Chuck Owen

Chuck Owen

Musicians | Instrument: Composer / conductor | Location: Tampa

A tour de force in contemporary orchestral composition.

—Rufus Reid

Updated: February 16, 2024

The recipient of five individual GRAMMY nominations as well as a prestigious 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship, Chuck Owen’s compositions have been performed throughout the world; by the Netherlands’ Metropole Orch., WDR Big Band, Brussels Jazz Orch., Aarhus Big Band, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orch., Tonight Show Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, and numerous others.  

However, since 1995, Owen’s primary creative outlet has been his own 19-piece Jazz Surge.  Serving as conductor as well as primary composer/arranger, he has produced each of the Surge’s 7 highly feted CDs.  Whispers On the Wind, released in 2017, was recognized with 4 GRAMMY Nominations (including for best composition) while also named #1 Big Band Album in the annual Jazz Station Awards.  River Runs (2013), a stunning 5-movement genre-bending orchestral/big band hybrid and The Comet’s Tail (2009) also received GRAMMY nominations.   

Their most recent (2021) recording Within Us was released to widespread acclaim, named on several prominent jazz critics’ “Best of 2021” Awards, and celebrated with a sold-out performance at New York’s Birdland Jazz Club (former Surge guest artists, Randy Brecker and Gregoire Maret joining in on the fun).  Celebrating their 25th anniversary as well as their re-emergence following Covid, the album continues to shine a spotlight on Chuck’s thoughtful, evocative, and intensely personal writing (work that is steeped in the jazz tradition but draws liberally and often playfully from a diverse array of influences) as well as the palpable comradery and musical prescience of an ensemble for whom playing together has become second nature.  As in prior releases, Owen continues to expand on his American folk/roots leanings, enlisting the evocative violin of Sara Caswell as well as an array of acoustic guitar deftly played by Corey Christiansen.  It’s work that is, at times, buoyant, playful, and triumphant – at others, melancholy and mysterious; but always coming straight out of the American heartland.  Vibraphonist extraordinaire, Warren Wolf, makes a scintillating guest appearance.

While the earliest Surge albums captured the imagination of critics and audiences alike (their 1st album residing the Jazz Radio top 50 for over 8 weeks), it was the Surge’s fourth recording, The Comet’s Tail (2009), that truly catapulted the band to the attention of audiences around the world.   Celebrating the compositional output of the late jazz icon, Michael Brecker, the project of re-envisioned his work through the eyes of a variety arrangers in addition to Owen himself (including frequent Brecker collaborators, Gil Goldstein & Vince Mendoza).  Also joining the Surge were a host of special guests (Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Mike Mainieri, Adam Nussbaum, & Mike Stern) with close professional and personal ties to Michael.  Described as “riotous and joyous” (JazzTimes), “muscular” (Downbeat), and “deserving of universal attention” (All Music Guide) the project received a 2009 GRAMMY nomination, along with many “best of the year” mentions.

Read more

Tags

All About Jazz Articles

Album Review

Chuck Owen: Renderings

Read "Renderings" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Nato dalla collaborazione tra la WDR Big Band e Chuck Owen, Renderings conferma quest'ultimo ai vertici dell'orchestrazione mainstream contemporanea e l'orchestra tedesca l'autorevole e avvincente ensemble che sappiamo. L'idea del progetto nasce quando la splendida sassofonista della big band, Karolina Strassmayer, ha chiesto a Chuck di arrangiare una sua composizione, stimolando il bandleader a impegnarsi in un ampio lavoro con l'orchestra di Colonia. Impegni personali e circostanze varie (tra cui la pandemia) hanno ostacolato il progetto, che ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Chuck Owen, Taj Mahal, Kris Davis and Others

Read "Chuck Owen, Taj Mahal, Kris Davis and Others" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


This episode includes a lot of diverse music, including Chuck Owen with the WDR Big Band, Taj Mahal's tuba band, Kris Davis' Diatom Ribbons, and other artists such as Alex Conde, and Ellery Eskelin. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait To Get Back Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Cecil Taylor “Bemsha Swing" from Jazz Advance (Blue Note) 00:59 Alex Conde “Oblivion" from Descarga For Bud (Seda Jazz) ...

1
Album Review

Chuck Owen: Renderings

Read "Renderings" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Renderings by Chuck Owen and The WDR Big Band is a remarkable jazz album that showcases the artist's mastery as a composer, arranger and bandleader. This release stands as a testament to Owen's innovative approach to jazz music blending traditional elements with modern influences to create a unique and captivating sonic experience. The album title is an apt description of the musical approach taken by Owen, as he focuses on the works by other composers along ...

30
Album Review

Chuck Owen and the WDR Big Band: Renderings

Read "Renderings" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Anyone who uses YouTube to search for contemporary jazz must surely be familiar with Germany's blue-ribbon WDR Big Band, as it is abundantly represented at the site. Bearing that in mind, it may come as no surprise to those seekers (and others) that the WDR's latest recording, on which it is paired with the esteemed Florida-based composer and arranger Chuck Owen, offers another master class in big-band artistry, or how to make even the most arduous charts seem deceptively simple. ...

