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Autumn 2013 Newsletter

Autumn 2013 Newsletter

Hello and Happy Autumn!

There's been quite a bit going on, and there are some nice things coming up, so I wanted to take this opportunity to send out my last newsletter of the year to keep you up to date.

Carmen Cuesta CD!!
The time has finally come!
December 1st, Tweety Records will release "Toda Una Vida", a brand new recording of classic, romantic Boleros, beautifully sung in Spanish  in Carmen's captivating, intimate style, with plush jazz arrangements, and a fresh and exciting new cast of supporting players.
The CD features a back up band of the finest young musicians in Madrid: Moisés P. Sanchez on piano, Antonio "Toño" Miguel on bass, Jose San Martín on drums, Yuvisney Aguilar on percussion, and one American ringer... me;-) plus some special guests.
These are traditional Spanish and Latin American songs that Carmen grew up listening to her whole life, which is roughly a translation of the title: toda una vida, and Carmen draws the listener in on this journey into her heart and soul.
The CD was co-produced by the Spanish producer Paco Ortega at his legendary Musigrama studios in Madrid.
You will be able to order it soon at CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon or any of your favorite online outlets. Look for it  in stores in December too!

Silhouette
The title track and first single from my new CD "Silhouette" is enjoying a nice long run on the charts - hitting #1 for 3 weeks on The Groove Music Chart, and consistently in the top 10 on the Billboard, SmoothJazz.com and The SmoothJazz Top 20 Countdown charts!
Expect a new single in January - and please chime in with ideas about which track should be the next single. Your ideas & input are welcome!!

Comings & Goings
Most recently Carmen & I did a show in Madrid, Spain at Sala Clamores Jazz Club with a killer band with many of the same cats whom appear on Carmen's upcoming CD: Moisés, and Jose, but this time featuring Jose's brother, Jaun San Martín filling in for Toño on bass. Yuvisney Aguilar came AFTER a whole other gig across town to burn it up on percussion. What fun!

Before that I had just came off a two-week run with Fourplay on the West Coast. Bob James, Nathan East, Harvey Mason & I had wonderful gigs at Yoshi's in Oakland & San Francisco, The Jazztrax Festival on Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles, and then at Jazz Alley - the jazz spot in the beautiful city of Seattle.

In September I re-united with Metro, with Mitchel Forman & Wolfgang Haffner, of course, along with new addition, bassist par excellence, Nicolas Fiszman, from Brussels who came in and rocked the joint!!
We were honored to be invited to record and perform with the legendary WDR Big Band in their home base studio in Cologne Germany. We recorded a CD with great charts of our repertoire  by band director Mike Abene and did a wonderful concert with the band at the gorgeous Philharmonie Hall.  We also re-united with percussionist Roland Piel who played on our very first CD in 1994 - the project was produced by Joachim Becker for Moosicus Records, who was our original producer from way back in the day.

Before that I had a great run of fun gigs over the summer with Jeff Lorber & Everette Harp and our Jazz, Funk, Soul project. More to come of that next year!

Coming up I will be back in Japan at at The Cotton Club in Tokyo with  Will Lee's Family Band, with  Steve Gadd, Oli Rockberger & Giulio Carmassi. We will return for five fun-filled nights (December 4-8) playing music from Will's "Love, Gratitude, and Other Distractions" CD which is racking up huge, amazing and very well deserved reviews! I am very proud to be on the CD, and Can't wait for the live shows!

After that it is back to my home town and a whole week at The NYC Blue Note with Fourplay!!! (December 10-15) ! Book your tickets here & now! Fourplay's December Dream in NYC!

In The Studio
Over the summer I was blessed to be able to participate in the recording of my good buddy and Fourplay bandmate Nathan East's very first solo recording! With folks like Ricky Lawson, Michael Thompson, Jeff Babko, Billy Childs, and a cast of thousands.... this CD will be an amazing one! So proud to be in on it! The release is due to be Mid-Mrch 2014.... look out for it!

