Chuck Loeb Interview

by Michael Shea.

Chuck Loeb grew up in Nyack, NY, a suburb of New York City and at the age of 11, decided music was what he wanted to do with his life. After teaching himself guitar and playing in local bands for several years, his talent was so evident that, before he graduated from high school, he was studying with jazz guitar legend Jim Hall.

After high school, he attended Berklee College of Music for two years before heading to New York City to work as a sideman for a number of jazz artists. In 1979, when he was 23 years old, Chuck joined the Stan Getz band, where he was able to hone his skills as a musician, performer, composer, and musical director. During this period, Chuck met and married Carmen Cuesta, a singer-songwriter from Madrid, Spain.

After two years with Stan Getz, Chuck left to work in New York City as a studio musician, where his work covered a diverse range of creative endeavors. He produced albums for artists such as Spyro Gyra and Bob James; performed on movie soundtracks, including blockbusters like You’ve Got Mail; and wrote themes for TV shows and for major league sports teams, including the New York Yankees, the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Braves.

After nearly ten years in the studio, Chuck returned to performing live and pursuing his own music. He recorded seven solo albums with the Shanachie music label, enjoying several number one hits on contemporary jazz charts.

Listen to samples from a variety of Chuck Loeb albums including his latest, Between 2 Worlds:

In addition to his work as a guitarist, performer, arranger, composer, and producer, Chuck is also a teacher. He has one music book to his credit, The Best of Chuck Loeb [Hal Leonard Corporation, 2005], and has taught masterclasses at a number of institutions, including Berklee College of Music, the University of Southern California and the University of Tenerife.

Chuck created a guitar workshop he calls String Training, which he teaches with other accomplished guitarists at the Berks Jazz Festival. In short, as Chuck’s website states, “Whatever your personal tastes in music, media, entertainment or popular culture, chances are good that you’ve had at least a passing acquaintance with the work of Chuck Loeb.”

Chuck currently records for Heads Up International. Modern Guitars talked to Chuck just before the March 24, 2009, release of his latest recording, Between 2 Worlds.

Michael Shea: To whom are you currently listening?

Chuck Loeb: Two things, it’s a good thing when a new album comes out. You do a lot of interviews, so a lot of these questions that people ask are similar. The first time somebody asked, I had to think about it for a while, but now I know.

I’m working on a project with my wife Carmen, Brazilian songs and Brazilian music, and so over the last year or so, we’ve spent a lot of time listening to that music not only on CDs, but on YouTube and the Internet…and discovering great artists. We’ve been listening to some classics like Tom Jobim or Elis Regina and some newer people like Ana Carolina and Seu Jorge and all different kinds of Brazilian music.

Mike: Do you find that inspirational when composing your own songs?

Chuck: Very much, and it’s in evidence on the CD [Between 2 Worlds] because the title track, for example, is very much a Brazilian kind of a groove. Of course, we did a Jobim song from one of the classic albums, “Sò Tinha De Que Ser Com Vocè,” the one that Carmen sings. And even the song for Hiram ["Hiram"] has a bit of that in the verse and melody.

The other thing I’ve been listening to is a guitar player, and I like to say this because he’s not well known as his own artist. He’s a sideman, but I’ve been listening to some CDs by a guy named Michael Landau. You know him? He’s well known as an LA studio musician, but the guy has a few live CDs of his trio and quartet where he sings and plays guitar. I just think he’s an absolute, I would even say, genius on the guitar. He’s kind of coming out of the pure Jimi Hendrix rock and roll school, but he’s mixed it with his influences in jazz and new music. I’m just addicted to that live CD he did, Michael Landau Group Live 2006 [See: CD Review: The Michael Landau Group Live]. It’s hard to find. You have to find it on the Internet.

Mike: Do you have a favorite guitar to compose on or do you pick up whatever’s handy?

Chuck: For the last several years I’ve been working with a company called Sadowsky, which is a Brooklyn based company owned and created by Roger Sadowsky, who’s a friend of mine for probably 35 years. I’ve worked with him on other guitars. He makes his own and those are the guitars I feel the most comfortable on. And I’m not a collector. You know there are people who can’t wait to buy a new guitar, and I would love to have a bunch of guitars, but if I find one that feels really comfortable, maybe I need one backup, but I’m fine with that. So Roger’s guitars really feel homey to me. I just feel like I can play for hours and it is conducive to composing.

Mike: I take it you used that same guitar on all the songs on the CD then?

Chuck: I used two different models on the CD. One is the one that’s on the cover, which is a semi-hollow, like on “Early Turns To Late” – it was on there. And then on the other songs, I have two solid body Sadowskys and I used those quite a bit.

Mike: It seems unusual to me that a jazz guitarist would play a solid body guitar. I saw Jeff Golub playing a Strat and I was like, “Whoa.” Is that something new?

