Updated: May 10, 2024
Born: August 2, 1974
Zach Brock, jazz violinist and composer, is forging a unique musical identity with “audacious ingenuity and masterful command of his instrument,” says Bill Milkowski of Jazz Times. Distinguished jazz critic Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune writes that Zach Brock is a violinist “whose every phrase argues for the instrument’s value in 21st century jazz.” Neil Tesser echoes, “Zach Brock is the pre-eminent improvising violinist of his generation.”
2013 is proving a landmark year for Brock as he tours as co-leader with renowned pianist/composer Phil Markowitz, appears in festivals with the Stanley Clarke Band, and premiers new classical works by Laurie Altman and Preston Stahly. In August Brock was named “2013 Rising Star Violinist” by Downbeat Magazine.
Zach’s debut recording for the Dutch label Criss Cross Jazz, Almost Never Was, was listed as one of The Chicago Tribune’s Top 10 Jazz Recordings of 2012 and features Brock with pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland in a set of new originals, standards, and contemporary classics. While Criss Cross’ considerable catalog of renown jazz players stretches back to 1978, Almost Never Was is the first to be led by a violinist. In December 2012 the quartet played to a capacity audience for the album’s release at NYC’s Jazz Standard and were also featured in a live broadcast for WNYC’s Soundcheck with John Schaefer.
In 2010, alongside longtime collaborator Matt Wigton on bass and Frederick Kennedy on drums, Zach recorded The Magic Number. The trio made their international debut at the 2010 Toronto Jazz Festival and in 2012 they represented the U.S. Department of State as Arts Envoys to the Solomon Islands.
Zach’s first band, The Coffee Achievers, after recording two CDs on Brock’s Secret Fort label, performed at Carnegie Hall in 2005 at the invitation of trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas. Later that year they were invited to perform at the Ouro Preto Jazz Festival in Brazil by recommendation of MacArthur Grant recipient Patricia Barber.
As a sideman Zach has performed and recorded with many notable artists such as bass legend Stanley Clarke, brass virtuoso Wycliffe Gordon, the neo-funk band Snarky Puppy, bassist/ composer/Greenleaf recording artist Matt Ulery, and singer-songwriter/cellist Ben Solle.
Born in Lexington, KY, Zach grew up in a family of musicians and was performing publicly by the age of six. From a background in classical and folk music, Zach became serious about studying jazz while in high school. He moved to Chicago with the dual goal of furthering his classical studies at Northwestern University, while embracing the city’s rich jazz scene.
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Brock, Lanzetti, Ogawa: Drawing Songs
by Mike Jacobs
Encountering new additions to the Snarky Puppy musical diaspora is always interesting. Some members' solo efforts are more direct stylistic offshoots of the mother band while others branch out in very different directions, but it is a safe bet that they will showcase the musicianship which got them into the burgeoning collective in the first place. Drawing Songs, by long-time SP bandmates Zach Brock, Bob Lanzetti and Keita Ogawa, is one of these which is a refreshing musical ...
Continue ReadingBobby Kapp: Synergy
by Jack Bowers
The subtitle of Synergy is Bobby Kapp plays the music of Richard Sussman," which is true to some extent. To be more precise, drummer Kapp is at the heart of a septet, conducted by Scott Reeves, that features composer Sussman at the piano. So, while Bobby Kapp plays" is technically correct, it does not represent the whole picture. What is more, this is a group with a rather unusual front line of violin, clarinet, tenor sax and French ...
Continue ReadingSnarky Puppy: Empire Central
by Angelo Leonardi
A diciotto anni dalla nascita, gli Snarky Puppy sono tornati a Dallas luogo d'origine della formazione per registrare un nuovo album scegliendo l'approccio preferito: quel live in the studio" con pubblico in sala che ha caratterizzato le loro opere migliori. Quindi otto notti alla Deep Ellum Art Company per mettere a punto 16 nuovi brani, ora pubblicati in doppio album, in triplo vinile. Il disco privilegia il ritorno ai valori musicali originari: una fusion ...
Continue ReadingSnarky Puppy: Immigrance
by Josh Deakin
Three years after their last release, Snarky Puppy's thirteenth studio album Immigrance makes a statement as a standard for jazz fusion that all modern artists should take note of. The opening track, Chonks," sets the tone of the record with a fierce drum fill from Larnell Lewis which is reminiscent of reggae tones, an aesthetic which Snarky Puppy enjoy teasing on occasion. The record keeps pace as it weaves together the collection of songs which gives the illusion ...
