Press Reviews of Chuck Anderson Jazz Guitar Player
Jazz Guitar in the City of Brotherly Love
Published March 12, 2021
By Joe Barth
JGT guest contributor Joe Barth takes a look at the many great jazz guitarists and musicians from the Philadelphia area.
Philadelphia, known as the “birthplace” of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, is also rich in its cultural history. Along with Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Betsy Ross House, there is a richness in all expressions of the arts, especially music. Along with enjoying this history and culture, you’ll want to also allow time for a cheesesteak sandwich at Tony Luke’s or John’s Roast Pork for lunch.
A number of jazz musicians were born in the Philadelphia area, such as saxophonists Jimmy Heath and Benny Golson, trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist McCoy Tyner as well as bassist Christian McBride to name a few. Philadelphia is also a place where numerous musicians came in from the south and elsewhere to practice, perform and hone their jazz skills before moving on to New York City or elsewhere. A few of these temporary residents are trumpeter Clifford Brown, drummer “Philly” Jo Jones, pianist Kenny Barron and most famously the great jazz pioneers Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane.
Philadelphia has produced or been the home to a number of jazz guitarists. Pat Azzara (who we know as Pat Martino) was born on the southside of Philadelphia in August of 1944. Studying with Dennis Sandole Pat sometimes would go out for a hot chocolate with another Sandole student, John Coltrane, and talk about music. At age fifteen Pat moved to New York and began playing professionally. He befriended the great guitarist, Les Paul, and even lived for a while in his home. Early on he worked with saxophonists Willis Jackson and Eric Kloss as well as most of the organists of the day such as Jack McDuff, Don Patterson, and Charles Earland. In 1967 Pat made his first of many recordings for the Prestige label. In 1980 he almost died of an aneurism that affected his memory and was not able to play the guitar for a year. It took another three years of rehabilitation to play professionally but Pat came back even stronger as a player than before his illness. Up until a couple of years ago, Pat continued to travel the world as a major force in jazz music, until a couple of years ago where additional health reasons have caused him to curtail his performance.
Joe Beck was born in 1945 and moved from Philadelphia to New York as a teenager and soon was playing six nights a week in the city. By age eighteen he had worked with fellow Philadelphian Stan Getz and by age twenty-two had worked with both Miles Davis and Gil Evans.
In an interview with Jazz Guitar Life Joe said, My career happened because I happened to be in the right place at the right time in a very unique time of jazz music. …when I would finish a gig around two in the morning I would go around the corner to the Playboy Club and sit in with Monty Alexander and let Les Spann take a breather and I would finish the gig for him. Then we would go and listen to Kenny Burrell play around the corner or we would go up to Minton’s and listen to Wes Montgomery and sit in with him.
To get the sound he heard in his head, Joe developed the alto guitar. In Jazz Times he describes it as…
“It’s pretty straight-ahead, really. Take your whole guitar and tune it down a fifth to the key of A, and then tune the middle two strings up an octave. What I’ve done is take the normal tuning of the guitar and changed it so that I have bass strings for my thumb; sort of a banjo register for my first two fingers, and then a low melody register for my other two fingers. […] So you don’t have to change any of your fingerings; it’s the same intervals as in normal tuning, just in the key of A, so it’s A-D-G-C-E-A.”
Joe worked with a “Who’s Who” of jazz and pop music artists sometimes bringing his well-behaved dog to recording sessions with him. His love for animals and the land led Joe to farming as a diversion from the busy music scene. Jimmy Bruno who recorded a duet album with Joe, says he “had the most advanced harmonic vocabulary I ever heard.” Joe Beck died in 2008.
Jimmy Bruno started playing guitar at the age of seven following in the footsteps of his guitarist father. Two recordings had a profound effect upon Jimmy, Hank Garland’s “Jazz Winds from a New Direction” and Johnny Smith’s “Moonlight in Vermont.” At age nineteen Jimmy was playing in the Buddy Rich band. His career led him to Las Vegas and Los Angeles for a while. Arriving in Los Angeles Jimmy tells of leaving a phone message with great studio guitarist Tommy Tedesco about “recording sessions.” When Tommy returned his call asking what session Jimmy wanted to hire him for, Jimmy responded “You? I’m calling about you helping me find some work as a session guitarist!” Tommy sent some gigs Jimmy’s way and a wonderful friendship followed.
Working steadily, Jimmy became disillusioned with the monotony of session work and moved back to Philadelphia to concentrate on playing jazz and recording some wonderful albums for the Concord label. These recordings included one with organist Joey DeFrancesco and another the “Concord Jazz Guitar Collective” that included guitarists Howard Alden and Frank Vignola. Jimmy still does the occasional gig, runs an online guitar school, and teaches privately from his home in Abington, which is just outside of Philadelphia.
Kurt Rosenwinkel was born in 1970 and attended Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts before going on to study at Berklee College. Before Kurt graduated from Berklee, he toured with Berklee’s dean, vibraphonist Gary Burton. Kurt moved to Brooklyn and played with Paul Motion, Joe Henderson, and Brian Blade. In 2003 he moved to East Berlin, Germany to teach at the Jazz Institute Berlin from which he recently retired.
