Jazz Articles about Greg Chako

Take Five With Greg Chako

by AAJ Staff
February 7, 2007

Meet Greg Chako: USA born, Greg distinguished himself early on as an exceptional guitarist by placing second in the American Guild of Music Competition at age 11. After receiving formal education at Berklee Collage of Music in Boston, he began performing and promoting jazz, including appearances with leading artists. He has overcome many obstacles in life, like a physical disability of the wrist called carpal-tunnel syndrome, divorce, and the sudden death of his second wife due to breast ...

Greg Chako: Two's Company, Three's A Crowd Jazz Duets

by Michael P. Gladstone
December 7, 2006

Having lived and worked in Singapore and Japan, guitarist/composer/entrepreneur Greg Chako takes this occasion to provide us with a series of duets with vocalist Andrea Hopkins and pianists Hiroshi Tanaka and Homei Matsumoto. When Chako arrived in Japan in 2004, he found a steady guitar/piano duo gig at the famed Imperial Hotel--the first time he worked without a bassist. Chako dubbed the ensemble “The Imperial Duo." On this recording he adds several vocals provided by the Atlanta-based Andrea Hopkins. Chako ...

Greg Chako: Where We Find Ourselves

by Michael P. Gladstone
November 16, 2006

Guitarist Greg Chako has led quite an interesting life. In addition to being a musician and composer, Chako has been a business entrepreneur both within and outside of the music industry. His life experience has led him to travel widely and explore different cultures.After three years of study at the Berklee School of Music, he moved to New York. Taking jobs in restaurant kitchens, Chako discovered that he had expertise in food preparation, and later, he found that ...

Greg Chako: Where We Find Ourselves

by Jim Santella
October 3, 2006

With his sextet of jazz improvisers and program of original tunes, guitarist Greg Chako stretches out with a smooth session of aural impressions. Warmth, inner passion and heartfelt charm pervade his writing, which addresses matters of the heart.The ensemble casts a varied shadow that's dominated by the sound of saxophone, trombone, guitar and a flowing rhythm section. Chako's fluid guitar brings cool harmony and mellow improvisation to the scene, while his band colors the performance with surrounding walls ...

Greg Chako: Integration,Integration II

by Stephen Koch
April 12, 2002

One big question that comes up every now and then is “what direction is jazz going?" The answer you get depends on who you ask.

Guitarist Greg Chako is a forward thinker and this two disc set presents his vision, serving as a musical road map. The combination of Chako's acoustic guitar with horns, percussion, keyboards, and acoustic bass lends his group a wholly original sound. These songs move through swing, the blues, and ballads. ...