Chris Cheek
# Chris Cheek

Christopher Carson Cheek (born September 16, 1968) is an American jazz saxophonist.

## Biography

Cheek was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where his father was the director of a Junior high school band. Cheek began learning to play the alto saxophone at age eleven, and upon graduation from high school, he attended Webster University. He studied at the Berklee College of Music under Joe Viola, Hal Crook, and Herb Pomeroy, and earned his bachelor's degree. He moved to New York City in 1992, where he played with Paul Motian in the Electric Bebop Band, and co-founded Bloomdaddies with Seamus Blake. He also played with Guillermo Klein, Mika Pohjola, Luciana Souza, and David Berkman.

His debut release as a leader, I Wish I Knew, appeared in 1997 and featured Kurt Rosenwinkel, and by 2010, three more solo albums with Cheek as bandleader on the Fresh Sound label followed; A Girl Named Joe (1997), Vine (1999), and Blues Cruise, in 2005. Two albums as co-leader – Lazy Afternoon and Guilty – were released by Blue Moon in 2002. In 2016 another CD, Saturday Songs, was released by Sunnyside Records and recorded at Supertone Records, Valencia. Criss Cross Jazz have also released two Cheek albums with co-leader Seamus Blake. Cheek has appeared on more than one hundred albums as a session musician.

## Discography

### As leader/co-leader

| Year recorded | Title | Label | Year released | Personnel |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1996–97 | I Wish I Knew | Fresh Sound | 1997 | Quartet, with Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar), Chris Higgins (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums) |
| 1997 | A Girl Named Joe | Fresh Sound | 1998 | With Mark Turner (tenor sax), Ben Monder (guitar), Marc Johnson (bass), Jorge Rossy and Dan Rieser (drums) |
| 1999 | Vine | Fresh Sound | 2000 | Quintet, with Brad Mehldau (piano, Fender Rhodes), Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar), Matt Penman (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums) |
| 2000 | Guilty | Blue Moon | 2002 | Quartet, co-led with Ethan Iverson (piano), Ben Street (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums); in concert |
| 2000 | Lazy Afternoon | Blue Moon | 2002 | Quartet, co-led with Ethan Iverson (piano), Ben Street (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums); in concert |
| 2005 | Blues Cruise | Fresh Sound | 2006 | Quartet, with Brad Mehldau (piano), Larry Grenadier (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums) |
| 2013 | Reeds Ramble | Criss Cross Jazz | 2014 | Co-led with Seamus Blake (tenor sax); quintet, with Ethan Iverson (piano), Matt Penman (bass), Jochen Rueckert (drums) |
| 2015 | Let's Call the Whole Thing Off | Criss Cross Jazz | 2016 | Co-led with Seamus Blake (tenor sax); quintet, with Ethan Iverson (piano), Matt Penman (bass), Jochen Rueckert (drums) |
| 2015 | Saturday Songs | Sunnyside | 2016 | Quintet, with Steve Cardenas (guitar), David Soler (pedal steel guitar), Jaume Llombard (bass), Jorge Rossy (drums, vibes, marimba) |

### As member

The Bloomdaddies With Seamus Blake, Jesse Murphy, Jorge Rossy and Dan Reiser

* The Bloomdaddies (Criss Cross Jazz, 1996) – recorded in 1995
* Racer X (self-released, 1998)
* Mosh For Lovers (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2002) – recorded in 2001