In 2016 Kurt formed his independent record label Heartcore Records and started producing, as well as performing. An accomplished pianist as well, Kurt keeps himself busy performing, recording, and producing as a leader and as a sideman.
In the mid-1970s Larry Coryell and his then-wife, Julie, lived on a farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania which is about twenty-five miles north of Philadelphia. This was about the time he was getting his fusion group The Eleventh House together, featuring trumpeter Randy Brecker, and recording his albums for Vanguard and the Arista labels. Their guitarist son, Murali, still considers his roots in Bucks County.
Kevin Eubanks was born in 1957 to a very musical family. He started on violin, trumpet, and piano but soon discovered that the guitar was his first love. He studied at Berklee College in Boston and later moved to New York to begin his career performing with some of the major jazz artists of the day. In his mid-twenties, Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen offered Kevin (who was only in his mid-twenties) a seven-record contract with their newly formed GRP Records.
In 1992 Bradford Marsalis was offered to lead the NBC ‘Tonight Show’ band with Jay Leno and Bradford hired Kevin as his guitarist. This, of course, meant that he needed to move to Los Angeles. When Bradford left the show three years later, Kevin took over as music director. He worked with Jay Leno until 2010 when he left to pursue other musical endeavors. Kevin continues to travel the world with his band and has recorded many albums for Mack Avenue Records.
Tiny Grimes was from Virginia and during his life lived in many locations, including Philadelphia for about ten years in the 1950s. Tiny had a swinging, bluesy style that appealed to such greats as Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday with whom he worked.
Billy Bean was born in Philadelphia in 1933 and also studied with Dennis Sandole. He gigged around Philadelphia then in the mid-1950s moved to New York and to Los Angeles in 1958. In L.A. he worked with such greats as Zoot Sims, Bud Shank, Buddy Collette, and others. In 1959 Billy joined Tony Bennett’s band for about a year. He also worked with Stan Getz, Herbie Mann, and John Lewis. In 1986 he returned to Philadelphia and basically retired from playing. Billy Bean passed away in 2012.
Eddie Lang was born in 1902 on the south side of Philadelphia and is known as the father of jazz guitar. He grew up with violinist Joe Venuti with whom he recorded duets and those duet recordings were a huge influence upon Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in France. In 1929 Eddie joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and became very close friends with the band’s singer Bing Crosby. When Crosby went out on his own he took Lang with him for his band. At that time Bing Crosby was the most popular singer in the country. Bing would have Eddie sit next to him on a stool when he sang.
Eddie was one of the first guitarists to play single-note melodies on the guitar rather than just comping. When arrangers heard Lang’s lines they began writing solo lines for the guitar in their arrangements. Banjo players hearing Eddie’s lines would quit the banjo and switch to guitar in order to play melodic lines themselves. Eddie recorded guitar duets with Lonnie Johnson (under the name ‘Blind Willie Dunn’) to hide his race.
In the years from 1924 to 1933, Eddie Lang laid down the path of jazz guitar both in comping and as a soloist that guitar players would follow for years to come. Lang suffered from throat problems and died during surgery to remove his tonsils at the young age of thirty.
Thornel Schwartz was the original guitarist with organist Jimmy Smith’s trio. He was born in Philadelphia in May of 1927 and died there in 1977 at age fifty. Thornel worked with Jimmy McGriff and other organists and was a leader in the soul-jazz movement.
Born in 1947 in Chicago, Chuck Anderson, began playing the guitar at an early age. After a move to Philadelphia he studied with Dennis Sandole whose other students included John Coltrane and Pat Martino. In 1969 Chuck became a staff guitarist at the Latin Casino just across the border in New Jersey. There he performed fourteen shows a week working such artists as Bobby Darin and Peggy Lee. Since the mid-1970s Chuck has been able to focus mostly on jazz.
Additional active guitarists in the Philadelphia area are Jake Kelberman who keeps himself busy playing, teaching, producing, and film score work. Matt McCloskey is active in the Philly area and has worked with Lou Rawls, Chuck Mangione, and Scott Henderson and is active in the Philly area. Monnette Sudler (born 1952) has worked with Hugh Masekela, Grover Washington Jr., Kenny Barron, and Dave Holland.
Performance Venues
There are still a few places to hear good jazz in Philadelphia such as South on Broad Street. They create a relaxed southern atmosphere and jazz can be heard most nights.
Chris’ Jazz Café on Samson Street is the oldest jazz club in Philadelphia that is still in operation and produces over 500 live shows a year.
Jazz can be heard nightly at Time on Sansom Street. It is like a multiplex theater for a drink and music lovers.
Relish on Ogontz Avenue has jazz on the weekends. They are a mixture of modern southern cuisine with traditional live jazz.
Heritage on 2nd street and the Paris Bistro & Jazz Café are both places for great food and Philly’s hottest jazz musicians. These are a few of the places one can go for great food and music.
Philadelphia is the home of Luthier Bill Comins. Bill has built guitars for artists such as Rick Stone and Vic Juris. A native Philadelphian he first desired to be a professional player but soon his love for building guitars engulfed him. He lives and works not far from the neighborhood where he grew up.
Just north of Philadelphia is of course Martin Guitars and also another fine luthier, Dale Unger and his American Archtop guitars. Dale has built instruments for Bucky Pizzarelli, Andy Summers, and Vince Gill. Dale regularly holds luthier classes where every student builds a guitar.
