Chuck Israels Musician - All About Jazz

Updated: May 26, 2022

Born: August 10, 1936

Bassist and composer, Chuck Israels was raised in a musical family. His step-father, Mordecai Bauman is a singer who performed extensively with composer Hanns Eisler and who, along with Chuck's mother, Irma Commanday, created a home environment in which music was a part of normal daily activity. Paul Robeson, Pete Seeger and The Weavers were visitors to the Bauman home and the appearance of Louis Armstrong's All Stars in a concert series produced by his parents in 1948 gave Chuck his first opportunity to meet and hear jazz musicians.

Chuck studied the cello and played guitar in junior high school. Later musical training took place at Indian Hill, a summer workshop in the arts directed by his parents and at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. A year at Massachusetts Institute of Technology provided access to the considerable jazz activity in Boston where Herb Pomeroy, Charlie Mariano, Joe Gordon, Serge Chaloff and bassist John Neves were among the many musicians who lived and performed regularly in the area. Chuck took up the bass in order to fill out the M.I.T. orchestra and soon found a demand for his abilities in the Boston jazz scene. The year at M.I.T. convinced Chuck that a career in engineering was not for him and motivated a transfer to Brandeis University where he continued his studies in music.

While at Brandeis, Chuck played in a trio with pianist Steve Kuhn, who was then at Harvard and Arnold Wise, a drummer studying at the Massachusetts School of Art. A concert at Brandeis which involved the participation of jazz musicians Art Farmer, Jimmy Knepper, Barry Galbraith, Bill Evans, Joe Benjamin and composers Gunther Schuller, George Russell and Charles Mingus, presented Chuck with the opportunity to meet and perform with musicians who later provided entre into the New York jazz scene.

While still in college, Chuck performed with Coleman Hawkins and Billie Holiday and recorded with John Coltrane and Kenny Dorham. Parts of the summers were spent at the Lenox School of Jazz where The Modern Jazz Quartet, Jim Hall, Bob Brookmeyer, Gunther Schuller and others, made significant contributions to Chuck's education. Frequent trips to New York provided more opportunities to hear and play with well known musicians, and the virtuoso bassist, Oscar Pettiford, became a friend and mentor.

A year in Europe in 1959 found Chuck performing with Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke and Lucky Thompson as well as with European musicians such as Martial Solal and Daniel Humair. Returning to New York, Chuck found work in George Russell's experimental sextet as well as occasional jobs with Gunther Schuller in which Eric Dolphy also participated. A short stint with a Benny Goodman band gave Chuck a chance to work with Zoot Sims.

In 1961, on returning from another European tour which involved a recording with Eric Dolphy, Chuck was asked to join the Bill Evans Trio, filling in the role vacated by the tragic accidental death of bassist Scott Lafaro. The next five years proved fruitful to Chuck's musical development and a strong relationship was built within the trio. Drummers Paul Motian and Larry Bunker were creative partners and an interactive ensemble style, already started by a number of the New York rhythm section players of that time, was further developed. More opportunities presented themselves to perform and record with J. J. Johnson, Stan Getz, Gary Burton, Jim Hall, Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Tony Williams, Roy Haynes, Sonny Clarke, Bobby Timmons and Roland Hanna, among others.

In 1966 it became clear that knowing only the bassist's role in the music was insufficient. That meant getting off the road and staying in one place in order to study composition and arranging with Hall Overton. Chuck found work in the studios and theaters in New York, eventually becoming the conductor of a Broadway show.

Frustration with commercial music and diminishing opportunities to perform at the creative level set by the Bill Evans Trio, led to two decisions that set the pattern for the next period of Chuck's work. Teaching music at the university level provided a way to make a living while maintaining the necessary freedom to pursue creative activity, and the creation of a jazz repertory orchestra provided the specific outlet for that activity for the next few years. The process of transcribing classic Ellington charts for the National Jazz Ensemble had a profound effect, and durable relationships grew among many musicians involved in that activity. The ensemble performed classic jazz compositions and new pieces commissioned especially for it, written by Chuck and other jazz composers like David Berger. David, the National Jazz Ensemble's assistant director, continues to do similar work and has found more support and a wider audience as a result of his subsequent association with Lincoln Center and Wynton Marsalis. (The recordings made by the National Jazz ensemble during that period have recently been released on CD by Chiaroscuro Records.)

A move to California in 1981 was prompted by a job with the San Francisco Opera Company for Chuck's wife, soprano Margot Hanson. Most of the time in the Bay Area was spent writing arrangements and compositions for big bands and for a nine piece group which provides the color and impact of an organized ensemble while maintaining some of the flexibility of small group playing that remains part of the heritage of the Bill Evans Trio. This repertoire, along with some compositions for smaller ensembles forms the basis for the music that Chuck Israels is now performing.