This summer I was also honored to be asked to play on Brian Culbertson's latest CD "Another Long Night Out"  which re-visits his wonderful first recording after 20 years!!! You can check out some previews on his video blog on YouTube here:
Brian & Chuck in the studio!


This year will be the 5th year of Berks Bop at the Berks Jazz Festival with Brian Bromberg, Jeff Lorber, Gerald Albright, Everette Harp, Lionel Cordew and Randy Brecker.
The concept of this show is to have some of the biggest names in contemporary or "Smooth" Jazz show off their "straight ahead" jazz chops by performing the classic songs of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk and other icons of the Be Bop era.
To make it even more of a special event, his time we will be debuting a recording of this music, and it is for a very good cause: we will be donating 100% of the income from the CD after expenses to the PKD Foundation foundation for polycystic kidney disease - here's the website:
PKDCure
Mark your calendars now for a great show for a noble cause!

The aforementioned Metro recording will also be released in 2014 - so look out for all these fine CDs next year.

New Website 


I also just had a major re-design of my website, done by my friends at Mediarec Jordi Suñol, Amparo Jovani, and José Luis Milla.
Check it out here: chuckloeb.com
Hope you dig it!

A new addition to my résumé: DJ?!?!

As some of you might already know, I have been doing some side work as a DJ on Sky FM's Smooth Jazz 24/7
It has been so much fun talking about, and sharing the music of the great artists and in many cases good friends that we play in they air. The show is played on Wednesdays - so please tune I and check me out!

Coming up in the next year:

Now I have some VERY exciting news that I want to share with you... I can hardly contain my excitement in fact but alas, I can only give you a tease for now. In turn, I'd like to get your initial reaction and feedback.

Perhaps you already know how much I love Hilton Head (who doesn't right?) and I have mentioned my idea to have a Jazz Festival there... 

For a long time I have dreamed and had pretty deep thoughts and plans of having a very special event annually there.... AND 

I am thrilled to tell you that at long last, it's going to happen! In late Spring, 2014, we will debut  

"Chuck Loeb's Hilton Head Island Jazz Festival" weekend!  

YOU are the first to know that it's coming and I hope that you are going to be as thrilled as I am. We are getting close in announcing when, where, and of course who will be joining me so be sure to check in with my newsletter, OR HIT ME ON Facebook and Twitter. I'd really appreciate knowing what you think, and even who you'd like to see!

Remember...late Spring.....make plans to join my friends and me for a great jazz weekend on Hilton Head!

 

Also - Fourplay will be heading back into the studio to record a new CD for release in 2015: the group's 25th Anniversary CD!!!! Stay tuned!!! 

 

I hope to see you at some of the shows coming up and of course I will be posting all of the tours and shows in 2014 as the New Year rolls around.

Happy Holidays in advance, and my family: Carmen, Christina, Liz, Annie & KitKat™ and I wish you happiness, peace, good health, prosperity, and most of all LOVE!

Chuck

See Tour dates

Jazz, Funk, Soul - Everette Harp, Chuck Loeb & Jeff Lorber

Jun 04 Capital Jazz Fest
Washington DC

Jazz, Funk, Soul - Everette Harp, Chuck Loeb & Jeff Lorber

Jun 03 Steel City Jazz Festival Birmingham AL
Birmingham AL USA

Fourplay

May 28 One World Theater
Austin TX USA

Fourplay

May 27 Riverfront Jazz Festival
Nashville TN USA

CHUCK LOEB

Apr 08 Berks Jazz Festival
Reading PA USA

Berk's All-Star Jam Session

Apr 06 Berks Jazz Festival
Reading PA USA

Berks Bop

Apr 05 Berks Jazz Festival - Building 24
Reading PA USA

Fourplay

Apr 04 The Rams Head
Annapolis MD USA

Fourplay

Apr 02 The Birchmere
Alexandria Virginia USA