University Jazz Programs
In terms of jazz guitar education in the Philadelphia area, The University of the Arts has an excellent jazz guitar program. Their primary faculty member, Matt Davis, also a student of Dennis Sandole, performs throughout the greater Philadelphia, New York City, New Jersey areas and beyond. Jake Kelberman oversees the jazz guitar program at Temple University. At the University of Pennsylvania, Matt McCloskey teaches jazz guitar. Along with teaching popular musical styles, Gregory Wright at Drexel University has a special passion for Dixieland and traditional jazz music. The Curtis Institute has a fine classical guitar department.
Link to press review: https://jazzguitartoday.com/2021/03/jazz-guitar-in-the-city-of-brotherly-love/
My Musical Journey
By Chuck Anderson
My musical journey started at the age of 14. I began with guitar lessons at a local music store. From there, I ultimately did the bulk of my jazz guitar studies with Dennis Sandole from Philadelphia. Dennis was known for working with John Coltrane, Art Farmer, Jim Hall, Pat Martino, Benny Golson etc.
From age 16, my interest turned very quickly from rock to jazz. Wes Montgomery was my greatest influence. His influence was enhanced when I met him at Pep’s Musical Bar in Philadelphia.
My work has always been in music . I have never had a “job” of any type that did not involve music. When I turned 16, I began to teach guitar. Starting with some young students in their homes, I quickly built a practice that required a studio. After a short time with a small local music store, I began teaching for Medley Music in Ardmore, PA. This was the largest music store around. It was a music superstore before there were music superstores.
In my early 20’s, I became the director of the Medley Music school which was affiliated with the retail side of Medley Music. By the age of 28, I had decided to open my own music school. I located a building in Berwyn, Pa and began. We taught private lessons and also had group theory and ear training classes. The school had 12 teachers and over 400 students.
As the school grew, I found myself overly occupied with marketing, book keeping and general administrative work. Sine I didn’t get into music to do that type of work, I closed the school and built a private teaching studio in Conshohocken, PA. To this day, I still teach there as my main base of operations. I have also expanded my teaching into online programs so that I can help anyone around the world.
From the beginning, I played out as much as I could. Simple rock music gave way to more complex forms of music until I finally settled on the jazz guitar style as my direction. Jazz was not the easiest form of music to make a living, so I played all types of music. My first major break came when I had the opportunity to play the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ. This showcased world class entertainment from Ella Fitzgerald to Peggy Lee to Bobby Darin etc. I became staff guitar and worked 4 seasons there. We did 14 shows a week with a Monday afternoon rehearsal.
After 4 years of reading charts, I decided it was time to get more formally into jazz. I formed the original Chuck Anderson Trio with Al Stauffer on bass and Ray Deeley on drums. At this point, I began to write jazz material for concerts and recordings. We recorded our first album “Mirror Within a Mirror” in 1975. The trio gave concerts extensively in the tristate areas of PA, NJ and DE. After 4 years of work with the trio, I began to develop a solo guitar repertoire based on classical music. This produced the album “Kaleidophon : The Art of the Neo Classical Guitar”. Concerts and 2 more albums followed. The repertoire I developed included, transcriptions of famous classical works, original compositions and international folk themes which I then developed through improvisations.
I was then offered the guitar chair at the Valley Forge Music Fair. I spent the next 7 seasons there, again playing behind show business legends.
Finally, I reached the point where I just couldn’t do shows anymore. I returned to my favorite form, the jazz guitar. A new trio consisting of Eric Schreiber on bass and Ed Rick in drums was formed and we began recording and giving concerts. This group is still together today. To date, we have recorded 3 albums “Freefall”, “Nighthawk” and “Angel Blue”.
Somewhere in there, I developed a music production company specializing in the creation of media music for TV, Radio and Film. I maintained that involvement for 20 years developing a large roster of clients including ABC, CBS and NBC etc.
At this point, I am entirely focused on the jazz guitar performance and education. I have written 24 books on music and jazz guitar. I’m getting back into performance after a serious illness stopped me from playing and teaching for over 6 months. My first return concert is May 10th, 2019.
My entire journey in music has had one particular constant which is my dedication to teaching. I had no interest in teaching in a school system. My teaching focuses on the individual who comes to my studio. It’s my job to diagnose problems. They could be technical, theoretical, musical etc. We then chart the process by which we solve these problems always keeping the unique individual in mind. It is clear that students learn in different ways. I have to find the best pathway to reach a student and help him or her achieve his or her goals. In order to maintain my priority in teaching, I had an important decision to make. To be widely recognized as a player, I would have to travel extensively. Virtually, no one city can support a career in jazz guitar. The problem was simply that road travel, especially extensive road travel, would make teaching impossible. I have always felt an enormous responsibility to my students. That responsibility can’t be met if I were traveling all the time. I have never regretted this decision but there has been a price. My public reputation as a jazz guitar player has not developed as it could have had I been willing to travel.
I always enjoy giving master classes. I think the primary benefit of a master class is to bring a group of guitar enthusiasts together to interact and to learn. There is so little time in a master class setting that many guitarists use it as a way to meet people and find a way to further their understanding and playing. This often takes the form of seeking jazz guitar teachers who can help them achieve their goals.