Chuck: Well there’s a guy named Ted Greene, he started a long time ago, and Bill Frisell. I think it’s been about over the last oh, 15, 20 years that it’s become acceptable. I think it’s whatever feels comfortable to you; if you can get the sound you want out of it. That’s what’s important.

Mike: What amps do you use?

Chuck: When I’m traveling I have them rent two Fender Twin Reverb amplifiers. Hopefully they’re in good shape. Either Twins or Blues DeVilles or Blues Deluxes – that’s what I usually ask for and 90% of the time I get good ones. I endorse Yamaha instruments and I have two digital amplifiers that they made and gave to me about ten years ago. And I like those, I use those at home. As I said before, I’m not a collector of instruments.

Mike: I read where you said you were an “inner rocker”; so do you use any effect pedals?

Chuck: Yeah, oh yeah, definitely. Lately my set up is, I use these Boss multi-effects pedal boards in the GT series. I had the GT-6, 8 and now I’m on the GT-10, which is the latest one, which I think without a doubt is the best one. And in a lot of ways, the way it’s set up and everything, it’s really a great, great board. I don’t use the modeling section of that for overdrive or distortion; I use separate pedals for that. So I have a couple of pedals outside that I use, T-Rex pedals and the new one I just got a new one when I was in LA, which is really good, an Xotic. It’s a combination booster and overdrive pedal like a dual-stage pedal. I use external overdrive pedals and then I use the GT series for almost all the other effects – reverb, delays, chorusing – although I do sometimes use another outboard chorus, a TC Electronics chorus.

And then Wah, the Wah’s pretty good in there. And it’s so convenient when you’re playing live to have fewer things to plug in and it’s kind of a smaller pedal board so I can get a lot of bang for my buck from that and get done what I need to get done on stage.

Mike: At home do you ever feel like picking up the guitar and playing for the sheer enjoyment of it?

Chuck: Oh yeah, all the time. You know my wife plays guitar, my daughter plays guitar, so we have guitars all over the house. I remember once reading an article about Earl Klugh where he said he tried to have a guitar in every room of his house so he’d never have an excuse not to play and we’re definitely like that.

Mike: When you’re on the road, do you put your own strings on or do you have a guitar tech that strings and tunes up your guitar for you?

Chuck: I do it myself. There’s not enough money to have that. I would love to have somebody travel with me, not just for that but to help me with my pedals and all that stuff. Often times there will be somebody on site who’s good and they’ll help me. I was just on tour and in the middle of a set I broke a string, so I was able to hand it off to one of the techs there and he did it for me.

Mike: Do you have any particular scales that you favor when soloing?

Chuck: I use the standard scales and modes from the major scale, but I also use the melodic minor scale in the modes of the melodic minor scale quite a bit in improvising. Changing one note from the major to the minor sets up a whole series of scales that are very useful in jazz.

You take a melodic minor scale, in the classical sense, melodic minor is different ascending than it is descending. But, I’m talking about the jazz version where it’s the same both ways and changing the major third to the minor third, basically is what it is. And when you create modes out of that, for example you start it a half step lower, so that instead of starting on the root you start on the seventh degree. If you play that over a dominate seventh chord it’s an incredible sound.

Mike: How are your ears? Blown out or still okay?

Chuck: I’m half deaf. I think like all musicians my age I’ve played with loud drummers and loud bands my whole life and, you know, I’ve got tinnitus, I have ringing in my ears, and if I’m laying on one side in bed at night I can’t hear what my wife is saying. It’s inevitable for me, because I can’t wear ear plugs; I’ve tried, it’s just absolutely impossible for me to play with those things in. So, unfortunately, that part has taken its toll on me.

Mike: As you get older do you find it harder to play? Are you worried about losing flexibility or strength?

Chuck: Easier, easier as a matter of fact. I remember asking Stan Getz this. I’ve always been a neurotic practicer and I noticed that sometimes Stan would be on the road a long time and he never practiced, he’d take out his horns at a gig and play. I guess at that time he was my age now, in his 50s. And he said, “No, my chops feel better than ever. I never practice.” He just had this confidence in his ability and he’d warm up a little bit and work on his reed, put the horn in his mouth and just play rings around everybody.

I feel like just recently I’ve had a breakthrough in that regard. I realize that I don’t have to beat myself up if I don’t practice as much as I used to. The important thing is to have enough chops and keep current playing scales and stuff like that so you feel cool. But, I feel better chop wise now than I ever have.

Mike: When you’re playing the guitar is it sometimes a struggle and other times you’re in a zone and can do no wrong?

Chuck: The answer is yes.

Mike: To both of those?

