CHUCK LOEB & METRO SPECIAL EDITION

Guitarist Chuck Loeb is once again hitting the road this summer with his fellow musicians under the banner Metro Special Edition. Joining the tour are Mitchal Forman (keyboards); Gerald Veasley (bass); David Wecki (drums); Eric Marienthal (sax); and Randy Brecker (for the July tour dates only). Here’s a listing of where you can catch Metro Special Edition:

June 2 – Catalina’s Bar and Gril, Hollywood, CA
June 3 – Catalina’s Bar and Grill, Hollywood, CA
June 4 – Catalina’s Bar and Grill, Hollywood, CA
June 5 – Anthology Jazz Club, San Diego, CAJuly 10 – San Javier, Spain
July 11 – Peniscola, Spain
July 12 – Rotterdam Jazz Festival, Rotterdam, Holland
July 13 – TBA, Germany or Italy
July 14 – Option Club, Madrid, Spain
July 15 – TBA, Germany or Italy
July 16 – TBA, Germany or ItalyJ

July 17 –Pori, Finalnd
July 18 – Stockholm Jazz Festival (tentative)
July 19 – Stockholm Jazz Festival (tentative)
July 29 – Blue Note, New York, NY

August 10 – Marciac Jazz Festival

Also this summer Chuck Loeb will be appearing at The A-Trane Club in Berlin, Germany for his Trio performances. These will feature Wolfgang Haffner and Dietier Ilg. Concerts dates are August 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23.Chuck Loeb joined Heads Up International with the worldwide release of Presence (HUCD 3117), an album that recognizes the importance of the human element – not just in the crafting of music, but in everyday life. "Nowadays, there’s a lot of music that gets created in a laboratory," says Loeb, who enlisted musicians various incarnations of his live band to craft the album. "We all have computers, and we do things long distance. But it never ceases to amaze me how, as soon as you put the live musicians into the equation, it’s their presence that brings the thing to life. That’s the idea behind the album title – the effect that an individual’s personality has on the music, both in the context of a recording and in a live setting."

One of the highlights on the album is a laid back interpretation of Steely Dan’s 1974 classic, "Rikki Don’t Lose That Number," a track with a healthy dose of playful counterpoint between Loeb and saxophonist/flutist Dave Mann. "Steely Dan always brings an intelligence to their music," says Loeb, a longtime fan of the perennially smart-sounding pop/rock/jazz combo. "They try to sneak as much stuff as possible into a pop song without getting too heady and turning off the audience. That’s my goal as well."