My teaching has led me into the research of techniques and principles that prove helpful to aspiring jazz guitarists. This research has led me to write and have 24 books published on music and on the jazz guitar style.
I continue to research and develop efficient ways to play the instrument and to convey that information to others.
My goals are to continue giving concerts, teaching, writing more books and utilizing the power of the internet to spread the word of the jazz guitar.
“Uniting the World through the Jazz Guitar”
Link to article: https://www.nfreads.com/my-musical-journey/
All About Jazz Review: The Chuck Anderson Trio at St. George’s
By
In his first concert in more than a year, Chuck Anderson returned to the stage at St. George’s in Ardmore, PA. After a long illness, Anderson’s heavily publicized “Recovery Concert” filled the venue with fans of live jazz guitar of all ages. Accompanied by Ed Rick and Eric Schreiber, the modern incarnation of the original Chuck Anderson Trio, Anderson’s audience friendly, yet virtuosic, playing was on full display again.
Upon being welcomed back to the stage by a supportive crowd in the striking atmosphere of the nearly century old St. George’s Episcopal Church, Anderson returned to the form last heard in 2018. The trio performed an extended 90 minute set consisting of originals, standards, and jazz classics.
The opener was Bobby Timmons’ classic tune “Moanin’,” a blues-based, minor key gospel tune, and staple of the Chuck Anderson Trio’s live repertoire. It was followed by “Spring Rain” an evocative original dating back to 1974’s Mirror within a Mirror. The ethereal modality and open explorations of the tune, especially of the interlude, makes it accessible to jazz aficionados and jam-band lovers alike. “Yvette,” another original and gentle jazz waltz, modulated the energy in the room, and showed the band’s ability to play in a relaxed, sentimental style.
As the theme of the concert was recovery, Anderson debuted a newly composed piece, “The Recovery Blues.” It is a 12 bar blues, characterized by a typical bebop rhythm – sixteenth note triplets, in thirds and sixths to fill out the texture. Next was the uptempo “House of Samba,” another Anderson original, in a minor key characterized by an overt Latin rhythm and propulsive cut-time feel.
The trio again returned to the standards in performing an atypically upbeat, yet very appealing, rendition of Jerome Kern’s “Yesterdays.” The second half of the extended set drew upon the jazz standard repertoire almost exclusively. This included classic swing tunes in “There Will Never Be Another You,” “I’ll Remember April,” and “On Green Dolphin Street.” A particular highlight was the trio’s performance of Wes Montgomery’s jazz waltz “Full House.” Two other Latin tunes made their way into the performance – “Theme from Black Orpheus” and “Mas Que Nada” were both performed with an energy and movement that the trio demonstrates to great effect on Latin genres of all varieties.
Any Chuck Anderson Trio concert is incomplete without a spontaneously composed/solely improvisational guitar solo and the Trio’s traditional closer (and virtuosic display) “Milestones.”
The atmosphere and energy of the performers, as well as the enthusiastic audience, undermined the idea of a “recovery” concert, and, in fact, were more indicative of a successful and full return to performance for Chuck Anderson and his Trio. The concert was filmed and will be distributed in its entirety on Anderson’s Youtube channel.
YouTube Channel Playlist https://tinyurl.com/live-St-
Website www.ChuckAndersonJazzGuitar.
Link to Review: https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=566874
All About Jazz Interview: Chuck Anderson Trio at Melodies Cafe
Melodies Cafe
Ardmore, PA
April 11, 2015The Chuck Anderson Trio marked a long overdue end to the winter with their first performance of the 2015 season. The trio, consisting of guitarist Chuck Anderson, bassist Eric Schreiber, and drummer Ed Rick played at Melodies Café in Ardmore, PA. An intimate venue, Melodies was filled with an attentive and informed jazz audience.The trio came out strong, starting with “Bag’s Groove” and “Blue Bossa.” The energy and artistry were immediately apparent, expelling the winter doldrums and engaging the audience. The band tore through the tunes, led by Anderon’s bluesy, soulful solos and Rick’s propulsive and colorful time keeping, fills, and solos on “Blue Bossa.” Even more impressive, Rick played the show injured, hobbling out to the stage on crutches. However, his playing remained inspired and energetic, seemingly unaffected by his physical condition. Schreiber’s bass playing was the backbone, with his riffing and walking basslines holding down the low end, and his virtuosic solos demonstrating the full capacity of the instrument.”I Remember You” provided a moment for the band and audience to catch their breath, before the band launched into a ripping rendition of “A Night in Tunisia.” The tune itself sounded great on the guitar, and the solos and percussion work excelled. “Moanin'” followed, lending a decisive gospel vibe to the preceding blues and Latin feel prevalent throughout.Again, the band brought the pulse of the room back down with a gentle rendition of “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” before giving one last foot-tapper of the set with the original “Jamey’s House of Samba,” from the 2013 album Night Hawk.The second set blended more jazz standards with Anderson’s original compositions, and introduced some tunes not previously in the trio’s repertoire. Neil Hefti’s “Cute” and “Somewhere” from West Side Story were two of the new additions to the Chuck Anderson Trio concert experience.”God Bless the Child” and Wes Montgomery’s “Four on Six” broadened out the tour of jazz offered on this night, and were both fine vehicles for Anderson and Schreiber’s solos.The remaining three tunes were Anderson originals, featuring the 6/8 “Pirouette,” the newly unveiled modal burner “Going Home,” and a spontaneously composed improvisational piece for solo guitar, which is a mainstay of Anderson’s concerts.
