"...the breezy, Afro-Cuban
rhythms of Chicago nonet Chevere were a perfect match for the warm, late
afternoon sun. The group, founded 24 years ago by drummer Alejo Poveda, remains
a delightful occasional busman's holiday for some of the city's best jazz
and Latin musicians, including keyboardist/harmonica guru Howard Levy and
bassist-vocalist Eric Hochberg. The group's set blended jazz, blues and fusion
to create a stew as tasty and eclectic as the festival itself."
Michael
Parrish Chicago Tribune
Eric Hochberg was featured next on "Black Orpheus" (Day in the Life of a Fool). It was such a pleasure seeing Eric displaying his incomparable talent on the upright bass using a bow. It's not heard often enough by bass players and Eric was really in control on this piece. This was quite evident by the positive reaction from the appreciative crowd. He was again complemented on this Bossa Nova piece by the soloing of Adams. Back to Hochberg; throughout the evening, he demonstrated why he's considered one of the finest bass players in Chicago. Tonight he was really in the zone! (With the Ernie Adams Quartet) JazzChicago.net
Mark Colby's interpretation of Chick Corea's "Sea Journey" is rich with the acoustics associated with Getz's samba and bossa nova movement of the 60s. The excellent soloing from vibraphonist Dick Sisto and bassist Eric Hochberg add significant layers of cool that make this song memorable. Overall, "Speaking of Stan" is ripe with attractive modernism, bebop and cool accompaniments. It makes an excellent addition to any jazz collection. All Music Guide
The biggest Chicago jazz story
of the year so far is the release of the first CD by the Latin-jazz-fusion
nonet Chevere--an event a quarter century in the making. Costa Rican drummer
Alejo Poveda, a veteran of a dozen or more local jazz bands, formed Chevere
here in the late 70s as a small percussion ensemble; even today his occasional
interludes with ace percussionists Ruben Alvarez and Joe Rendon are the high
points of Chevere's sets. The band quickly acquired a full instrumental
armamentarium and a cadre of the city's finest jazz sharpshooters, including
reedman Steve Eisen, bassist Eric Hochberg, and piano and harmonica wizard
Howard Levy. Mark Ohlsen's trumpet, along with Chris Cameron's electric
keyboards, help Chevere wallpaper the room with big ensemble textures, and
Ernie Denov's slash-and-burn guitar playing connects the band as much to
Carlos Santana as to Mongo Santamaria and Tito Puente. The group began recording
its debut CD in 1995, but it took years of coordinating busy schedules to
finish the album; this weekend's gigs celebrate the release of "Secret Dream"
on Levy's label, Balkan Samba. And despite its protracted, piecemeal gestation,
the disc comes pretty close to capturing the charismatic energy Chevere brings
to the stage.
Neil
Tesser, Chicago Reader, Critics
Choice
Purchase "Secret Dream" here -
Balkan Samba
Records
Heralded as one of today's hottest young pianists, Anthony Molinaro has captivated audiences throughout the world since winning the 1997 Namburg International Piano Competition. A traditional concert pianist, Molinaro is also a gifted composer and jazz musician. Joining him on drums is School of Music faculty member Paul Wertico, a seven-time Grammy Award winner and former member of the Pat Metheny Group. Completing the trio is bassist Eric Hochberg, a respected producer and a standout in the Chicago music scene. Their program features original compositions by Molinaro as well as music by George Gershwin, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. Northwestern University Pick Staiger Concerts
Chicago Tribune critic Howard Reich says, "Hochberg remains one of the more versatile bassists in the city, which makes his work the perfect foil for (pianist) Jim Trompeter's stylistically free ranging pianism....The bassist yields a plush tone and firmly linear playing. In solos, he makes even the most technically intricate cadenzas sing."
Chicago Tribune on Kurt Elling's "Close Your Eyes" CD, "Though Elling's pyrotechnical flights on tunes such as 'Delores, 'Salome' and 'The eye of the Hurricane' are thrilling to hear, they're inspired, in part, by the incediary instrumentals of Trio New. With Laurence Hobgood producing startling splashes of color and dissonance on keyboard, Paul Wertico creating great waves of sound on percussion and Eric Hochberg holding it all together with dramatically stated bass lines, this trio proves absolutely integral to Elling's work."
The Sun Times' Lloyd Sachs says, "Hochberg's [unaccompanied solo] gave off a devout folklorish wisdom....a bold and frequently soaring lyricism."
"Although renowned as a fusion pioneer, guitar marvel Larry Coryell always has played everything from blues to Stravinsky, from Mingus to flamenco. These days, he's at the peak of his awesome powers, mainly delivering post-bop that's melodic, joyous and adventurous. His current trio co-stars two big talents from Chicago: Paul Wertico, longtime drummer with the Pat Metheny Group, and bassist Eric Hochberg." Minneapolis Startribune
Downbeat Magazine agrees, saying "Bassist Eric Hochberg is formidable....a rhythmic and melodic partner in the group, bowing, plucking, never letting the level falter" (with the Paul Wertico Trio)
"Bassist Eric Hochberg was impressive on Terry Callier's version of the classic "Satin Doll", walking the bass in measured steps beneath the vocals..." Washington Post
"But it is Hochberg's compositions which make up the band's repertoire that most distinguish them." says Chicago Reader's Neil Tesser. "His tunes are accomplished, and certainly not without their clever angles, but their main virtue lies elsewhere: these songs have one helluva lot of soul, and they stay simple enough to let that blare through. In this respect, they're like Hochberg's rich toned, remarkably concentrated bass work. When he solos, he's a man who knows just where he's heading, who automatically, unconsciously, cuts away any of the undisciplined undergrowth that clutters his path." (The Eric Hochberg Quintet)
Bass Player Magazine says, "there's an extra, ineffable dimension the best bassists bring to working with singers: the feeling that the player has connected to the core of the lyrics. Hochberg forges that link with Terry Callier".
