Tampa, FL
Chuck Owen is the recipient of five individual GRAMMY nominations as well as a prestigious 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship. His compositions have been performed throughout the world; by the WDR Big Band, Netherlands’ Metropole Orch., 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 (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 Gergoire 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 steeped in the jazz tradition but drawing liberally and 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. Vibraphonist extraordinaire, Warren Wolf, made a scintillating guest appearance.
“ . . . a joy and an inspiration, hands-down one of the top ten jazz albums of the year.” delarue, NY Music Daily / Lucid Culture
“It kills—brimming with a vivid array of colors (including violin and dobro) and shifting dynamics. . . . . .a seamless stream of grabby melodies and solos.” – Eric Snider, Creative Loafing
“. . . a set of compositions that are as personal, eclectic, and ambitious as anything that Owen has penned. – Phillip Booth, Jazz Times
“Nothing could tamp down Owen and his ensemble’s cinematic majesty. If you listen closely, you can hear Chuck Owen’s heart and soul.” – Carol Banks Weber, Festival Peak
"Within Us" is a gem! – Richard Kamins, Step Tempest
In August 2021 Owen retired from the University of South Florida where he taught for 40 years and is now accorded the title of “Distinguished Professor Emeritus”. He continues to serve as President of ISJAC (International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers), an organization he was instrumental in founding, while formerly serving as President of IAJE, a panelist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music, the National Endowment for the Arts, ASCAP, and the Recording Academy.
“Renderings” his debut album project with the wonderful WDR Big Band is slated for an early 2023 release. Meanwhile, ReSurgence, a sextet featuring several members from the Jazz Surge offers not only another intriguing platform for Chuck’s evocative compositions but an opportunity to perform more widely as well.
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
10:15 PM – 11:00 PM US EST