ZZAJ Productions“There’s really only one word to describe this guitar jazz album from Chuck & the rest of his trio (Eric Schreiber, bass; Ed Rick, drums) – EXCITING! That doesn’t mean that it’s all “jump”, or “near-rock”, either… you’ll find some absolutely sweet tunes in the 12 all-original pieces… try the truly laid-back “Song for Coreen” to hear what I mean… 4:06 gem, to be sure, with gentle strings that will lull you into mellow-land. On the other hand, if you DO want to jump a bit, try the opener, “Princess of the Nile”… great walkin’ bass line, and the drums are there in grand fashion to help the strut that Chuck leads your ears through.This is great music, not just great jazz (though it certainly is that). The 4:34 title track, “Freefall”, has some beautiful interactions between all three players; I dug it in a big way, but being the uptown blues kinda’ cat I am, it was surely “Exit Blues” that captured my vote for favorite track… while it surely isn’t “gut-funk”, it will make you taste what the aftermath of the blues is – pure JOY!. I give this fine jazz CD my MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, as well as an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.98. G By Jerome Wilson, Cadence“Chuck Anderson just concentrates on one thing—playing straight ahead Jazz. There is a lot of nimble technique in his playing which shows well both on springy pieces like “Princess Of The Nile” and mellow Blues tracks like “Misty Glow” and “Exit Blues.”On “Enchanted Garden” Anderson shifts into a reflective country-soul mood and on “Diablo’s Dream” he even works over a funk/hip-hop beat with buzzing, coiled toughness. His rhythm partners, Schreiber and Rick, are always in close support and Anderson emerges on this as a talented modern Jazz guitarist as fluid as a Scofield or Abercrombie.”“Nice moments here, like the opening modal number ‘Princess of the Nile’ and the relaxed ‘In a Misty Glow,’ which has Anderson alternately double-timing furiously and laying into the luxurious tempo. The group swings with gusto on ‘Flight,’ the dynamic title track and the closer, ‘Diablo’s Dream,’ which gives bassist Eric Schreiber and drummer Ed Rick room to stretch. Anderson also showcases his considerable chord-melody skills on two gorgeous, unaccompanied ballads, ‘Song for Coreen’ and ‘Chanson.’”Links to articles and concert reviewsChuck Anderson: Guitar Reemergenceby Victor L. SchermerNew Hope Winery Concert Reviewby Victor L. Schermer
Just Jazz Guitar Interview – Philadelphia Ace: Chuck Anderson
by Ed Benson
EB: Tell me about your background-personal and musical.
CA: I was born in Chicago on June 21st, 1947. Most of my early years were spent in sports – basketball and baseball. I had no interest in music. At the age of twelve, my family moved to the Philadelphia suburb of Radnor in Pennsylvania. I attended grade school in Wayne and then, high school in Devon, Pennsylvania. After high school, I enrolled in St Joseph’s University where I completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.
EB: When did you take up the guitar and why?
CA: My involvement with the guitar was completely accidental. One summer holiday, when I was fourteen, my family was attending a neighborhood picnic. The neighbor was an amateur but enthusiastic guitar player. He had just purchased a new guitar – a Goya, as I recall. He was alternately strumming the guitar and cooking on the grill. I wandered over to get a hamburger. He took my proximity to indicate an interest in the guitar. In reality, I was only interested in a hamburger. He asked me if I liked the guitar. I shrugged indifferently and said “not really”. Undeterred, he said “I’ll go get my old guitar in the attic and you can take it home and try it”. I declined but he insisted. My mother heard this conversation and impressed upon me that it would be rude to not accept such a generous gift. I reluctantly took the guitar home and stored it under my bed. One day, I had turned my ankle playing basketball and had to rest the foot. Having nothing to do, I pulled the guitar out from under the bed and slowly played a chord from a sheet of chord diagrams that was in the guitar case. Once I heard the Em chord, my life turned in the direction of music.
EB:Did you study or are you self taught? Did you study music in college?
CA:I began taking lessons at a local music store at the age of fourteen. I progressed rapidly and was “promoted” to my next teacher. Dennis Sandole was at that time, one of the best known jazz teachers in the country. I auditioned for him but wasn’t ready to study with him. He suggested that I get in touch with one of his students by the name of Joe Federico. I worked with Joe for three years preparing for the next stage. Sandole accepted me as a student when I was nineteen. He was to be my final jazz guitar teacher. I did not study music in college. I did all of my studies with private teachers. In later years, I studied classical composition and orchestration with Dr Harold Boatrite, a noted Philadelphia composer and teacher.
EB:When did you plan to make music your livelihood?
CA:My direction turned seriously to a music career when I was a junior in college. By the time I graduated, it was a fore gone conclusion that music would become my life. The day I graduated, I remember look ing at my diploma, then my guitar, then my diploma and then my guitar. It was a warm summer day, the windows were open and I impulsively through my diploma out the window. In this way, I suppose I symbolically rejected the business world.
