Greg Chako - Hard Bop: For The Record (2026) [Hi-Res]

Inspired by the hard bop tradition and featuring ten original compositions, Hard Bop – For the Record is one of Greg’s most personal and compositionally ambitious projects to date.

"I don’t think there’s any guitarist out there as prodigious as Greg Chako; this guy puts out fresh material faster than Dave Roberts pulls pitchers! He’s got a gorgeous tone, bluesy classic style and knows when and when not to play. Usually in trio or quartet form, Chako opens things up a bit by bringing in a pair of horns this time around in Brooks Giles/ts-ss and Spencer Merk/tb along with his working team of David Lloyd/b and Alex Merk/dr. He salutes hard boppers of the Blue Note days of yon, with the horns swinging, swaying and never over playing as they fill in the gaps.

Giles’ soprano is sweet and hip on a delightful “Mellow-Dee”, while his tenor croons on “Second Chance”. Merk lays down an irresistable groove on the tribute “Mr. Higgins” and the leader bounces for “Bop For Bud”, with the emphasis on comfort food grooves on “April Wind” and “Soar With The Wind”. A fresh coat of paint on a classic chassie." (George W. Harris, jazzweekly.com)

"That is what makes Greg Chako’s record worth spending time with. Beneath the hard bop vocabulary is a career shaped by movement, setbacks, reinvention, cultural encounters and a continuing desire to learn. The result is music that respects its history without surrendering its independence, and perhaps that is the most convincing way for a tradition as resilient as hard bop to remain alive in the 21st century." (Thierry De Clemensat, PARIS-MOVE)

Greg Chako, guitar
Brooks Giles, tenor & soprano saxophones
Spencer Merk, trombone
David Lloyd, bass
Alex Mark, drums