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The winds are brisk and forget about swimming,
but the beach in South Carolina is still beautiful anytime
of year.
My family wishes all of you and yours a very
happy holiday season and all the very best in health, happiness,
success and peace in 2009.
A new CD! "Between 2 Worlds"
Holiday Shows
In The Studio: Carmen sings the praises of AC Jobim
Christina and Lizzy go Continental
Metro News
Looking ahead to 2009
Hello and Happy Holidays
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So it's that time of year again- but what a year!
With all the talk of financial crisis, recession, and the
rest, it's a challenge to focus on the happiness of the holidays
and hopes for the coming new year, but of course that is exactly
what we have to do, right?
Speaking of hope - I was on tour with Saxophonist and dear
friend Andy Snitzer in Osaka, Japan and watching the news
on November 5th (it was actually November 6th there...) when
Barack Obama was elected president. And while I usually stay
away from politics in these letters, I will just say that
as a child of the '60's, I sat there in my hotel room and
cried tears of joy and pride at how my country had broken
a stubborn barrier by electing a person not because of, or
not because of his race, but because he had convinced more
than half of us of his promise as a leader.
And whether each of us voted for him or not, we can all be
proud of that, and wish him the strength and wisdom he will
need to lead us onwards in these challenging times.
HOWEVER!!!
Someone once told me that music is not only recession proof,
but actually - people seek out music and art MORE when times
are tough (makes sense to me ;-)
So let's just concentrate on that, shall we?
 First
of all I am very proud to say that I have finished my new
CD "Between 2 Worlds" which will be released in
March, 2009 by Heads Up International
I am very proud of the project which is a slightly new direction
for me. It is the first CD I have ever done with no keyboards.
All the textures and harmony come from the guitar trio format,
with other elements added on top of that. The title has to
do with my personal life and the life of the trios involved.
As most of you know—as a result of my marriage to Carmen
Cuesta—we have a strong connection to Spain and Europe,
and in fact our lives are often split between spending time
there and in the USA. Over the years I have collaborated with
many wonderful musicians in Europe and the last few years
I have done a week of shows in Berlin, Germany at the wonderful
A-Trane Jazz Club with two of my favorites: bassist Dieter
Ilg and drummer Wolfgang Haffner. Out of that came the idea
of a trio-based project.
I also did a lot of playing with Metro in '08 and the special
edition version of that band included drummer Dave Weckl and
bassists Gerald Veasley and Will Lee. So my "2 Worlds'
in musical terms was decided. I recorded half the CD in New
York with the "American" trio - and the rest in
Berlin with the "European" one.
Thinking of the character and personalities involved on either
side of the Atlantic I wrote and compiled the music, all of
which was recorded in August, '08.
Then I invited a bunch of guests to play with us:
Eric Marienthal on sax, Till Brönner on trumpet, Brian
Culbertson on Trombone, Nathan Eklund doing the brass section
on both trumpet and bone, David Charles and Bashiri Johnson
on percussion, Pat Bergeson on harmonica and of course Carmen
and Lizzy on vocals.
The music is a bit more adventurous and 'live' sounding than
a lot of my other CD's, and I hope all of you like the new
direction as much as I do. Look for it at your favorite store
or on-line outlet in March.
I am happy to be involved with some great shows for
the holidays: Gerald Veasley's Jazzy Christmas featuring Bobby
Lyle, Kim Waters and Maysa as well as The Christmas Show with
Jeff Lorber, Richard Eliot, Brian Bromberg, Jessy J, and Patrick
Lamb. For details please check my website
In The StudioNext up recording-wise we will be finishing up
Carmen's new CD which, like our Spring Bossa Nova tour, will
be an homage to the genius of Brazilian music Antonio Carlos
Jobim. We are aiming for a late Spring/early Summer release
on Skip Records.
I will also be working with saxophonist Andrew Neu on his
new project and others TBA.
Our daughters continue to spread their wings in many
directions too. Christina has taken a job for a financial
firm in Madrid, Spain and is happily living in her first very
own flat! And although it's nice to know that one of us has
a 'real' job ;-) she is also pursuing painting when she's
not rescuing us from the financial crisis and I saw a guitar
in her apartment too.... hmmmm....
Lizzy is just back from a three month stint in London where
she performed with world renowned composer George Fenton on
the BBC radio program "Friday Night Music" as well
as her own shows in The UK, Germany and Spain. She continues
to write, record and perform as she contemplates her next
geographic and career move. We'll keep you posted.
(metrojazz.com)
Look for more tour dates in 2009 from the band as we continue
to promote "Express" and likely start work on the
next Metro opus.
I guess that is about it for now, but again I look
forward to a lot of great things musically and otherwise in
2009 and wish all of you the very best as I continue to thank
you for your support.
I have mentioned in the past that I was trying my hand
at writing a novel. Well, I have finished the first draft
of "Double Read" a spy/crime thriller, and I have
decided to post a portion of it for anyone interested to check
out. The first 3 chapters are available for download here.
If you like it you can order the whole book at Double
Read - A Chuck Loeb Novel. tell your friends!
Love,
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Metro
'09