EB: Who were your main influences?
CA: My two main influences were Wes Montgomery and Johnny Smith.
EB: When and what was your first paying gig?
CA: My first paying work was a school dance in the gym at St Katherine of Sienna. I played with a group called the Ravens and was payed the princely sum of f our dollars. I was fourteen at the time.
EB: Do you remember any disastrous gigs?
CA: One disaster stands out. On a New Years eve, our band was playing at a Polish American club. An argument broke out over the winner of a Twist contest. Someone swung a liquor bottle, somebody punched a woman in the face and somebody else picked up a table and tossed it at a group of people. Chaos was everywhere but we kept playing. Bottles broke around us like the Blues Brothers. Just then, my father came to pick me up since I didn’t drive. The police arrived and dragged my father down the steps toward the paddy wagon. After some ridiculous moments, he was free to go on his way. That story is forever etched in my memory bank.
EB: I know you played at the Latin Casino in NJ. Tell me about those days. How did you get the gig, who did you work with, and any special memories of it? Why did you leave the gig? What did you do after you left?
CA: I first got the call in the summer after I graduated college. One of the acts coming to the Latin needed a guitar player but the Latin’s staff guitar player had taken an engagement in Vegas and was unavailable. Apparently no one was available that week. My name was the bottom name on the list of guitar players that the contractor kept. I was totally unknown but they had no choice but to call me. Somehow, I managed to get through my first shows and the act spoke well of me. Amazingly, I was standing in the contractor’s office when the phone rang. It was the Latin’s guitar player, Joe Lano calling from Vegas. He said “I’m not coming back to the Latin. They’ve offered me a job at one of the casinos here in Vegas”. The contractor turned to me and said “do you want the job here”? It took two seconds to say yes! I played at the Latin for the next four years. Fourteen shows a week and rehearsal on Monday afternoons. I had the opportunity to work with amazing acts such as Peggy Lee, Michel LeGrande, Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis Jr, Billy Eckstine, Anthony Newley and Nancy Wilson among many others. I have many memories of the Latin – enough to fill a small book. I have told the Latin Casino story on You Tube and have had some great responses. I’ve heard from waiters who worked there and Jack Curtis’ grandson. Jack was the Master of Ceremonies for the Latin.
EB: Tell me about the trio you formed in the 1970s
CA: After four years of reading, I wanted to stretch out with my own group. I began writing and formed the Chuck Anderson Trio in 1973. The group featured Al Stauffer on Bass and Ray Deeley on Drums. Jimmy Paxson and Darryl Brown also drummed for the trio. We recorded “Mirror Within a Mirror” in the mid 70′s. This album later became a CD, recently remastered by Alan Tucker called “The Vintage Tracks.” We did jazz concert work and featured originals with new versions of jazz classics.
EB:I believe you pioneered the neo classical guitar- what is this? CA:The term Neo Classical guitar has been used in many different contexts, To some, it is a metal style of lead guitar that uses scales like the Harmonic and Melodic minor scales as well as diminished 7th arpeg- gios. The stress is on speed. The Neo Classical guitar is a solo pick style using the amplified or acoustic guitar to play classical transcrip- tions, original works and variations on international folk themes. During the eight years that I worked with- in this style, I was endorsed by the Gibson Guitar com- pany and called “the new Segovia” by PBS. I released a CD called “Kaleidophon : The Art of the Neo Classical Guitar”. Here is a listing of the tracks on this CD. 1. Prelude from #1 Cello Suite (Bach) – Original Transcription 2. Variations on an Ancient Irish Air (Traditional) - Irish Folk Theme 3. ‘Twas a Lover and his Lass (Traditional) – English Folk Song 4. Cherry Blossom (Traditional) – Japanese Folk Song 5. Kaleidophon (Original) 6. Lute Prelude in Dm (Bach) – Original Transcription 7. Bamboo Flute (Traditional) – Chinese Folk Song 8. The Three Children (Original) 9. Gymnopedies #1 (Satie) – the first of three works written for solo piano 10. Indian Raga (Improvised) – Drones, exotic scales and rapid complex rhythm 11. Prelude for Piano (Ravel) – Original Transcription 12. El Colibri (Sagreras) – Original Transcription 13. Passages from the End of Autumn (Original) 14. Themes from a Shattered Moonbow (Original) 15. Scotland the Brave – Scottish Folk Song 16. Ave Maria (Schubert) – Original Transcription
I have mastered two more Neo Classical CDs called ”Virtuosity” and “Timeless” that I hope to release soon.
EB:Tell me about some of the recordings and books you’ve done. CA:My jazz recordings are “The Vintage Tracks” and ”Angel Blue – A Tour of Jazz.” Because of my exten- sive writing background, I have also recorded the fol- lowing CDs: “The International Collection,””Passages from the End of Autumn,””Music from the Light,” ”Christmas Wishes,” “Kaleidophon: The Art of the Neo Classical Guitar” and “Lullabies for Parents.”
