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Chuck Loeb is a guitarist and a producer who are popular in smooth jazz movement. His latest CD "Listen" has been one of the best sellers in that category. He used to play a hardcore jazz fusion with Steps Ahead and Bill Evans(saxophonist) band. Also he has participated in numerous numbers of sessions as a studio guitarist in New York City. He is planing to visit Japan as a guest guitarist of Bob James whose latest CD Chuck produced in November 1999. Chuck answered to our questions via E-mail. |
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Masato Hashi (MH) Will you tell us your recent activity as a guitarist and a producer? Chuck Loeb(CL) In the last year I was luck enough to be involved with some very nice projects, both as aproducer and a guitarist. I produced albums fo Spyro Gyra, Bob James, Michael Franks, Kim Waters an Gato Barbieri. As a guitarist I performed on all of these with the exception of Spyro Gyra, as they are a band with an excellent guitarist, Julio Fernandez. I also got a chance to play on an album called Dizzy's World - with the Dizzy Gillespie Alumus All Stars MH Your albums in these few years seem very successful in smooth jazz movement? What do you think about popularity of the smooth jazz in these several years? CL It has obviously been very very good for me to be invovled with the Smooth Jazz movement, because it has gotten me to a much wider audience and given me the opportunity to go out with a band and perform all throughout the United States and Europe and Japan. Although when I make my records I am aware of the constraints of commercial recording, when I play live I get a chance to really stretch and rock out as a guitarist and the "Smooth Jazz" audiences love it. MH In your "Listen" CD, drums tracks of several songs were programmed by yourself. Do you like to program rhythms yourself than using live drummers? CL I enjoy both. I have been programming since the very first drum machines and I guess I always wanted to play the drums, and programming is as close as I'll get. Also, some songs tend to want programming more than others. However I LOVE playing with a great drummer, and always will! MH In the last song of "Listen", we hear kids' choir. How did you come upthe idea of using such choir to close the album? CL The chorus teacher of my two daughters, Christina and Liizy, asked me to consider it, and as was working on the CD, I thought that since the concept of the CD was going back to my earlier days as a "Listener", it woould make sense to have kids there. Then I was inspired to write the music. MH You sometimes pick up pop songs in your album. "Let It Be" was especially impressive. How do you select such songs? CL They are always songs that have a particularly strong emotional meaning for me. Usually pop songs, because I love pop music. Sometimes, as in the case of "Rock With You" it was just for fun. MH You used to play more hardcore fusion music such as with Steps Ahead and Bill Evans' band. Do you play such music recently? CL I will be doing a new CD with a Band called Metro, which is a harder hitting band that came out of the Petite Blonde Project. I also am hoping that Bill Evans will put together a new Petite Blonde CD. Let's see. MH You played in numerous numbers of sessions as a session guitarist. What session was the most memorable for you? CL I would say that I have been lucky in that there are too many to name, but being asked to be a rhythm guitarist for Earl Klugh made me very proud. MH Last question. Will you tell us your future plan? > CL I am producing a project for my wife, Carmen Cuesta (my favotiye singer!) and also producing a new CD for Saxaphonist Jay Beckenstien (leader of Spyro Gyra) as well as the Metro project I mentioned before. I also will be touring throughout the coming year in the US, Europe and in November Japan. MH Thank you very much. We are looking forward to your tour to Japan. |