In 1986, Chuck moved to Bellingham to assume the position he now holds as Director of Jazz Studies at Western Washington University. He continues to write, and perform, as opportunities present themselves. There are performances with Barry Harris, in New York, Europe and Japan as well as composing/conducting engagements with various European Jazz Orchestras. A concert/recording took place in Holland of Chuck's music with the Metropole Orchestra in April, 1996, under Chuck's direction (The Eindhoven Concert - Azica Records). Activities during the last two years have included more performances and recordings with Barry Harris, performances at the Michigan State University Jazz Spectacular with Rodney Whitaker and members of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and the CD release of the orchestral material recorded earlier by the NDR and the Hannover Radio Philharmonic on Mood Records.

Among Chuck's many recordings, some outstanding ones include: Coltrane Time, with John Coltrane; My Point of View, with Herbie Hancock; Getz au Go-Go, with Stan Getz; and many recordings with the Bill Evans Trio, including The Town Hall Concert; The Second Trio; Trio '65; Live at the Trident; Time Remembered;and Live at Shelley's Manne Hole. "The Bellingham Sessions, Volumes I and II" are his most recent small group releases as a leader (Audio Ideas Recordings). The Eindhoven Concert on Azica Recordings with Claudio Roditi as trumpet and flugelhorn soloist with The Metropole Orchestra is a representative example of Chuck's writing for that ensemble. Show less

Bass Notes: Jazz In American Culture, A Personal View

by Harvie S
February 25, 2024

Bass Notes: Bass Notes: Jazz In American Culture, A Personal View Chuck Israels 240 Pages ISBN: 1493074849 Backbeat Books 2024 Chuck Israels developed musically in what many would say was an extremely fertile time in Jazz. I'm talking about the 1960s. Of course, his stint with Bill Evans during those years does stand out, but there is so much more. In Bass Notes, Israels has written a book that is aimed ...

Album Review

Bill Evans: Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964)

Read "Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964)" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
November 20, 2023

Maybe it is and maybe it isn't as historical in scope as some of the previous ten archival Bill Evans releases from that master of jazz discovery, Zev Feldman, and Evans' estate, but Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964) is sure fire proof you got nothing but the best on any given night at any given gig by Evans and his cohorts. From the get go, this set--recorded by Evans, bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker at Danish ...

Liner Notes

Bill Evans: Duos With Jim Hall & Trios '64 & '65 Revisited

by Chris May
November 12, 2023

Although the evidence is circumstantial, it is more than possible that Bill Evans' collaborations with Jim Hall came about through proximity to George Russell. Even Alan Douglas, the producer of the duo's first album, did not claim credit for the liaison; and Douglas, who the same year brought together Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach, was not shy about coming forward with similar (questionable) claims. Evans was the first to meet Russell when, in late 1955, ...

Album Review

Bill Evans: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans: A Career Retrospective (1956 - 1980)

Read "Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans: A Career Retrospective (1956 - 1980)" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
July 20, 2021

Only occasionally do classy looking limited-edition box sets prove to be a triumph of style and substance. Too often they are undermined by cheapskate packaging, over elaborate design, poorly written and researched booklets, inadequate session details or, most egregiously, bizarre (in a bad way) track selections. So it is a more than pleasant surprise when something comes along which succeeds, and succeeds magnificently, on all those fronts. Such an item is Concord Records' Craft imprint's Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans: ...

The Jazz Life

My Early Years With Bill Evans, Part 3

by Chuck Israels
July 27, 2020

Bassist and composer, Chuck Israels was raised in a musical family. Paul Robeson, Pete Seeger and The Weavers were visitors to his home and the appearance of Louis Armstrong's All Stars in a concert series produced by his parents in 1948 gave Chuck his first opportunity to meet and hear jazz musicians. Chuck studied the cello and played guitar in junior high school. Later musical training took place at Indian Hill, a summer workshop in the arts directed by his ...

The Jazz Life

My Early Years with Bill Evans, Part 2

by Chuck Israels
July 10, 2020

Bassist and composer Chuck Israels was raised in a musical family. He studied the cello and played guitar in junior high school. Later musical training took place at Indian Hill, a summer workshop in the arts directed by his parents, and at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. A year at Massachusetts Institute of Technology provided access to the considerable jazz activity in Boston where Herb Pomeroy, Charlie Mariano, Joe Gordon, Serge Chaloff and bassist John ...