I have spent a huge amount of time developing educa- tional concepts for jazz guitarists. Some of my books are: The Six Secrets of Guitar Fingering The Pathways of Guitar Music Pursuing The Horizon Mastering the Modes Modular Phonetic Rhythm, The Foundation and Workbook 1 The Private Music Teacher’s Guide Volume I – Lead sheets to Chuck Anderson’s Tour of Jazz CD. Unlocking the Guitar – Notes of the Neck
EB:What’s in the future in terms of recordings, books and performances. CA:I am getting ready to record a new CD called ”Freefall” featuring my trio and twelve new compositions. The DVD called “The Chuck Anderson Trio – Live!” will be released soon. I have many new books under development: ”Bebop for Jazz Guitar Players,” “Harmonic Analysis for Jazz Improvisation” and “The Evolution of the Blues” are some of the new titles.
I will focus my attention on concert venues, colleges and jazz festivals. I am also working with Mike’s Master Classes on a new master class called ”Navigating the Jazz Guitar.” I have an extensive schedule of lectures, master classes, private teaching, consulting and clinics.
I’ve been a guest several times on Bob Miles show ” Miles of Music”.
EB:What’s your current setup in terms of guitar/amp etc. CA:I use a custom Gibson L5 guitar with an Acoustic Image Clarus II, Series III amp and two Raezer’s Edge Stealth 12 cabinets.
EB:Tell me about your role as an educator and lec- turer. CA:I began teaching at the age of sixteen and have taught extensively and continuously for the past forty five years. I owned my own private music school for many years. I currently focus on my private students. I lecture on Jazz Guitar, Improvisation, Composition and the Music Business.
EB:What’s the story behind the theft of your Gibson L5 and your not playing for a long time. What got you back into playing again? Did you teach during those years? CA:My original Gibson L5 was stolen after a concert. The loss was so devastating to me that I couldn’t play concerts for a very long time. One of America’s great- est luthiers, Eric Schulte offered to customize an L5 for me if I would agree to go back and give concerts again. I agreed and he produced the customized green L5 that I play today. Jack Romano also worked on the final version of the instrument.
I never stopped teaching. It’s not unusual for me to teach sixteen hours in a day.
EB:How do you approach teaching jazz? What methods do you use in teaching the guitar? CA:My approach to teaching jazz is holistic. I break the material down into musical and mechanical tech- nique, chord voicings, voice leading, comping, finger- ing principles, rhythm, melody and chords, improvisa- tion, theory, ear training and repertoire. I stress the development of the unique personality of each student. I never focus on my own style as a player. I play very rarely during a lesson preferring to max- imize the student’s time on his or her own develop- ment. The methods I use are my own.
EB:Any of the newer players you enjoy listening to? CA:I have never listened extensively to any specific players nor have I ever worked out solos or riffs asso- ciated with any particular player.
EB:I know you play at Chris Café in PA. Have you played with Jimmy Bruno there? If so how was the experience? CA:I have not played with Jimmy. He is one of our finest jazz guitarists and I’ve been interested in propos- ing a concert with Jimmy, Pat Martino and I at The World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Pat was kind enough to attend a recent performance at Chris’ in February. Frank DiBussolo and I gave a jazz guitar duo perform- ance in The Great Guitar Series at Macungie Institute in late March.
EB:Is there a market for jazz? CA:I feel that there is a tremendous market for jazz. The recording industry’s shortcomings seem to be pro- viding a boost in the demand for live concerts. Jazz is at its best live. They can’t download the “live” experi- ence. The Internet has provided unprecedented oppor- tunities to spread the word of jazz all over the world. Personal My wife Coreen is a constant source of inspiration for me. Check out “Song for Coreen” on You Tube, a solo jazz guitar piece. I have three children Chris, Nicole and Silke. My parents are Bill and Catherine Anderson and I have two sisters Carol and Sue. My website is at www.ChuckAndersonJazzGuitar.com
From Bob Miles: Miles of Music (Formerly, World of Guitar) is now airing on 14 separate cable systems hroughout the USA. The show began airing in Los Angeles starting April 13th on LA Channel #36. In May, Miles of Music began a regular show on PBS Philadelphia (2.7 million) on MIND TV (Formerly, WYBE). Bob Miles P.O. Box 324 Warrington, PA 18976 215-343-3011 www.worldofguitar.com www.milesofmusic.tv
Philadelphia City Paper Article
by A.D. Amorosi
In the world of the jazz guitar, Philadelphia’s Chuck Anderson is as legendary for not playing as he is for what he’s played and with whom. With a style that ranges from the cerebral approach of Johnny Smith to the blues passion of Wes Montgomery, Anderson became a staple of the session world throughout the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.
“When I began, my strongest influences were Montgomery and Smith,” says Anderson, who not only played for Broadway soundtracks and advertising jingles, but was staff guitarist for the Latin Casino, the Valley Forge Music Fair and the Schubert and Forrest theaters. “Those influences changed because I began to compose heavily rather than rely on standard jazz’s repertoire.”
He embraced the influences of French impressionists, Ravel and Debussy. He decreased his listening in order to develop a more unique and personal style; one that saw him acclaimed for his teaching (director of the Medley Music School, developer of the guitar curriculum at Aula de Musica, a private music conservatory in Barcelona, Spain) as well as for solo albums like Kaleidophon: The Art of the Neo-Classical Guitar.
