Soundmine Studios/Openmind Records

04/03/2025

We at Soundmine were honored to have the team from Heritage Guitars in to film and introduce their latest Guitar, the Heritage Custom Shop Core Collection H-717.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/651884137456948

03/17/2025

Soundmine Studios had the honor of having the Recording Academy / GRAMMYs nominated, Concorde Jazz Artist Keyon Harrold in studio working on his next release. I had the rare pleasure of getting to witness the last set of his residency at the Jazz Showcase on Saturday night and then see this phenomenal group of musicians continue to make amazing new music until 3 AM in the morning that night. I can tell you to look forward to a beautiful recording that even surpasses his last. So grateful that Soundmine can be a part of the journey of that beauty from the universe, through Keyon, to the world.

02/05/2025

The mine was blessed to be the site of Nikolas Kaplan's recording of some great arrangements and compositions with a brilliant set of players. We love and support Luminarts Cultural Foundation fellows and there were several of them in the house. Watch out for this recording.

01/16/2025

In case you are interested in the definition of what a "groove" is. Here is Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, in studio, defining it for you in its most elegant and elemental terms.

Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is celebrating 50 Years of their Legacy and Unwavering Contribution to Great Black Music with a new album, 'Open Me...

01/15/2025

Studio founder Jess Williams started the studio in the basement of an apartment building 20 years ago, with the aspirational mission of "Recording Noteworthy History". He wanted to provide a space on the south side of the city where the brilliant talent that lives in the area and across Chicagoland could have a comfortable home that provides the highest professional results and experience. Four years later the studio was moved to it's current designed to purpose, free standing location at 8043 Stony Island Boulevard.

We wish he was here to see the fact that 3 recordings made and/or mixed at Soundmine Studios made the most prestigious best of the year lists of 2024. He would have been especially moved by the artists involved and the music they made. From young force of nature Isaiah Collier to the legendary and timeless Kahil El'Zabar to the brilliant Milton Suggs; these are all musicians he would have loved, who have produced music he would have been so proud to say he had a hand in facilitating.

While many great recordings have been made here over that time, by many great artists, it just dawned on me that the goal of recording "Note Worthy History" that I once viewed as lofty, is actively being met and recognized by the rest of the world.

Enjoy Dad!!

Special Thanks to Dennis Tousana for his engineering artistry, professionalism, and partnership!

01/12/2025

So happy that the New York Times had the good taste to recognize something I told you all the day after it was recorded. Isaiah Colliers' "The Almighty" is one of the greatest recordings of 2024. We are all so grateful that he chose to record it with us.

Musicians both established and up-and-coming stretched themselves in fresh ways over the last year, creating poignant moments of collaboration and challenge.

11/25/2024

10/29/2024

We are lucky to have had several of the brilliant awardees of the organization record in the studio. Friday begins a new year of submissions for fellowships. Please share with emerging artists of all genres who could benefit from $10k of unrestricted funds.

CALLING ALL CHICAGO-AREA ARTISTS - The window to submit Luminarts Fellowship applications opens THIS FRIDAY, Nov. 1! Applications will be accepted through Jan. 10, 2025.

Luminarts Fellowships honor excellence in a variety of artistic disciplines including visual arts, creative writing, jazz, and classical music. Selected Fellows receive an unrestricted award of $10,000-$15,000 each, as well as additional artistic opportunities and mentoring to bridge the gap between education and career.

See luminarts.org/ for more details.

10/16/2024

Soundmine Studios is proud to be a supporter of the Luminarts Cultural Foundation. We have seen so many brilliant fellows come through our doors. We hope you will help support young artists as well by supporting the organization.

Learn more about Luminarts at luminarts.org.

04/25/2024

It's always nice to be recognized for your work. A while back, I got a call asking if I wanted to be interviewed about an album I had worked on. It was a magazine I hadn't heard of, but one I would probably read, if I had known about it, so I said "sure why not", what could it hurt? This isn't something that usually happens, most times you finish a project and move on to the next one, and hope for the best. The album was released at the beginning of March. Here's a copy of the article which came out today. To say the least I was pleasantly surprised.

https://trackingangle.com/music/a-name-to-remember-a-band-to-celebrate

Kahil El'Zabar's eye-opening 50th anniversary in jazz

03/29/2024

Check out some of Soundmine’s favorite artists at the Jazz Showcase this weekend! It would be impossible for you to be disappointed!

Today’s my second day on the bandstand with the Justin Dillard quartet– just in time for !

Here’s me and Justin in 2021, along with Dennis Carroll (bass), Kobie Watkins (drums), and Dennis Tousana (the man at the board). We’d just finished recording my last quartet album: Keyed Up.

Justin was born and raised here in Chicago, and got his music education at both VanderCook College of and The Velvet Lounge. Howard Reich at the Chicago Tribune once said about him: “A new generation of jazz improvisers has emerged in Chicago in recent years, but few are more promising than organist/pianist Justin Dillard. Musically, Dillard tends to be all over the keyboard, drawing upon the examples of virtuosos such as Dr. Lonnie Smith, Eddie Harris and McCoy Tyner . But there’s something more to Dillard’s work as well; a quest for new ideas in music, in the manner of his AACM mentors.”

Just like he’s part of my quartet, I’ve been having fun as part of Justin’s quartet at the Jazz Showcase this week. He and I will be there through the 31st, along with Don Braden and Samuel Jewell . I hope you’ll come join us… Showtimes tonight are at 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM local time.

Find tickets via my Link in Bio. ⬆️

05/28/2023

Give it to ‘em Queen.