About Chuck Manning 

Anyone who has been involved with the Los Angeles jazz scene over the last 3 decades doesn´t need to ask, but if you haven´t, you´ve been missing out. The saxophonist’s approach has an emotional impact that is personal yet modern and displays Manning’s cocktail of musical influences including John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Joe Henderson, Bobby Bradford, Sonny Rollins, North Indian Classical flautist Pannalal Ghosh. If he’s heard it and liked it, it‘s likely to show up in his playing; smart, inventive solos exploring themes and tones inside and a little bit out, returning to a perfectly logical place. 

Born in Washington State, Chuck studied jazz and classical in high school. He played Carnegie Hall and toured Europe with America’s Youth In Concert by the time he was 17. He began to affirm his musical attitudes when he went to college at the well-known jazz mecca of North Texas State and studied privately with sax legend Joe Henderson. After moving to Los Angeles, he began a long and extensive career that focused on small group environments which nurtured the development of his unique sound as well the opportunity to play and learn from many of the area’s greatest jazz musicians. 

A long-time veteran of the Los Angeles jazz scene, Chuck has made thousands of appearances over the years, in the LA area and throughout the world.  He has had a 3 decades long collaboration with the Los Angeles Jazz Quartet, a group that includes Larry Koonse, Darek Oles and Jason Harnell. Gary Fukushima of Downbeat wrote, “Anyone who knows anything about jazz in L.A. knows these guys represent the very best of what’s great in this town.”  

Chuck also has had a long associations with jazz greats Bobby Bradford, Henry Franklin, Theo Saunders, Putter and VR Smith and Isla Eckinger; all of which are well documented on many CD releases over the years. 

He has shared the stage or recorded with many great musicians, such as: Albert "Tootie" Heath, Al Mckibbon, Alan Broadbent, Alan Ferber, Alphonse Mouzon, Andrea Pozza , Art Hillary, Azar Lawrence, Ben Clatworthy, Bill Cunliffe, Bill Perkins, Branford Marsalis, Carl Burnett, Carl Saunders, Cedar Walton, Charlie Haden, Charlie Shoemake , Conte Condoli, Danny Embrey, Danny Grissett, Dave Carpenter, Dave Koonse, Dennis Irwin, Eric Reed, Eric Von Essen, Frank Strazzeri, Fransisco Aguabella, Gary Foster, Gerald Wiggins, Gerry Gibbs, Gilbert Castellanos, Harold Land, Harvey Mason, Henry Butler, Horace Tapscott, Hubert Laws, James Carney, Jay Miglori, Jeff Littleton, Jim Snidero, Jimmy Rowles, Joe Bagg, Joe Haider, Joe LaBarbara, Joe Lovano, John Cambell, John Carter, John Guerin, John Heard, Jon Mayer, Jon-Pall Bjarnason, Josh Nelson, Judy Wexler, Julius Hemphill, Justo Almario, Kevin Tullius, Larance Marable, Larry Gales, Larry Koonse, Llew Matthews, Mark Ferber, Mike Conlon, Mike Wofford, Nels Cline, Oscar Brashear, Otmaro Ruiz, Phil Ranelin, Phil Upchurch, Piotr Rodowicz, Ralph Alessi, Ralph Moore, Ralph Penland, Ramon Banda, Ravi Coltrane, Robbie Krieger, Roy McCurdy, Sal Marquez, Sam Most, Scott Colley, Sonny Philips, Steve Cardenas, Steve Huffsteter, Ted Curson, Tony Dumas, Warne Marsh and Willie Jones III. 

Press acclaim for Chuck Manning: 

"Chuck has a bold sound and keen rhythmic sense". -Leonard Feather, Los Angeles Times. 

"No matter what the context, tenor Manning’s mix of smarts and heart will get to you — he always seems to work out just the right solo for the moment" – LAWeekly. 

"…rare sense of integrity and conviction". -L.A. Jazz Scene. 

“No surprise, jazz remains a go-to soundtrack … jazz tenor saxophonist Chuck Manning was selected as this year’s Best Local Musician, likely thanks to his classy appearances at local venues.  -Pasadena Weekly, Best of Pasadena 2019 

"Honest, grooving jazz…no B.S." - HiFi Vision 

"Chuck CD “Notes from the Real" "… is a great one. Manning is a fine inventive tenor player. With Joe Henderson as his baseline, he plays a gorgeous ballad, can blow some brilliant and slightly understated post-bop frenzy, and can lay out the bop lines fresh." "When he´s leading his own quartet, his horn is set so beautifully inside the understated arrangements that you can almost miss just how brilliant and even edgy his ideas can be … solos build upon wholly original ideas, and whose book is made up of tunes you don´t hear played everywhere else." - LAWeekly 

“If you would like to impress your friends with a tenor saxophonist who brings the house down in the style of Sonny Rollins/Coleman Hawkins, do not look any further than Chuck Manning          -OpenMag France 

“Tenor saxophonist Chuck Manning celebrates an impressive new album, Notes from the Real.  This is Manning in a gleefully hard bopping mode, essaying an admirable range of composers, among them Monk, Trane, Alec Wilder and Kenny Barron.  This is the album we knew Manning had in him all along.”   -Kirk Silsbee