Contemporary jazz lost one of its great contributors on July 31, 2017 when Chuck Loeb passed away. Loeb had been on the scene for decades and was one of those guys who could compose and produce just as well as he could play guitar. Whenever I saw his name on the credits of a song, I knew it had a higher chance of being something I’d enjoy.  It would be quality.

The number of contemporary jazz recordings he’s been a part of must be in the hundreds. I remember a time in the ’90s when every CD that came to the radio station was produced by either Loeb or Paul Brown. In addition to a longtime solo career and many collaborations, he worked with Stan Getz and played with bands like Steps Ahead, Metro and Fourplay.  The latter posted: “We, The Fourplay family, salute our fallen hero Chuck Loeb … Our band member, our dear friend, our soulmate, our musical composer, an incredible human being, husband and father. Thank you for sharing your love, life and music with us.”

Chuck had battled cancer for several years. He is survived by his wife Carmen Cuesta Loeb and daughters Lizzy and Christina.