Jazz bass legend shares details on new book, bass playing philosophy, untold stories
Exclusive video interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman
November 25, 2024
Chuck Israels is an iconic bassist, composer, and arranger, revered for his long career working with jazz music legends Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, Herbie Hancock, J.J. Johnson, and John Coltrane. Most known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio from 1961 to 1966, Chuck is also celebrated for his pioneering accomplishments with the National Jazz Ensemble from 1973 to 1981. He served as Director of Jazz Studies at Western Washington University until 2010 and subsequently founded the Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra in 2011, recording Second Wind: A Tribute to the Music of Bill Evans in 2013. Most recently, Chuck received a GRAMMY for his work on Joyce DiDonato’s album Songplay in 2020, and in 2023 he released his memoir, Bass Notes: Jazz in American Culture: A Personal View. This fall, Chuck teamed up with Sher Music to publish Bass Foundations: Principles of Jazz Bass Line Construction, featuring many pages of transcriptions of his own bass lines from notable recordings.
Watch our interview with Chuck!
