Chuck Loeb: A Great Musical "Presence"
February 21, 2008 - Guitar virtuoso Chuck Loeb has imposed himself as one of the best contemporary jazz guitar players since almost 30 years. He has played with jazz giants such as Hubert Laws, Stan Getz, Larry Coryell, Gary Burton and so many others. Read our Interview

 

 

 
     
 

Chuck Loeb: "MySpace" was not really his own space!
November 14, 2007 - MySpace is a social networking web site, that has become a powerful communication and marketing tool for most Smooth Jazz musicians for several years. It often complements the artists' official web site. Normally, MySpace is supposed to be an interactive and user-friendly space for artists, to share news and communicate with fans and friends. However, it happens that MySpace pages are not run by the artist himself, but by some passionate fans, who post news and pictures of their favourite artist.
 
  
   


The problem is that they do not necessarily reflect the artist's own views and are often run without any official permission. Famous Smooth Jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb has experienced it, as one of his fans has been running an unofficial MySpace page since March 2006 ( www.myspace.com/chuckloeb). Loeb recognised that "imitation is a form of flattery", but has eventually decided to react, by creating his own official MySpace page in September 2007 ( www.myspace.com/chuckloebofficial). So far, the artist has included four songs, a slide show, a photo gallery and will post videos soon.

The talented guitarist – whose hit "Good to Go" (drawn from his latest CD "Presence") reached #5 and stayed on the charts for over 40 weeks – has a very busy agenda till the end of this year.

 
  
In addition to a number of upcoming shows ("To Grover With Love" concerts and a gig with famous sax player Eric Marienthal) , the musician will appear on the latest band Metro'a album, "Express", due to be released (November 19th 2007) on the keyboard player's Mitchell Forman's label, Marsis Jazz ( www.mitchelforman.com/Store2.htm) For more information: www.chuckloeb.com. - By Akbar Nour, Smoothjazznow's Contributing Editor
Little Smooth Jazz Extras
June 6, 2005 - Hidden extras appear to be one of the ways many Smooth Jazz artists are rewarding their loyal fans, according to smoothvibes.com. Some of the hidden gems found on the latest Smooth Jazz offerings are guitarist Chuck Loeb's untitled jazz/funk track after the last official song on the album "When I'm With You." Chieli Minucci's four hidden interludes which can be heard on his latest only if the album is played in order without skipping any tracks, and Mindy Abair's tribute to Cannonball Adderly from her album "Come As You Are", titled "26 Hemenway" (a reference to her address during her time at Boston's Berkelee College of Music). - By Cheryl Philips
Chuck Loeb Appreciates Spiritual Comrade Kirk Whalum
 March 18, 2004 - "I am a spiritual person," says Chuck Loeb. The popular Smooth Jazz artist and producer says he never fools himself into thinking that he's solely responsible for any of his hits. "I am walking down the road and all of a sudden this melody is going around inside my head and I have to write it down," says Loeb. He told Smooth Jazz Now he feels like "a secretary writing it down for someone else." While recording his 2002 album "All There Is" Loeb said he got another reminder of the big picture from Saxophonist Kirk Whalum. "We were just about to record and I asked Kirk if everything was okay in his headphones and if he was ready to go. Kirk said he was all ready to go but there was one more thing that he would like to do, he said that he would like to pray." Loeb says that simple comment put things in perspective, "I thought okay so I went outside and my daughter and her boyfriend were in the room with us and Kirk said that he wanted to thank God for letting him make a contribution that wasn't really even his to a song that wasn't even really mine and that they were all from God." Check out our updated Interview with Chuck Loeb.
Chuck Loeb's at Peace with New Studio Technology
November 20, 2003 - Chuck Loeb loves new technology in fact the guitarist say's he got in on the ground floor of recording with computers in the early eighties while doing jingles and other music for film and TV. Loeb says his software of choice is Pro Tools, "I remember at one point thinking that I'd become a virtuoso of Pro Tools," says Loeb laughing. "It's kind of a weird talent to develop." The guitarist says he's been working with computers for so long, "It's become second nature." Loeb told Smooth Jazz Now that as much as technology makes his life easier the guitar will always be his focus, "My knowledge of music just grew for me because I'm a guitarist. It came from the guitar! My knowledge of harmony came from the guitar." Read our part two of our interview with Chuck Loeb.
Chuck Loeb's Healthy Studio Life
October 13, 2003 - One of the main occupational hazards of being a popular Smooth Jazz producer is usually being away from home a lot! Chuck Loeb who has produced Spyro Gyra, Jeff Kashiwa, Acoustic Alchemy, Bob James, Kim Waters and Fattburger just to name a few seems to have found a solution though. The popular Smooth Jazz guitarist records most of his clients and his own albums at his home studio in New York. The studio which happens to be in his garage is appropriately titled "Automotive Recordings." We talked with Loeb on October 6, 2003 about producing his latest hit album "eBop" and his interests outside music. Read our interview.
Review - Chuck Loeb - eBop
August 21, 2003 - I had my first taste of this album one gorgeous Sunday afternoon while touring the mountains of Banff National Park in Alberta. To call this is a perfect Sunday drive album though would surely short change it. Some say the listener is more forgiving of any album when coupled with breathtaking scenery. I've always thought the opposite and if you've ever taken a road trip with a Bjork fan you'll know what I mean. Bottom line? This one will make you stare at the speakers no matter what's around you. Like his last "All There Is" Loeb produced this, his 13th album and let's just say Smooth Jazz is in good hands with this guitarist at the helm. The opening title track is a perfect driving song if you like high speeds and is one of those radio friendly tunes adding a little spice to Smooth Jazz. Read more.