Chicago.  In a city brimming with classic blues and jazz divas, Lynne Jordan stands apart.  Not only do her soaring vocals dip effortlessly into blues, jazz, funk, rock and even country but her bawdy personality wins over any crowd.  Her talent so dazzled the Second City that the late Chicago film critic Roger Ebert declared her his “favorite diva.”  Backed by her sizzling band The Shivers, Jordan quickly developed into a Chicago institution, playing jazz and blues clubs, swanky lounges, and even the charity circuit throughout the country. She brought her special brand of storytelling, raw humor, and performance to New York, DC, and Atlanta with her sold-out show, “A Musical Tribute To Nina Simone.”

She has recorded with Tom Waits; The Punk group Urge Overkill; Alligator Records Blues artist Toronzo Cannon; featured amongst Taj Mahal, Etta James, and Koko Taylor on Blues Down Deep: A Tribute to Janis Joplin and her own CD’s: Bit o Fun and Holiday Shivers. Lynne performed in Jazz Operas in Europe, performed her own one-woman show,  and is a featured vocalist with Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues.

Lynne has traveled the world with her band the Shivers including a life-changing performance in Kyiv, Ukraine in Freedom Square before an audience of 250,000. Jordan has performed her works at numerous Live lit (storytelling) shows in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Moscow, Rio, Riga, and Paris and is featured in the book: Chicago Storytellers, From Page to Stage. Because she is a popular entertainer in Chicago, she has honed her storytelling skills with every song, in every concert and event, and created a one-woman show “A Great Big Diva” that includes her wonderful stories and music.

Lynne is a 3Arts Make a Wave Artist, and recipient of the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago: Outstanding Achievement in Music – Rhythm & Blues award in 2017-2018. She is currently enjoying a “Diva Residency” as an artist in residence at the Raue Center for the Performing Arts in Illinois. Lynne is presently working on two new recordings: one includes original material from Corky Siegel, Toronzo Cannon, and John Cameron Mitchell and the other is exclusively classic blues tunes from the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s.

Come fall in love with Odesa, Ukraine, the Pearl of the Black Sea! Kommuna Lux brings you the heritage music of their beloved hometown. Klezmer, Balkan, and Urban Chanson, with a dash of Ukrainian Folk and powered by rocket fuel, Kommuna Lux impacts the crowd with a nostalgic, high-energy Big Band sound from the bygone days of speakeasies and rum runners. When Volodymyr Gitin raises that clarinet to his lips, he becomes the only man in the room—you can’t help but utterly fall into his virtuoso arms. “Heavyweight Champion” Oleg Vasianovich holds his accordion like it’s light as a feather, while he develops the foundation of each melody. Layers of complexity are added by the bold, bright trumpet of Andrei Okhramovich and the sassy, playful trombone of Yaroslav Besh. Viktor Kirilov never stops dancing as he plays his acoustic guitar, and you never know when Sergei Poltorak will pause on the percussion to punk the rest of the band with a sly prank. At center stage is sultry powerhouse Bagrat Tsurkan, whose hot buttered voice and nonstop energy compel everyone to the dance floor.

These conservatory-trained musicians started out playing flash mobs in the markets, piers, and streets of Odesa, and quickly moved up to local and national stages. After winning Germany’s “Iron Eversteiner” prize for folk music, they began touring the world, but had a falling-out with their vocalist. They soon discovered “Baggi” singing background for another band, and knew they’d found the perfect front man. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the band went into shock along with the rest of their countrymen. One musician even left to join the army. But the others soon decided that they could do more good with their instruments than guns, and began touring Europe in earnest to raise money and support for Ukraine. They raised thousands of dollars that summer, and became the “go to band” for Klezmer music in both Germany and Poland. Their first USA tour in Fall 2023 was so successful, they founded a 501-c3 nonprofit to make it even easier to support Ukraine. People don’t just listen to Kommuna Lux. They fall in love! No one can resist these playful, passionate Ukrainian musicians, who have so much fun on stage that you get caught up in their joy.