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Chuck Loeb & Eric Marienthal at Scullers
by Dave Dorkin
Chuck Loeb & Eric Marienthal Scullers Boston, MA June 17, 2016 Guitarist Chuck Loeb and saxophonist Eric Marienthal came into Boston's noted home for jazz, Scullers, co-leading an ensemble which has been quietly making a name for itself at the intersection of fusion, soul-bop and contemporary jazz. Chuck Loeb may be best known for a string of contemporary jazz albums in recent years including with Fourplay, but Loeb was also the guitarist in more burning ...
Continue ReadingChuck Loeb: Between 2 Worlds
by Martin Gladu
As its title suggests, Between 2 Worlds finds guitarist Chuck Loeb's sublimated split personality at last openly revealed. A household name in smooth jazz circles, the former Steps Ahead luminary this time throws the dice with a program heavier on the straight-ahead jazz component that composes the core of his musical upbringing. Does this project mark the dawn of a new beginning, a passage to this other world? Only time will tell.Customarily dressing the table with a set ...
Continue ReadingChuck Loeb: Between 2 Worlds
by Jeff Winbush
While no one was looking, Chuck Loeb was quietly becoming one of the most interesting guitarists making music today. Loeb kept working as a sideman, composer and arranger, making his own solo albums in a low-key way until he reached the point where any serious conversation about who's among the best in the business that doesn't include Loeb isn't a serious conversation at all. Between 2 Worlds finds Loeb exploring a more naturalistic, organic mode with the ...
Continue ReadingChuck Loeb: Between 2 Worlds
by Woodrow Wilkins
A knock on smooth jazz is that it's too bland--safe for those who don't fully appreciate instrumental music, but boring to those who do. Once in a while an artist whose music fits within the format breaks from the pack. Enter guitarist Chuck Loeb. Over the years, Loeb has associated with many across the jazz spectrum, including Stan Getz, Jay Beckenstein, Michael Brecker and Victor Bailey. In addition to his solo career, he has been a member ...
Continue ReadingChuck Loeb: Presence
by Jeff Winbush
Presence, a gorgeous, lyrical album, provides a suitable showcase for Chuck Loeb's technical proficiency and impressive range. You don't just hear Loeb. You can almost see him creating the music. Maybe that's a shout-out to the recording process, but Loeb's guitar playing is crystal-clear and right up front. He's not a splashy musician, but you can tell the man knows his licks. He knows when to turn on the technique, as when his fingers dance along the strings on the ...
Continue ReadingG.Org: A New Kind of Blue
by John Kelman
Paying homage can be risky business, especially when the source is as seminal as Miles Davis' classic Kind of Blue. Comparisons are not just begged, they're expected. And how can anyone hope to capture the same magic? Or the confluence of events that put Davis, Julian “Cannonball" Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb together to create one of the greatest jazz albums of all time, an album that changed the face of music and ...
Continue ReadingChuck Loeb: In a Heartbeat
by Dave Hughes
For the past 15 years or so, Chuck Loeb has been a first-call session guitarist and producer, as well as recording and performing under his own name and with the bands Petite Blond, Metro, and the Fantasy Band. His earlier touring gigs included Chico Hamilton, Hubert Laws, Ray Baretto, Stan Getz, and Steps Ahead. So it's fair to say that he has experience in a wide range of musical settings. On his latest release, In A Heartbeat, you can hear ...
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