John Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls” is difficult, not just because it’s a classical operatic piece but because 9/11 still sparks so many feelings.

Sometimes you want jazz that makes you think and other times you just want that jazz to party and get down. The Nils Landgren Funk Unit takes care of the latter end of the spectrum with their recent release ‘Funk Is My Religion.’

Working with Rascal Flatts certainly wasn’t conventional. But at this point Chicago’s sails had been slack for more than a decade. They had nothing to lose.