Chuck Anderson Jazz Guitar

Practice is necessary to develop the skills required to pursue music successfully. But practice can also be a crutch – a delay tactic. Just as many people continue their college educations to avoid the necessity of getting a job – of facing the real world. It can be the same in music. You’re “never” ready. [...]

It’s obvious to everyone that versatility is an advantage! You’re in line for more work and more variety of work. Certainly, versatility is better than limitation. Versatility also allows you to move in and out of areas if you get tired of them. Generally, this is a good thing!
On the flip side of this, there [...]

There are three words commonly used in music that should be avoided – or at least redefined.
These words are Practice, Play and Rules.
Practice – This implies boring repetition. It’s uncreative and unproductive.
Play – This connotes casual fun – a frivolous, optional activity.
Rules -These are a rigid set of “laws” which must be followed.
I [...]

Let’s say you are pursuing the life of a performer. Whatever makes you inclined in that direction tends to make you “un-inclined” to follow up on the business side of music. Are you sure that you want to pursue this as your business? Are you sure that this pursuit is not just a hobby? [...]

Angel Blue A Tour of Jazz
In the liner notes, Chuck Anderson mentions that this recording marks his return to Jazz after spending several years exploring the art of the Neo Classical Guitar. This album of original material begins with an easy swing tune, “Aqua Blue”. Other selections include a bossa composition entitled “Soft Breezes”, [...]

By the music business, I don’t mean the recording or the performing artists. My reference is to the business machinery that is supposed to drive the music industry.
Musicians and entertainers are not supposed to chase club managers around, negotiate contracts or even collect the money. They should be spending all their time developing and [...]

I think that the state of today’s contemporary Pop/Rock/Indie music has reached an all time low. Most groups that I see on TV can’t move, sing, write or play. Their personalities could be described as cardboard but that would be an insult to cardboard.
Why they are in music at all is a mystery to me. [...]

Progress is in direct proportion to the time spent on disciplined practice and creative performance. But a musician’s growth is not determined by practice and playing alone. Life experience is an integral part of a musician’s development. As an individual matures, the learning experience requires increasingly thoughtful decisions. The musician must learn to decide when [...]

Angel Blue ReviewWritten for Jazz Improvisation Magazine by Bob Miles2003
Chuck Anderson is certainly no stranger to the Philadelphia music scene. In the seventies, Chuck’s first release “Mirror Within a Mirror” was an extremely popular album that featured the late Al Stauffer on Bass and Ray Deeley on drums. Angel Blue is Chuck’s second jazz [...]