Jazz Times Magazine says, "Hochberg shines on an arco solo on 'Cowboys and Africans' and a sublime, unaccompanied pizzicato solo on the ethereal 'Little e'" (Paul Wertico Trio "Live in Waraw") and "Bassist Eric Hochberg has a beautiful sound and creates thoughtful lines in his accompaniment" (Mark Colby Quartet "Tenor Reference").
"Hochberg delivers impressive solos on the diaphonous "Little 'e'" and the free-sounding "8x12". The bassist forges a tight partnership with Wertico from beginning to end." Jazz Online
"Moulder and Hochberg are
also masters of their respective instruments, both of them able to keep the
music interesting without resorting to bombast. In addition, all members
of this musical triangle contribute compositions to the set list. Highlights
include Moulder's 'Time For The Blues,' on which he jams Buddy Guy-style,
and Hochberg's 'Little e'."
University Reporter/Chicago
The Big Takeover.com says, "In town to pick up an award from the United Nations for TimePeace, his recent comeback album on Verve, Terry Callier appeared as part of a trio, with ace jazz bassist Eric Hochberg and able percussionist Pennington McGee expertly shading his masterful compositions."
"In the best recording of his career by far, Chicago drummer-bandleader Paul Wertico crosses stylistic barriers that may frighten jazz purists. Combining the energy of the best rock'n'roll with the smarts of top-notch jazz improvisation, Wertico and his all-star trio have cut a record that sums up several facets of the drummer's free-ranging career. If Wertico's strutting rhythms and guitarist John Moulder's incendiary lines on "Clybourn Strut" underscore the leader's populist tendencies, the strange chord progressions and outrageously bent notes of "The Underground" point to the trio's fearlessness in exploring unconventional tuning and unorthodox ensemble sound. With this tour de force, Wertico, Moulder and bassist Eric Hochberg open up new directions for themselves and for jazz musicians bold enough to build upon the achievements of "Don't Be Scared Anymore". Chicago Tribune
"Paul Wertico, longtime drummer for the Pat Metheny Group, mostly eschews jazz, rock and traditional fusion on the first studio recording from his own eclectic, experimental-leaning outfit with wizardly guitarist John Moulder and talented multi-instrumentalist Eric Hochberg. This Chicago-based band, first heard on 1997's "Live In Warsaw," comes off as a brainy power trio at the disc's start, with the manic "Clybourn Strut" followed by the snaking 6/4 rhythms and spooky incantations of "The Underground" and Wertico's expressive rolls and splashes on the 5/4 "African Sunset." Much of the remainder is impressionistic, and downright cinematic. Hochberg's bowed bass builds to an impressive climax over the repetitive riff of "The Visit," while Moulder's effects-drenched guitar twists through a series of nervy lines on "Liftoff." The noisy six-string and percussion textures of "Long Journey's End" might be the sound of a chugging train (reflecting the booklet art); and Moulder rips out flamenco-ish lines over the sturm und drang of the rhythm section on "Taliaville." "Justa Little Tuna," a waltz said to be inspired by Ornette Coleman, is a pretty piece built on chiming guitars and Hochberg's lovely muted trumpet declarations. But the trio blows it out on "Testament," an extended finale that draws from Monk-ish bebop, funk, old-style art rock and free jazz. It's an ambitious capper to a disc with plenty of appeal for fans of edgy instrumental music from the post-fusion division. Those partial to Metheny's smoother efforts, though, may find it far too adventurous. Their loss." Billboard.com
"At last month's release party
for "Don't be Scared Anymore", the trio kept a packed house spellbound, with
Moulder's monster solos stoked by Wertico's drumming and emphatic lines from
Eric Hochberg - who, with another high-profile gig, directing the spare acoustic
backdrops behind folk-jazz icon Terry Callier, just might be the most versatile
bassist in town."
Chicago Reader, Critics Choice
"...the soulful trumpet playing of Eric Hochberg, who leads a triple life here on the many basses, the trumpet and second guitar." JamBand.com<
The Mingus cut (on Tim Tobias' "Speaking in Tones") is also the setting for some outstanding bass by Eric Hochberg. For those familiar with the Chicago jazz scene, they know Hochberg is one of the Windy City's first call bass players. All About Jazz
Gazz-ette says, " 'Keep your Heart Right' (from Terry Callier's Timepeace) is a folk ballad that features the deep and unusual bass playing of Eric Hochberg."
"On this album (Timepeace), Callier's voice reveals great depth while several of Chicago's finest musicians (particularly Eric Hochberg on bass) provide a stirring and seductive backdrop." Amazon.com
"The opening Sunset Boulevard
revealed a pattern that was to be sustained throughout, with Eric Hochberg's
dreamy, fretless bass occupying the foreground against Callier's homely acoustic
guitar and Bosco D'Olivera's percussion. Out of this texture leapt the voice:
mostly a high, keening, urgent instrument, a little reminiscent of Tim Buckley,
although it could also drop to breathy caresses, which, with the melodic
bass and genre obfuscation, brought the great John Martyn to mind."
Sydney
Morning Herald
"And (Grazyna Auguscik) joins troubadour Terry Callier on the album's (River) most affecting piece, the chimeric "If I Ever Dream Again," which features a beautiful muted trumpet solo by bassist Hochberg." Bill Milkowski, Jazziz
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