Jazz Articles about Eric Hochberg

Roberto Magris: Suite!

by Dan McClenaghan
April 18, 2020

Italian pianist Roberto Magris began his jazz career in the late 1970s, releasing a handful of excellent albums on Soul Note Records. He picked up steam in his collaboration with Kansas City's JMood Records in 2008 on Kansas City Outbound. As a pianist and a bandleader, Magris seems to have soaked up numerous influences--mid-sixties Blue Note Records, McCoy Tyner, Elmo Hope, Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. His JMood Records catalog boasts eighteen releases, including the disc ...

John Moulder: Trinity

by John Kelman
October 17, 2006

While it's possible to overstate the importance of parallel careers, it's difficult to avoid touching on the subject when it comes to John Moulder. The ordained priest has also managed an active musical career in Chicago as a guitarist, most notably as a member of ex-Pat Metheny Group drummer Paul Wertico's trio for the past 12 years. It's easy to forget Moulder's spiritual leanings on albums like Spirit Talk (Naim, 2003), a standards-based duo record with vibraphonist Ken Hall. But ...

Paul Wertico: StereoNucleosis

by Jerry D'Souza
April 20, 2004

First came the nucleus. Then came the overdubs, sixty times over in some cases. Then came the music, which in the final analysis was well worth the time and the intent. Paul Wertico has created discreet music that goes a long way in satisfaction, and it’s all in stereo too. If one may get away with a quibble, “You Can Get There From Here” doesn’t quite do so with the multiple rhythms nestling too close together to be distinct. That ...

Paul Wertico Trio: Don't Be Scared Anymore

by Todd S. Jenkins
September 1, 2000

Following the untimely demise of the Igmod label, the Paul Wertico Trio made an enlivening shift to Premonition to produce their first studio disc. The trio format seems to offer Wertico a better chance to really stretch out and shine than the Pat Metheny Group or his own prior groups permitted. He selected near-perfect foils in guitarist John Moulder and bassist Eric Hochberg, who share both the leader’s quirky eclecticism and his understanding of the diverse elements that constitute good ...

Paul Wertico Trio: Don't Be Scared Anymore

by Jim Santella
August 1, 2000

With a fusion of jazz, rock and soulful blues, Paul Wertico features blazing guitars atop propulsive rhythms for his second trio album. The Chicago lineup works well together with empathy, while performing original compositions from each of them. The drummer-led unit drives through a variety of familiar rhythms, including classical ostinatos, ride cymbal swings, and a New Orleans shuffle.

John Moulder’s Duke Ellington-like swing feature on “Liftoff" settles in with a lyrical message that crosses genres easily. Similarly, Eric Hochberg’s ...

Paul Wertico Trio: Live In Warsaw

by Ed Kopp
November 1, 1998

If your knowledge of Paul Wertico is limited to his work with the Pat Metheny Group, you might not realize the extent of this man's ability. Live In Warsaw shows another side to a drummer who's better known for his finesse than his quick hands. Recorded one night during a two-week tour of Germany and Poland in October 1994, Live In Warsaw also features the gifted John Moulder on guitar and Eric Hochberg on bass. The three Chicagoans ...