The Jazz Life

My Early Years With Bill Evans, Part 1

by Chuck Israels
June 25, 2020

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Chuck Israels

Source: Michael Ricci
August 10, 2023

All About Jazz is celebrating Chuck Israels' birthday today!

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Chuck Israels

Source: Michael Ricci
August 10, 2022

All About Jazz is celebrating Chuck Israels' birthday today!

Book / Magazine

New From Sher Music Co. - 'Jazz Arrangements Of Public Domain Songs' by Chuck Israels

Source: Sher Music Co.
July 18, 2022

A unique collection of jazz arrangements by the great Chuck Israels, who has spent many years honing his jazz arranging skills, besides being a legendary bassist with Bill Evans, Stan Getz, George Russell, and many more. “A valuable collection of tunes. Mr. Israels' quartet makes a great case for adding some of these tunes to your jazz repertoire. Thanks, Chuck, for a great job." —Jamey Aebersold Great jazz-oriented arrangements of Tin Pan Alley songs, ("Deed I Do," etc.) Americana classics ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Chuck Israels

Source: Michael Ricci
August 10, 2021

All About Jazz is celebrating Chuck Israels' birthday today!

Interview

Chuck Israels on Hampton Hawes

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 22, 2021

In May 1965, pianist Hampton Hawes recorded an album of standards with bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Donald Bailey. The album was Here and Now, an extraordinary session for the Contemporary label. The songs were recognizable to anyone picking up the album in stores, but the execution was anything by standard. Hampton, Chuck and Bailey sail into each song with fresh energy and determination to rock the canoe, so to speak. For example, Hawes and Chuck solo off each other ...
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Video / DVD

Chuck Israels and Alec Katz

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 6, 2020

Bassist Chuck Israels and I have become fast pen pals. Every since my interview with Chuck in 2019 (here), he sends along wonderful notes with insights into the historic subjects of my posts. I share many of them with you. Recently, Chuck sent along a thrilling album featuring his trio live at a club in Tel Aviv. The album features pianist Alec Katz and drummer Yonatan Rosen. If you're unfamiliar with Katz, he's a gloriously sensitive player with swing. Chuck ...
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Interview

Interview: Chuck Israels

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 26, 2019

Bassist Chuck Israels is probably best known for his work in the Bill Evans Trio between 1961 and 1966—a golden, delicate period for Evans. But Chuck also played with Stan Getz, Herbie Hancock, Gary Burton, Hampton, Hawes, Dave Pike, Gerry Mulligan and many other jazz greats. Chuck also has had a vast playing and recording career as a leader of his own groups. On March 6, Chuck will be in New York for a rare performance at Dizzy's Coca-Cola (go ...
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Recording

Famed Bassist Chuck Israels Signs With Dot Time Records - New Release "Garden Of Delights"

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations
December 18, 2015

Dot Time Records is excited to announce the signing of composer, arranger and bassist Chuck Israels. Best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio from 1961 through 1966, he is also recognized for his pioneering accomplishments in the Jazz Repertory as Director of the National Jazz Ensemble from 1973 to 1981. Chuck's first release with Dot Time Records is entitled Garden of Delights, and will be released on April 15, 2016. In addition during the next year, Dot ...
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TV / Film

Weekend Extra: A Film About Chuck Israels

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
September 13, 2015

Following his five years as the bassist in the Bill Evans Trio, Chuck Israels worked with a variety of leaders, among them J.J. Johnson, Stan Getz, Herbie Hancock and Hampton Hawes. His repertory orchestra, The National Jazz Ensemble, and his writing for the Metropole Orchestra disclosed his range and depth as an arranger. He moved to Portland, Oregon in 2010 after nearly a quarter of a century of teaching music at the university level. It wasn’t long before Israels organized ...
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Recording

Chuck Israels Releases "Joyful Noise The Music Of Horace Silver" on July 17

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations
June 5, 2015

Bassist For the Bill Evans Trio, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz... Bassist/arranger/composer Chuck Israels steps out front as the bandleader in this exciting new release, Joyful Noise (SoulPatch Music). Having honed his chops working with masters including John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz and more, including the Bill Evans Trio, for which he is best known. Israels relocated years ago from the bustle of the city to the peaceful solitude of beautiful jny: Portland, Oregon. Israels' jazz spectrum spans ...
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Last night was one of those occasions on which an audience’s concentration and approval is palpable well beyond its applause. We were feeling what the musicians felt in the profundity, beauty and joy of Evans’ music." —Doug Ramsey, artsJournalBlogs

"Israels’ charts are the heart of his band’s personality. It is definitely not a band that clubs you into submission. It is mellow, subtle, highly melodic, with lines that move in wondrous ways." —Ira Gitler, DownBeat

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