Continue ReadingAndrew Green: Dime Dancing: The Music Of Steely Dan
by Mark Sullivan
It is not hard to imagine jazz versions of Steely Dan songs, as they are rich in knotty harmonies and dark lyrics that belie their mainstream pop success. But you would probably have to be guitarist Andrew Green to imagine them arranged for chamber ensembles dominated by woodwinds and strings (as well as vocalist Miriam Waks and Green's guitar). Ironically, Green's dramatic departure from the iconic recordings grew out of his love for them: he was convinced that no rock ...
Continue ReadingMatt Ulery: Delicate Charms
by Neri Pollastri
Nuovo album del contrabbassista chicagoano Matt Ulery, che riunisce in quintetto alcuni suoi frequenti collaboratori per realizzare un lavoro di brillante e articolato jazz moderno. La formazione vede il leader affiancato dal pianista Rob Clearfield e dal batterista Quin Kirchner, mentre la front line è composta dal sax contralto di Greg Ward e dal violino di Zach Brock, che con Ulery ha recentemente pubblicato l'ottimo Wonderment. L'ora abbondante di musica, tutta del contrabbassista, si suddivide in sette brani ...
Continue ReadingZach Brock, Matt Ulery, Jon Deitemyer: Wonderment
by Neri Pollastri
Trio classico, ma con la particolarità di avere un violino come prima voce, questa formazione raccoglie tre musicisti che collaborano in varie forme da quindici anni e che operano in modo totalmente paritetico, a cominciare dalla titolarità dei dodici brani, composti quattro a testa. Dei tre il violinista Zach Brock è probabilmente il più noto, in virtù del suo esser parte (ancorché in modo non continuativo) degli acclamati Snarky Puppy, ma il contrabbassista Matt Ulery e il batterista ...
Continue ReadingOff Tour With Sting, Laila Biali Is In Residency At Subculture May 10, 24 & 31 With Guests John Ellis, Jo Lawry And Zach Brock / The Requestomatic Audience Challenge
Source:
Claudia Artzer
Award-winning Canadian pianist, vocalist and songwriter Laila Biali has toured with Grammy award-winners Suzanne Vega, Chris Botti and Paula Cole and has recorded with and supported pop icon Sting. Laila has an acute awareness and appreciation for pop and rock that she combines with her jazz training to create thrilling arrangements. Her recent CD, Live in Concert, captures the intimacy and excitement she generates on stage and the range of music she makes her own from Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, ...
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Zach Brock Quartet Featured On WNYC Soundcheck December 10
Source:
Claudia Artzer
Violinist and composer Zach Brock will be at WNYC FM studios in New York City on Monday, December 10 for an interview and performance on the show SOUNDCHECK with host John Schaefer. The session will stream live and air in early January. Catch Zach and his quartet the next day, December 11, at their debut at Jazz Standard. Zach Brock’s first release on the European label Criss Cross Jazz features top-rank musicians Aaron Goldberg on piano, Matt Penman on bass ...
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Acclaimed Jazz Violinist Zach Brock to Tour Canada and U.S. in Support of His New CD the "Magic Number" Wednesday, March 23rd - Saturday, April 16th
Source:
Buzzword PR
New York, NYBrooklyn-based jazz violinist and composer Zach Brock will perform a series of East Coast and Midwest concert dates from Wednesday, March 23rdSaturday, April 16th. Heralded as the great bright hope for jazz violin" by the Chicago Tribune and as the new cat" that has the stuff" by jazz legend Stanley Clarke, Zach is joined by bassist Matt Wigton and drummer Fred Kennedy as they debut songs from The Magic Number, the fifth CD of his brand of American ...
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Zach Brock and the Coffee Achievers March '07 Tour & Recording
Source:
All About Jazz
Brooklyn-based jazz violinist Zach Brock, who has been described by Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Patricia Barber as the one on whom to place your bets in jazz", will tour parts of the East Coast and Midwest from March 7 to March 20. Zach Brock is joined by his group, The Coffee Achievers, which includes Sam Barsh on piano, Matt Wigton on bass, and Jon Deitemyer on drums. Jazz fans worldwide know Sam Barsh for his tenure in the recent groups of ...
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The Rob Scheps/Zach Brock 5tet continues Midwest Tour
Source:
All About Jazz
Saxophonist Rob Scheps & 5 String Violinist Zach Brock continue their tour with 3 more shows this week. Having already played well received shows in Kansas City, St. Louis & Lexington, KY, the group will appear Thurs. Oct 21 at Nebraska City High School from 1 pm - 2:30 pm in a concert/jazz clinic; Thurs. night Oct. 21 at P.O. Pear's in Lincoln, Nebraska from 7:30 - 10 pm ; and at the venerable showplace Katerina's on W. Irving Pk. ...