Then something devastating happened. Anderson’s hallowed Gibson L5 guitar — his muse — was stolen. He stopped performing and concentrated on composing. It seemed the end of a long career.
So why after 20-odd years has Anderson returned? “Since I’m so involved with music through teaching, consultation, composing and writing books, I’ve never been that far away from my commitment to the art of music,” says Anderson.
The completion of a new custom guitar — built to L5 specifics by fan-luthier Eric Schulte — certainly acted as a catalyst. But the biggest factor was a feeling of being incomplete without direct contact with audiences. “Since the majority of my material is original, I began to feel the need to share it with the listening public.” The result is his new CD, Angel Blue, full of new compositions which reposition Anderson as the comeback king of diverse instrumental jazz. “Rather than having a single direction, the CD moves throughout different genres,” he explains. Like a great case of wine, his “tour of jazz” promises to be a heady intoxicant and is also a welcome return to form.
Radio Broadcasts from England
Here are links to four radio broadcasts that aired from England. They are about my music and my career. The files are broadcast quality and large. They will take a while to load and play but they do not have to be fully loaded to start playing.
www.howtolearnjazzguitar.com/audio/england_shows/Part1.mp3
www.howtolearnjazzguitar.com/audio/england_shows/Part2.mp3
www.howtolearnjazzguitar.com/audio/england_shows/Part3.mp3
www.howtolearnjazzguitar.com/audio/england_shows/Part4.mp3
I hope you enjoy them. If you do, drop the host of the show, Jan S Johansen a quick E mail and let him know that you liked the show. His E mail is jan.s.johansen@gmail.com
Chuck Anderson/Jimmy Bruno:
By Victor L. Schermer
Roller’s Flying Fish
8142 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
January 15, 2011
When two self-propelled master guitarists like Chuck Anderson and Jimmy Bruno get together, it’s a certainty that sparks are going to fly, but not necessarily in what direction. How would these two individualistic players combine forces–and why?
Anderson and Bruno both came out of the same hotbed of Philly jazz in the 1960s, and swapped potentially lucrative careers as staff musicians to play in formats they loved. Each went through periods of relative inactivity due to medical issues–Anderson with a long bout of undiagnosed sleep apnea that left him depressed and lacking energy, and Bruno with carpal tunnel syndrome–but both recovered well, thanks to excellent medical care, and are back, true to form. Despite their unique styles, they have a great deal in common. Around a year ago, Anderson approached Bruno about a collaboration that would soon include a CD, Images, currently in progress.
Wanting to first show their wares in a laidback venue, the duo gave its first live performances on January 14th and 15th, 2011, in Philly’s Chestnut Hill district at Roller’s Flying Fish, a hip restaurant with a newly evolving jazz club on the second floor that has already featured the legendary pianist Mose Allison. With shows arranged and hosted by guitarist Jim Dragoni, Roller’s was a natural place to gather some jazz and guitar fans together for a listen to this new duet format.
The upstairs space consists of a room that could be someone’s den or living room, with good acoustics, a cash bar, and folding chairs arranged to seat about fifty people. It was packed with Bruno and Anderson fans, and eclectic jazz lovers. The two guitarists occupied a comfortable staging area, and their amplifiers delivered excellent sound throughout. Anderson emceed, summarizing the basis of their collaboration and offering well-deserved encomiums for Bruno.
The set consisted mostly of jazz standards, performed in the 1960s-era style of swinging hard bop which Bruno has taken to its outer limits of speed, technique, and expression. Both guitarists were lyrical when they had to be, at other times taking Paganini-like fast runs that were almost heart-stopping. Their sounds differed, with Anderson’s sharp execution and Bruno’s effortless flow, yet they blended effectively, and with the “closed-eye” test it was almost impossible to tell them apart. They co-improvised beautifully, at times achieving stunning turns of phrase that were synchronized in the mind-boggling way that only such virtuoso musicians can achieve.
“Out of Nowhere” was delivered in straight-ahead up-tempo fashion, while, by contrast, the duo’s version of “Lover Man” began with a slow, rubato statement of the theme that picked up to a rhythmic waltz tempo with a Latin lilt. The Les Paul influence was felt on the reflective “When Sonny Gets Blue,” while “There Will Never Be Another You” featured stunning pyrotechnics, with each guitarist comping for the other’s solos. A highlight was Bruno’s solo version of Clifford Brown’s “Joy Spring,” done in diverse variations that fully captured the exhilarating flavor of the song, while also serving to illustrate what miracles Bruno can accomplish on his instrument.
The set concluded with three originals, beginning with the Anderson-Bruno collaboration “Fantasy,” to be recorded in an ensemble format on the upcoming (and long in preparation) CD. The tune and the CD are based on Anderson’s specialty of composing tunes that cross genre boundaries, but generally stay within traditional harmonies and textures, embodying his concept of electric guitar as a “classical” instrument. Anderson then performed a lyrical rendition of his original, “Song for Corinne.” The closing number, “Jimmy’s Blues,” could have been one of those tunes written on the spot to take the set out in a lively, foot-stomping way. The audience was obviously gratified and thrilled to hear these two outlandishly superb guitarists in an intimate neighborhood setting.