Chad Eby: A Closer Look at His Life, Work, and Tribute to a Legend

Saxophonist Chad Eby has been a vital presence in the North Carolina jazz scene. Since 2006, he has served as Associate Professor in the Miles Davis Jazz Studies program at the university of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he plays a key role in shaping the next generation of jazz musicians. In addition to his work as an educator, Eby continues to perform and record, often collaborating with top-tier talent across the region. In recent years, he has led Chad Eby and Friends, a rotating ensemble of some of North Carolina's finest jazz artists. The group has gained recognition for a series of performances dedicated to celebrating the life and legacy of saxophonist Wayne Shorter, one of modern jazz's most influential voices.

All About Jazz: What city in Iowa were you born in?

Chad Eby: I was actually born in rural Missouri, but I was raised in a tiny Iowa town called Newhall. It is about fifteen to twenty minutes west of one of Iowa's bigger cities, Cedar Rapids.

AAJ: Did you learn to play both the clarinet and saxophone during elementary school?

CE: I started on clarinet in fifth grade, but I did not really like it and thus did not really practice of getting better. Switching to saxophone was definitely the boost I needed.

AAJ: Your first mentor in jazz was Lynne Hart. Can you tell us more about who Lynne Hart is and their influence on you?

CE: Lynne was my first jazz saxophone teacher. I had private lessons from a classical saxophonist before her, but she was my first teacher to officially teach me the nuts and bolts of jazz music. We still have a relationship over thirty years later.

AAJ: You grew up listening to Stan Getz. Was that through your parent's record collection?

CE: Yes, my father was an avid Stan Getz fan. He had been a saxophonist in an Army band stationed in Japan in the early sixties. The family record collection also had albums by Count Basie and Dave Brubeck among many others. Those records shaped much of the listening habits of my youth.

AAJ: What was the first jazz festival you attended?

CE: For sure, that was the first annual Iowa City Jazz Festival, which was in the summer of 1991.

AAJ: Do you remember the lineup from the Iowa City Jazz Festival you attended?

CE: I am pretty sure year one featured a band from Boston called the Either/Orchestra which at the time featured the drummer Matt Wilson. They were pretty mind-blowing for me, a super avant-garde group. If memory serves, the second year featured Ryan Kisor's young band of up-and-comers, including a young Chris Potter on saxophone.

AAJ: Were you already living in North Carolina before you started teaching at University of North Carolina at Greensboro?

CE: No, in fact I had never been here before. The first I had even heard of Greensboro was when a friend encouraged me to apply for the job.

AAJ: Who were some of your earliest musical influences as a child?

CE: Mostly Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Paul Desmond, and the tenor players on The Atomic Count Basie album. I did not learn until later that it was Eddie Davis, and Frank Foster. It was not until I was 14 or 15 years of age until I started to get serious about playing. I was "good" for how much or (little) work I was putting in, but did not really hit my stride until 16 or so.

AAJ: Were you a fan of Miles Davis early on?

CE: Most definitely. We did not have much of his music in our family's record collection other that a few tracks on compilation albums. I actually really heard Miles for the first time, oddly enough, on my girlfriend's family hog farm in 1990 or so. How "Iowa" is that? Anyway, they had a small shelf of CD's with the usual stuff for 40-50 somethings in 1980's Iowa: Carole King, Elton John, Eric Clapton...you know, the standard stuff. But they also had Kind of Blue (Columbia,1959). So, I put it on while we were hanging out and I was like, "uh-oh...what is THIS?

AAJ: Can you name a few of your favorite Miles Davis albums?

CE: That is a tough question, but the top two that I always come back to are Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959) and Filles de Kilimanjaro. But I also love Nefertiti, Birth of the Cool, In a Silent Way, ESP, Amandia, Sketches of Spain etc. It is actually easier to list Miles albums that I do not like.

AAJ: What year of college were you first introduced to the music of Wayne Shorter?

CE: I first heard Wayne Shorter when I was in early high school, actually. The album was Heavy Weather by Weather Report. To be honest, at the time I did not really like it. The next album was shared with me by my teacher, Lynne, and it was Native Dancer. Again, I did not really like it at the time. The summer after my freshman year of college, I picked up Speak No Evil at the suggestion of the proprietor of Real Records in Iowa City. From that point forward, I was hooked.

AAJ: How has Wayne Shorter's music impacted your life, both personally and musically?

CE: From a musical perspective, Mr. Shorter's music has taught me that great creativity and experimental music does not just happen, that it is the end result of disciplined study and hard work. As for how his music has affected me personally, I am not sure it has in a tangible way, but his perseverance through great personal trials and turmoil has certainly inspired me to be a better, stronger, more resilient person.

AAJ: Who would you consider your top five jazz saxophonists of all time?

CE: What an impossible question! Like I said regarding Miles records, it would be easier to name my bottom five, which I would never do. If I just start typing and do not overthink: Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Steve Lacy, Sidney Bechet, Ben Webster, Sam Rivers, Johnny Hodges. I will stop there as to not overthink. Amongst saxophonists closer to my generation I love Branford Marsalis, JD Allen, Alexa Tarantino, Stephen Riley, John Ellis, Paul Nedzela. I fairly recently discovered Julieta Eugenio, and she is a delight to hear.

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