Matthew Golombisky (bass) were regulars on the vibrant Frenchmen St. scene in New Orleans, of which Jeff was, and still is, an active part.

Jason Adasiewicz (vibes), Josh Berman (cornet), and Keefe Jackson (tenor sax) were already part of the dynamic Chicago creative music scene in the winter of 2006, when Jeb asked them to take part in a series of performances and recordings with what would become the Lucky 7s.

The band's first performance was February 28, 2006 at The Empty Bottle in Chicago. Based on that performance, the group was invited to perform at the 2006 Chicago Jazz Festival. Later that same week, on March 6, 2006, The Lucky 7s recorded Farragut, which was released later in 2006 to critical acclaim on Lakefront Digital. Lloyd Sachs of the Chicago Sun-Times describes the Lucky 7s as "several bands in one: It's a harmonically rich free jazz unit inspired by the Sun Ra Arkestra, a bop-oriented ensemble with warm "head" arrangements and a texture-minded group ... You can hear second-line New Orleans beats in the mix, as well." The Lucky 7s make full use of the rich musical heritages of both Chicago and New Orleans, while maintaining their unique personalities, both individually and as a band.