Chris Cheek

Last updated
Chris Cheek
Chris cheek 06N5333sw.jpg
Cheek at Moers Festival 2009
Background information
Born
Christopher Carson Cheek

(1968-09-16) September 16, 1968 (age 57)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Genres Jazz, blues
Occupation(s)Musician, bandleader
InstrumentSaxophone
Years active1992–present
Labels Fresh Sound, Blue Music Group
Website ChrisCheek.net
Chris Cheek, 2013 Chris-Cheek01.jpg
Chris Cheek, 2013

Christopher Carson Cheek (born September 16, 1968) is an American jazz saxophonist.

Contents

Biography

Cheek was born in St. Louis, Missouri, [1] where his father was the director of a Junior high school band. Cheek began learning to play the alto saxophone at age eleven, and upon graduation from high school, he attended Webster University. [1] He studied at the Berklee College of Music under Joe Viola, Hal Crook, and Herb Pomeroy, and earned his bachelor's degree. [2] He moved to New York City in 1992, where he played with Paul Motian in the Electric Bebop Band, and co-founded Bloomdaddies with Seamus Blake. [1] He also played with Guillermo Klein, Mika Pohjola, Luciana Souza, and David Berkman. [1]

His debut release as a leader, I Wish I Knew, appeared in 1997 and featured Kurt Rosenwinkel, [3] and by 2010, three more solo albums with Cheek as bandleader on the Fresh Sound label followed; A Girl Named Joe (1997), Vine (1999), and Blues Cruise , in 2005. Two albums as co-leader – Lazy Afternoon and Guilty – were released by Blue Moon in 2002. [4] In 2016 another CD, Saturday Songs , was released by Sunnyside Records [5] and recorded at Supertone Records, Valencia. Criss Cross Jazz have also released two Cheek albums with co-leader Seamus Blake. [6] Cheek has appeared on more than one hundred albums as a session musician.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Year recordedTitleLabelYear releasedPersonnel
1996–97I Wish I Knew Fresh Sound 1997Quartet, with Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar), Chris Higgins (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums)
1997A Girl Named JoeFresh Sound1998With Mark Turner (tenor sax), Ben Monder (guitar), Marc Johnson (bass), Jorge Rossy and Dan Rieser (drums)
1999 Vine Fresh Sound2000Quintet, with Brad Mehldau (piano, Fender Rhodes), Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar), Matt Penman (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums)
2000GuiltyBlue Moon2002Quartet, co-led with Ethan Iverson (piano), Ben Street (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums); in concert
2000Lazy AfternoonBlue Moon2002Quartet, co-led with Ethan Iverson (piano), Ben Street (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums); in concert
2005 Blues Cruise Fresh Sound2006Quartet, with Brad Mehldau (piano), Larry Grenadier (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums)
2013Reeds Ramble Criss Cross Jazz 2014Co-led with Seamus Blake (tenor sax); quintet, with Ethan Iverson (piano), Matt Penman (bass), Jochen Rueckert (drums)
2015Let's Call the Whole Thing Off Criss Cross Jazz 2016Co-led with Seamus Blake (tenor sax); quintet, with Ethan Iverson (piano), Matt Penman (bass), Jochen Rueckert (drums)
2015Saturday Songs Sunnyside 2016Quintet, with Steve Cardenas (guitar), David Soler (pedal steel guitar), Jaume Llombard (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums, vibes, marimba)

As member

The Bloomdaddies
With Seamus Blake, Jesse Murphy, Jorge Rossy and Dan Reiser

As sideman

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gary W. Kennedy, "Chris Cheek". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz . 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld.
  2. ↑ Adler, David. "Chris Cheek: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  3. ↑ Yanow, Scott. "I Wish I Knew: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  4. ↑ Corroto, Mark (September 12, 2002). "Cheek/Iverson/Street/Rossy: Lazy Afternoon/Guilty". AllAboutJazz.
  5. ↑ Brady, Shaun (December 2016). "Together (and Apart) Again". DownBeat . p. 64.
  6. ↑ Blanco, Edward (August 29, 2016). "Seamus Blake / Chris Cheek: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off". AllAboutJazz.

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