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Rob Scheps/Zach Brock Quintet October US tour
Source:
All About Jazz
Stellar saxophonist Rob Scheps ( George Russell, Gil Evans Band,Joey Calderazzo) and wunderkind Zach Brock on 5 -string Violin will tour the Midwest in October, 2004. Confirmed dates include : Sat. October 16 Blue Room, KC, Missouri Thurs. October 21 P.O. Pear's Lincoln,Nebraska ---------- Chicago,Des Moines & Nebraska City are being confirmed. Joining Scheps & Brock are a superb young rhythm section ( all 22 to 24 years old) : Jordan Baskin(piano);Matt Ulery ( bass & tuba) ; and Morgan ...
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The Rob Scheps/Zach Brock 5tet --Midwest Tour in January 2004
Source:
All About Jazz
Saxophonist Rob Scheps teams up with new star, Chicago jazz violinist Zach Brock at the helm of their Chicago based Quintet for a Winter tour. Among the confirmed concerts as of this date: Jan. 15 or 16 Oshkosh, Wisconsin Sat. Jan. 17 NY Mills, Minn. James Mann Performing Arts Center Wed. Jan. 21 Nebraska City, NE Thurs. Jan. 22 Lincoln, NE P O Pear's Rounding out the group: Jordan Baskin (piano) Josh Abrams (bass) Morgan Childs ( drums) www.zachbrock.com www.robscheps.8m.net ...
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Chicago Violinist Zach Brock Launches Site
Source:
All About Jazz
Zach Brock Web site: http://www.zachbrock.com E-mail: [email protected] Booking: Contact J. Love, 5A Arts & Entertainment, 312-455-1262 Chicago is world renowned for it’s unique flavor of Jazz, dating back nearly a century ago when cities were still roaring, cognac was rich, and excitement came with a cigar. Modern Chicago is currently in a Jazz revival with fresh and young faces on the scene. Zach Brock, a violinist, has definitely ...
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Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune "Violinists always have been marginalized in jazz, notwithstanding the silken beauty of Stephane Grappelli's work and the historic contributions of Joe Venuti, Eddie South, Ray Nance and others. For this reason, and others, we should give thanks for the deepening contributions of Brock, whose every phrase argues for the instrument's value in 21st century jazz. Though Brock commands plenty of technique and a vibrantly attractive sound, it's the substance of his musical ideas that commands the most attention. You can hear as much on every track of "Almost Never Was," from the sprightly pizzicato passages of his "Common Ground" to the atmospheric effects of Joe Henderson's "Black Narcissus," from the soulful utterances of "You've Changed" (you'd swear he was playing a viola) to the gorgeous melody line of the title track, a Brock original. The violinist partners effectively with pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland, but it's Brock's soaring lyricism that defines this recording." Neil Tesser, Chicago Jazz Music Examiner "There are good reasons the violin plays so large a role in so many of the world’s musical traditions, starting with the vocality of its timbre and the humanness of its inflection, and ranging from its transcendent held notes to the prick of its pizzicato. Many jazz violinists have mastered some of these capabilities, but only a handful have shown a command of them all – let alone the ability to swing convincingly on the instrument. Brock has all that, and more: his solos have direction and spirit, and they open a window to an ordered but creative musical intelligence. A few other violinists can match Brock’s technique, and in recent years, some of them have attained significant accolades for their improvising – including a couple who can’t solo their way out of a paper bag. Accept no substitutions: Zach Brock is the pre-eminent improvising violinist of his generation." Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times Violinist-composer Zach Brock reveals traces of his main influence, Jean-Luc Ponty, on this daring acoustic trio project featuring Matt Wigton on upright bass and Frederick Kennedy on drums... Brock acquits himself with audacious ingenuity and masterful command of his instrument."
Primary Instrument
Violin
Location
New York City
Willing to teach
Advanced only
Anthony Braxton
woodwindsJimmy Giuffre
clarinetRay Brown
bass, acousticThomas Chapin
saxophonePaul Bley
pianoAri Brown
trumpetMarcus Shelby
bassJoe Fiedler
trombonePaul Dunmall
saxophoneDaysahead
band / ensemble / orchestraArtists who share similar musical characteristics to Zach Brock.