Jazz Articles about Chuck Loeb

About Chuck Loeb

Live Review

Chuck Loeb & Eric Marienthal at Scullers

by Dave Dorkin
June 19, 2016

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 ...

354

Album Review

Chuck Loeb: Between 2 Worlds

Read "Between 2 Worlds" reviewed by Martin Gladu

by Martin Gladu
May 19, 2009

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 ...

347

Album Review

Chuck Loeb: Between 2 Worlds

Read "Between 2 Worlds" reviewed by Jeff Winbush

by Jeff Winbush
April 13, 2009

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 ...

457

Album Review

Chuck Loeb: Between 2 Worlds

Read "Between 2 Worlds" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins

by Woodrow Wilkins
March 26, 2009

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 ...

212

Album Review

Chuck Loeb: Presence

Read "Presence" reviewed by Jeff Winbush

by Jeff Winbush
January 22, 2007

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 ...

288

Album Review

G.Org: A New Kind of Blue

Read "A New Kind of Blue" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
July 3, 2004

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 ...

251

Album Review

Chuck Loeb: In a Heartbeat

by Dave Hughes
April 1, 2001

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 ...