5
Album Review

Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge: Within Us

Read "Within Us" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Florida's Chuck Owen has been a jazz educator for over 40 years, led his big band, The Jazz Surge, for 25 years and earned seven Grammy nominations along the way, so he cannot be called an unknown. Still, it seems that he is nowhere as well known as he should be, going by the quality of the music on this CD which celebrates The Jazz Surge's 25th anniversary. The band's music has some of the brassy punch of ...

Album Review

Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge: Within Us

Read "Within Us" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Giunta al settimo disco, l'orchestra The Jazz Surge di Chuck Owen celebra i 25 anni di un'attività discografica ricca di riconoscimenti (tra cui sette nominations ai Grammy) e prestigiose collaborazioni (Chick Corea, Joe Lovano, Bob Brookmeyer, Dave Douglas, Bill Holman, Gerald Wilson e molti altri). Nata nel 1995 come estensione della cattedra di Owen all'University Of South Florida la formazione ha ottenuto negli anni rilievo nazionale col suo stile immerso nella tradizione orchestrale jazzistica ma ricco di ambiziose ...

1
Album Review

Chuck Owen: Within Us

Read "Within Us" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Anniversaries are a big deal, especially when they celebrate a notable achievement in the history of a contemporary jazz big band. So when the 25th Anniversary of the first recording of the Jazz Surge came along, Chuck Owen thought it would be a suitable occasion to acknowledge the past and continue to look forward, with the current release Within Us as an attestation to the collective identity of the band. The 19-piece band that is directed ...

Read more articles

Recording

Chuck Owen: Renderings

Chuck Owen: Renderings

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Chuck Owen may be unfamiliar to you but you'll thank me for bringing you up to speed on him. Chuck is a composer-arranger who has just released an album featuring him conducting the WDR Big Band playing his original compositions and arrangements. The WDR Big Band is one of the world's finest jazz orchestras, and this new album is stunning. Born in Norfolk, Va., Chuck grew up in Omaha, Neb., before his family moved to Cincinnati. After a year at ...

1

Recording

Composer/Bandleader Chuck Owen Reflects the Clarity and Thrill of Nature on Latest Album, River Runs, Available April 9 on MAMA Records

Composer/Bandleader Chuck Owen Reflects the Clarity and Thrill of Nature on Latest Album, River Runs, Available April 9 on MAMA Records

Source: DL Media

Combines Long-Running Big Band, The Jazz Surge, with Full Orchestra “An incredibly colorful portrait, you can feel the power and majesty of these natural settings. Excellent music!” —Dave Liebman “A tour de force in contemporary orchestral composition... This exquisitely produced recording defies classification.” —Rufus Reid “Beautiful. Beautiful. Jazz has never sounded better.” —Bob Belden “‘'River Runs' deep, free-flowing into cross-currents, but always moving forward towards it’s destination, which is an Ocean of Melody, Sound and Soul.” —Randy Brecker The sun ...

164

Recording

Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge Set to Release "The Comet's Tail: Playing the Compositions of Michael Brecker" on August 11

Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge Set to Release "The Comet's Tail: Playing the Compositions of Michael Brecker" on August 11

Source: DL Media

Chuck Owen & The Jazz Surge The Comet's Tail: Playing The Compositions of Michael BreckerSet for August 11 Release on MAMA RecordsWith performances by Randy Brecker, Danny Gottlieb, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Mike Mainieri, Adam Nussbaum, Mike Stern and Rob ThomasMAMA Records is proud to announce Chuck Owen & The Jazz Surge's forthcoming release The Comet's Tail: Playing The Compositions of Michael Brecker. Led by Chuck Owen, The Comets Tail pays homage to ...

213

Music Industry

Letter from IAJE Board President Chuck Owen

Letter from IAJE Board President Chuck Owen

Source: All About Jazz

Dear IAJE Family, It is with a great sense of loss that I inform you that despite drastic efforts to cut expenses and raise emergency funds, the IAJE Board has voted to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Federal Bankruptcy Law. I want to thank profusely those who responded with their generous donations and offers of assistance following my last communication. While over 250 individuals contributed just over $12,000, this, along with the many other efforts and contributions ...

Owen writes with seductive rhythms in mind and sets aside ample room for earnest blowing by a number of splendid soloists.  Grammy voters, have your pens and pencils ready - again."
Jack Bowers, All About Jazz

“ . . . a joy and an inspiration, hands-down one of the top ten jazz albums of the year.” delarue, NY Music Daily / Lucid Culture

“Within Us” is a gem. . . . . . . pick a track, any track, and you will hear excellent writing, splendid musicianship, and memorable solos.” – Richard Kamins, Step Tempest

Read more

Links

Followers

All About Jazz user Chuck Owen

We Rise

From: Magic Light
By Chuck Owen

Knife's Edge

From: Renderings
By Chuck Owen