A mainstay of the Chicago music scene for more than forty years, Eric Hochberg has lent his bass work, both upright and electric, and an occasional trumpet, keyboard and vocal lick to a variety of projects across the realms of jazz, folk, rock and blues.
He has performed and/or recorded with the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Bobby McFerrin, Pat Metheny, Barbra Streisand, Cassandra Wilson, Von Freeman, Chico Freeman, Steve Kuhn, Ken Nordine, David Baker, Cannonball Adderly, Charles McPherson, Jon Faddis, Joshua Redman, David Bromberg, Johnny Frigo, Joe Daley, Howard Levy, Tim Ries, Kurt Elling, Trio New, Eric Alexander, Tierny Sutton, Patricia Barber, Jackie Allen, Janice Siegal, Peter Erskine, Joey Baron, Paul McCandless, Claudio Roditi, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, Sam Rivers, Jack DeJohnette, Bobby Broom, Eric Marienthal, Bobby Shew, Tom Harrel, Larry Novak, Gary Novak, Rick Margitza, Sheila Jordan, Diane Reeves, Alan Pasqua, Bob Sheppard, Mark Murphy, Bob Dorough, Randy Brecker, Terry Callier, Don Ellis, Larry Coryell, Rebecca Paris, Leni Andrade, Sonny Fortune, Willie Pickens, Bobby Lewis, Erma Thompson, Lew Tabackin, Brian Lynch, Lester Bowie, Don Moye, Earnest Dawkins, Henry Butler, Emily Remler, Herb Geller, Chevere de Chicago, Sonia Dada, Mark Colby, Orbert Davis, Ed Thigpen, Anthony Molinaro, Bonnie Koloc, Michal Urbaniak Quartet, Bill Holman, The Boston Brass, Bill Russo’s Chicago Jazz Ensemble, The Chicago Jazz Orchestra, JazzTech Big Band, The Miami Saxophone Quartet, Jim Walker & Free Flight, The Grant Park Symphony with Luciana Souza and Patti Austin, The Joffrey Ballet, Luna Negra Dance Company, The Chicago Human Rhythm Project, and Chicago Tap Theater.
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Eric has the distinction of having performed in the bands of three of the four members of the Pat Metheny Group - a tour in 1977 with Pat, a long association with drummer Paul Wertico and a Latin American tour with Lyle Mays in 1992.
He has toured nationally/internationally with the Lyle Mays Quartet, the Terry Callier Group, the Paul Wertico Trio, the Kurt Elling Quartet, Ken Nordine’s Word Jazz, the Howard Levy Quartet and the Grazyna Auguscik Quintet. He has performed at the Jazz Festivals of Montreal, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago (18 times), Montreux, UK/London, Free Jazz/Brazil, Leverkeusen/Germany, World Music Festival/Barcelona, Rome Jazz, Rotterdam Jazz, Karlsruhe Festival/GR, Frappe Festival/FR, Nice Jazz/FR, Gigon Festival/Sp., Cully Jazz/Swiss, Blues and Roots Fest/Australia, The International Society of Jazz Educators/Atlanta, The Chicago Flute Club, The Percussive Arts Society/Columbus OH, Rockford Jazz, IL, Hyde Park Jazz Festival/Chicago, South Shore Jazz/Chicago, Elkhart Jazz/IN, Columbus Jazz Festival/OH, Milwaukee Summerfest, Louisville Festival of the Arts, Blue Note Tokyo, Yokohama and Milan, and concerts and clubs worldwide. He has also performed on the Oprah Winfrey Show three times with Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban and Johnny Mathis, and Gloria Estefan.
He can also be heard in clubs and concert venues around Chicago, including Catch 35 where he leads the Eric Hochberg Trio, The Green Mill, Andy’s Jazz Club, Pops for Champagne, The Jazz Showcase, Fitzgerald’s, Katarina’s, Pete Miller’s, The Checkerboard Lounge, Mayne Stage, Morseland, Pick Staiger Hall, Pritzker Pavillion and many others.
The Eric Hochberg Orchestra has performed for countless events of all kinds over the past twenty-five years and Eric Hochberg Music contracts the finest musicians in the Chicago area for clients worldwide. The EHO was the band for the City of Chicago’s 5000 guest “Chicago Welcomes the World” Millennium Celebration.
Eric produced Jackie Allen's 2006 debut Blue Note Records release, Tangled and her 2003 release The Men in My Life. Eric has also worked extensively with legendary singer-songwriter Terry Callier, producing his recent album, Lookin' Out, on Emarcy Records, the critically acclaimed TC in DC on Premonition, two tracks on Verve Forecast's Timepeace, Novo Record's Chicago Rapid Transit and Acid Jazz Totally Re-wired Vol. 8. He co-produced Future Tense by Hochberg, Eisen & Potter, Reflections and Yesterday’s Gardenias by saxophonist Mark Colby and New Bolero by Trio New, Kurt Elling's original band. “3” with pianist Bradley Williams and drummer Jim Widlowski was released in 2012
As a composer, Eric has made contributions to Kurt Elling's Close Your Eyes and The Messenger on Blue Note Records, Hochberg and Potter's World Thing on HoPo Records, Trio New New Bolero, Paul Wertico's Yin and the Yout and The Paul Wertico Trio's Live in Warsaw and Don't Be Scared Anymore. Five compositions are featured on Future Tense, the latest recording by Eric, Steve Eisen and Andrew Scott Potter. Two of his compositions are featured on the recently released album, The Rob Parton Quartet. New tunes are included on the album 3 by Williams, Widlowski & Hochberg. He also composed the theme song for Contrabass Conversations, the weekly double bass interview show.
He can be heard on the recordings of: Hochberg, Eisen & Potter Future Tense Chevere de Chicago Secret Dream Kurt Elling Close Your Eyes, The Messenger Paul Wertico Trio Live in Warsaw, Don't Be Scared Anymore, Stereonucleosis John Moulder Through the Open Door, Trinity Grazyna Auguscik River Terry Callier Lookin' Out, TimePeace, Lifetime, TC in DC Rich Corpolongo Just Found Joy, Smiles Howard Levy Harmonica Jazz Mark Colby Reflections, Tenor Reference, Speaking of Stan and many others.
Eric has also played on over 1000 jingle, television and movie soundtrack recording sessions and 100 album projects. He maintains an active teaching studio where students of all levels learn the jazz language and apply it to their music.
Eric has served on various Craft Committees for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (GRAMMY AWARDS) 2006-2008. Eric endorses Lakland Basses and highly recommends Pirastro, Velvet, and Thomastik-Infield double bass strings. Show less
