Michael Zilber
Encyclopedia
Michael Zilber, whom jazz
legend Dave Liebman
calls “one of the best composers and players around anywhere, period!”, was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts in his late teens and to New York City
in his early twenties. He has performed and/or recorded with Dizzy Gillespie
, Sonny Stitt
, Dave Liebman
, Miroslav Vitous
, Bob Berg
, Dave Douglas
, Rachel Z
, and Narada Michael Walden
, among many others.
While in New York
, Zilber recorded two critically acclaimed OWL-EMI Records as a leader, "The Heretic" and "Stranger in Brooklyn", which was named one of the top 30 CDs of all time by Jazzfusion.com.
Since his move to San Francisco, Michael has performed in numerous musical settings as a leader and sideman, including co-leading a quartet featuring the renowned drummer Steve Smith
and directing CARMA, the Bay Area's "all-star Jazz Orchestra".
Michael's 2000 release, the critically hailed "Two Coasts", features Steve Smith
, Rachel Z
, James Genus
, and Rodney Holmes. This CD was a finalist for the 2001 Independent Music Awards Jazz Record of the Year.
In 2003 Zilber and Smith released a top 20 jazz recording on Blue Jay records entitled "Reimagined" which Michael Brecker called truly amazing and David Liebman said was the next step forward in reworking jazz standards. That same year, Zilber and Liebman were the featured artists on Jazzschool Records inaugural release, "Live at the Jazzschool".
Michael's next release, in 2005 was a reunion with his East Coast comrades Liebman, Bruce Barth, James Genus and Clarence Penn, and featured all original compositions, and was Zilber's first release to be primarily available online.
Current projects include recordings and performances with guitar master John Stowell
, as well as ongoing performances and recordings with the 3 horn band Happy Hour.
Zilber is currently finishing up recording a song cycle of poems set to music, poems by the world-renowned American poet Billy Collins.
He is the artistic director of the newly announced Yoshi's-Jazzschool Institute for developing artists and audiences, which will begin operation in fall 2008.
He is teaching music classes online at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, California.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
legend Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
calls “one of the best composers and players around anywhere, period!”, was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts in his late teens and to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in his early twenties. He has performed and/or recorded with Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
, Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
, Miroslav Vitous
Miroslav Vitouš
Miroslav Ladislav Vitouš , is a Czech jazz bassist.-Biography:Born in Prague, he began the violin at age six, and started playing the piano at age ten, and bass at fourteen. As a young man in Europe, Vitouš was a competitive swimmer. One of his early music groups was the Junior Trio with his...
, Bob Berg
Bob Berg
Bob Berg was a jazz saxophonist originally from Brooklyn, New York City. He started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He began playing the saxophone at the age of thirteen. Bob Berg was a Juilliard graduate influenced heavily by the late 1964–67 period...
, Dave Douglas
Dave Douglas (trumpeter)
Dave Douglas is an American jazz trumpeter and composer whose music derives from many non-jazz musical styles, including classical music, folk music from European countries and Klezmer. He has been a member of the experimental big band Orange Then Blue...
, Rachel Z
Rachel Z
Rachel Carmel Nicolazzo better known as Rachel Z, is a jazz pianist. She attended the Berklee College of Music Summer School and Manhattan School of Music pre-college, where she launched the quintet, Nardis, whilst studying with Joanne Brackeen and Richie Beirach in NYC. Later Rachel Z graduated...
, and Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden is an American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter. He was given the name Narada by guru Sri Chinmoy in the early 1970s and his musical career spans three decades, in which he was awarded several gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards...
, among many others.
While in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Zilber recorded two critically acclaimed OWL-EMI Records as a leader, "The Heretic" and "Stranger in Brooklyn", which was named one of the top 30 CDs of all time by Jazzfusion.com.
Since his move to San Francisco, Michael has performed in numerous musical settings as a leader and sideman, including co-leading a quartet featuring the renowned drummer Steve Smith
Steve Smith (musician)
Steve Elliott Smith is an American drummer who has worked with hundreds of artists in his career, but is mostly known for being the drummer of the rock band Journey during their peak years of success. Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row...
and directing CARMA, the Bay Area's "all-star Jazz Orchestra".
Michael's 2000 release, the critically hailed "Two Coasts", features Steve Smith
Steve Smith (musician)
Steve Elliott Smith is an American drummer who has worked with hundreds of artists in his career, but is mostly known for being the drummer of the rock band Journey during their peak years of success. Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row...
, Rachel Z
Rachel Z
Rachel Carmel Nicolazzo better known as Rachel Z, is a jazz pianist. She attended the Berklee College of Music Summer School and Manhattan School of Music pre-college, where she launched the quintet, Nardis, whilst studying with Joanne Brackeen and Richie Beirach in NYC. Later Rachel Z graduated...
, James Genus
James Genus
James Genus is an American jazz bassist. He plays both electric bass guitar and upright bass and currently plays in the Saturday Night Live Band. Genus has performed as a session musician and sideman throughout his career, with an impressive list of artists with whom he has worked.Genus was born...
, and Rodney Holmes. This CD was a finalist for the 2001 Independent Music Awards Jazz Record of the Year.
In 2003 Zilber and Smith released a top 20 jazz recording on Blue Jay records entitled "Reimagined" which Michael Brecker called truly amazing and David Liebman said was the next step forward in reworking jazz standards. That same year, Zilber and Liebman were the featured artists on Jazzschool Records inaugural release, "Live at the Jazzschool".
Michael's next release, in 2005 was a reunion with his East Coast comrades Liebman, Bruce Barth, James Genus and Clarence Penn, and featured all original compositions, and was Zilber's first release to be primarily available online.
Current projects include recordings and performances with guitar master John Stowell
John Stowell
John Stowell is an American Jazz guitarist, composer, author and lecturer.- Biography :Stowell, who plays electric and acoustic guitar, raised in Connecticut had private studies with Linc Chamberland and John Mehegan...
, as well as ongoing performances and recordings with the 3 horn band Happy Hour.
Zilber is currently finishing up recording a song cycle of poems set to music, poems by the world-renowned American poet Billy Collins.
He is the artistic director of the newly announced Yoshi's-Jazzschool Institute for developing artists and audiences, which will begin operation in fall 2008.
He is teaching music classes online at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, California.