Chuck: Exactly. Without a doubt there are times where it is really a struggle, it’s really hard. Your chops don’t feel good, the ideas aren’t flowing, you don’t feel connected.

I always relate everything to baseball because I’m a baseball fan. It’s like when a .300 hitter hits a slump and all of a sudden he can’t hit a ball out of the infield. You know, basically, that’s going to happen. I remember someone once saying to me it’s all improvisation, but you do rely sometimes on licks and things that you know work and tricks that you know, and sometimes you have to rely on those just to get through a period where you’re not feeling as fertile as others. And, it’s okay. You can’t always be pure inspirational, unless you’re Mozart or Beethoven. I bet they even had their infertile periods.

Mike: When you play in front of a live audience, does the crowd’s enthusiasm or lack of it affect how well you play?

Chuck: Absolutely 100% yes. It’s a huge plus when you’re playing for people that are really into it and you feel that vibe and energy. An exchange of energy, I should say, because you’re playing, they’re hearing you, they respond, you respond. I don’t think there’s anything in the world like that.

Mike: What’s the most stressful part of being a successful musician?

Chuck: I think travel is the hardest. I mean I enjoy it, I like traveling and I love going and meeting people in the different, far flung places that I’ve been able to go.

Recently, I came back from Spain and India and Indonesia and Europe and Africa. I love that, but it is very stressful. It’s hard because you’re away from your family. It’s hard because you’re on airplanes and in hotels and all that. My daughter is a musician now and I tell her, when you get on a stage and play, that part is free; you get paid for all the other stuff.

Mike: What do you like the best about touring?

Chuck: I love the moment when you’ve gone through everything you’ve gone through to get there and you play for, and ultimately meet and get to know, the people and the cultures where you’ve arrived. That exchange that I was talking about before is not just musical. It’s when I go out to sign CDs, or I go and say hello to some people and see the love that people have for music. I’ve also thought a lot about this, that many, many people have to travel for their work, business people and a lot of people who have to travel; but for musicians, when you finally arrive to where you’re going, it’s a joyous experience, hopefully. You’re sharing something that’s really fun and enlightening. That moment when you’re finally in contact with the audience and the people that are there because they love music, it makes it worthwhile.

Mike: Your website listed two masterclasses you did in Spain in 2007. Did you teach those in Spanish?

Chuck: Yes!

Mike: Wow! How was that?

Chuck: Well, Carmen and I have been together for 30 years and I’ve spent a lot of time in Spain, so I’ve learned Spanish enough to be able to get by. I can communicate with people; I can have a pretty decent conversation. But, we have a translator in case I get to a phrase – and by the way, a lot of people speak English now, especially musicians – so if I get to a phrase where I can’t translate, I’ll say it in English and somebody will say, “Oh, it’s not that, you can say this, that, or the other thing.” And there are certain technical words that are really hard for me to say, but people help you out.

Mike: Do you have any other teaching gigs coming up?

Chuck: I have something called String Training, which is something that I’ve done the last couple of years at the Berks Jazz Festival. It’s a guitar seminar. Last year I did it with Pat Martino and I was going to do it with Paul Jackson Jr. and Jeff Golub this year and, since the recession, we’re going to wait a year and do it next year. So, I was supposed to do that next month and it’s not going to happen, unfortunately. I feel bad about it, but there’s always next year, like spring training.

Mike: What about writing another music book?

Chuck: I want to do that, I definitely want to do that. In fact, my daughter as I mentioned, is a guitarist, and I’ve been giving her lessons and we’re going to take the materials that we end up with at the end of that process and try to do some type of method.

Mike: Do you have any advice for aspiring jazz guitarists?

Chuck: Just two things: One is concentrate on sound; try to always get a beautiful tone when you’re playing because, sometimes when you’re going for content, the sound and the tone can go out the window. That’s one thing I learned from playing with Stan Getz. It’s all about the tone and the sound, because that’s what people hear. The content is important, but if it doesn’t sound pretty people aren’t going to want to hear it.

And the other thing is to just play as much as you can. Guitar is an instrument that your chops aren’t going to hurt if you play eight hours. Where a trumpet player can’t do that, a guitar player can play a lot. And I think the more you play and the more you challenge yourself on your instrument, the freer and easier you’ll feel when you get up on stage and play. There have been periods of time in my life where I was playing many, many hours a day, and those hours pay dividends forever.

Mike: In closing, as a high school student you studied with Jim Hall, who recognized your talent. Are there any young players that have caught your ear that we should check out?

Chuck: There’s a guitar player I ran into recently, named Ricardo Vogt. I met him at a clinic I was giving some lessons to him, and he’s a terrific talent. He’s out there, he’s playing with Esperanza Spalding and also with Eliane Elias. He’s a true talent and a great guy.

Related Links
Chuck Loeb
Crosscut Saw Photography

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