Chuck Loeb是一位出色的Jazz吉他手，年轻时的他曾在当时已是垂暮之年的SAX演奏家Stan Getz乐团演奏，从一开始自学成材、到后来师从酷派与融合吉他大师Jim Hall、再到深造于伯克利音乐学院，如此丰富的经历背景足以将Chuck Loeb推至当今现代爵士界屈指可数的先锋之列。作为白人的他在著名黑人灵魂爵士厂牌Shanachie旗下发行了七张专辑，如此的骄人成绩既证实了他的演奏功力，也可见他的音乐融合之广，我们在听的时候不难发现其中既带有早先Cool派风格的冷静沉稳及其吉他演奏的清晰线条感，又有将旋律化的节奏蓝调及灵魂风格信手拈来的随性成分，而在这张99年的《Listen》中则体现更为明显。

by Scott Yanow

A skillful guitarist capable of playing any style of music, Chuck Loebs own solo projects have generally been commercially successful crossover jazz, which has been classified through the years as contemporary or smooth jazz. He started playing guitar when he was 11, discovered jazz when he was 16, took lessons from Jim Hall, Pat Metheny, and Joe Puma, and attended the Berklee College of Music. Loeb freelanced in New York (with Hubert Laws, Chico Hamilton, and Joe Farrell, among others) and then in 1979 joined Stan Getzs group for two years. Back in New York, Loeb worked on jingles and soundtracks both as a player and a composer. He spent 1985-1987 with Steps Ahead and in more recent times has produced recordings by Donald Harrison, Nelson Rangell, Larry Coryell, George Garzone, and Warren Bernhardt, among others. As a performer, Loeb was part of Petit Blonde (a group featuring saxophonist Bill Evans) and Metro and the Fantasy Band, plus played with Gary Burton, Dave Samuels, and many others; in addition, his compositions have been recorded by quite a few pop/jazz artists. Chuck Loeb made his first solo record in 1988, recorded extensively for DMP and switched to Shanachie in 1996. Over the next seven years he released six albums for the label, beginning in 1998 with The Moon, the Stars and the Setting Sun, followed by Listen in 1999. Loeb remained active in the 21st century, releasing In a Heartbeat in early 2001, All There Is in 2002, and eBop one year later. The guitarist wrapped up his tenure with Shanachie in 2005 with When Im with You, and signed up with Head Up International, a division of Telarc. His first outing for the label was Presence, released in 2007.