Chrissi Poland w/ Stu Mindeman, James Genus, & Josh Dion
The Chrissi Poland Band is an all-star ensemble that pulls from classic and contemporary songs rooted in jazz, soul and blues, arranged brilliantly by Stu Mindeman. Singer, songwriter, and a multi-instrumentalist Chrissi Poland weaves together the sounds of soul, blues, jazz and pop like few artists can. Her art is unique and her talents are sought by top producers and performers.
A regular contributor to projects by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame producer Nile Rodgers, Poland has been a first-call performer for more than 20 years. This includes four years of touring with legend Sam Moore (Same & Dave) and appearing with Bette Midler as an official “Harlette” for the 2014 album release promo tour of “It’s The Girls.” She has recorded and performed with Moby, shared the stage with Sting and James Taylor and toured with/opened for a wide range of artists, including the Grammy-winning Blood, Sweat & Tears, Marc Cohn and Suzanne Vega. She was the voice of Ms. Biljana Electronica for the 2023 viral hit “Planet of the Bass.”
Poland’s original songs have appeared on the HBO, NBC, Bravo networks and Netflix. Her song, “Possible,” has been featured in a Bare Minerals TV campaign in the UK and in Season 2 of Bravo’s “Girlfriend’s Guide To Divorce.”Poland currently tours with with Grammy-winning soul singer Michael Bolton as his duet partner. Notable 2023 shows included the Hollywood Bowl and The Acropolis in Greece. Poland also stays busy writing, recording and producing from her home studio.
James Genus (BASS)
James Genus is well known in many musical genres, playing both electirc and acoustic bass. James has recorded/played with artists Roy Haynes, Horace Silver, Whitney Houston, The Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, John Scofield, Anita Baker, Branford Marsalis and John McLaughlin. Most recently, he was a part of Daft Punk’s multi-Grammy Award winning album Random Access Memories. He is currently performing with Herbie Hancock and you can see James every week in the Saturday Night Live band.
Stu Mindeman (KEYS)
Stuart Mindeman is a composer/arranger/pianist/keyboardist skilled in various styles of music including Jazz, Pop, R&B, Classical, Salsa/Latin music, Gospel, and more. He has shared the stage with such names as Kurt Elling, Dave Weckl, Tom Kennedy, Fareed Haque, Gloria Estefan, Rodney Whitaker, Claudio Roditi, John Clayton, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, and many others. He is also active in Chicago’s Theater community, musically directing for The Second City, among others.
Josh Dion (DRUMS)
A prodigious talent, Josh started playing professionally at age eight. His gifts as a drummer are complemented by his abilities as a pianist and vocalist. Immersed in the jam band seen with NYC funk band Ulu, he was soon noticed by jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb. From that platform, Josh has gone on to work with John Scofield, Spyro Gyra, Will Lee, Jason Miles, Randy Brecker, Bob James, Eric Marienthal, Anthony Jackson, Pat Martino, and many more.
