>ENTER SITE

CHUCK ISRAELS ORCHESTRA: “This is a big band with an approach that differs from other large organizations, new and old...  Israels’ charts are the heart of his band’s unique 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.

This is not to say that the band does not swing or that it does not reach peaks that excite the audience.  Its long suit, however, is the coloration and emotional depth it achieves through the voicings and judicious use of solo space.. Israels has fashioned an orchestra that flows in beautiful channels, and beauty is something jazz can use these days.

This is a band to check out.  The originals are original, the standards are freshly reworked, and they are played with passion and understanding.  The pulse, never bombastic, moves the listener as surely as it moves the band.  Israels deserves a lot of credit, but more importantly, the opportunity to be widely heard.”   Ira Gitler,  Down Beat