Mike Richmond - Tones For Joan’s Bones (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2018)

As some of the critics have predicted, Richmond put together another quality cello album here again.

Mike Richmond the Philadelphia-born award-winning bass player with vast experience including playing with Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Horace Silver, to mention a few is also a dedicated educator receiving a Teacher of the Year Award from New York University (1994). After the release of his previous album “The Pendulum” SCCD 31826 Richmond has been frequently performing cello as his main instrument.

“Mike Richmond’s beautiful new recording – his 11th as a leader – is the first on which he plays cello exclusively .… Richmond and his quartet of seasoned players give the music a ‘singing’ quality something Richmond seeks in all his playing.” (Donald Elfman – New York City Jazz Record on The Pendulum SCCD 31826)

MIKE RICHMOND cello

PETER ZAK piano

JAY ANDERSON bass

BILLY DRUMMOND drums

1 BE MY LOVE (Nicolas Brodzsky) 7:43

2 BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP (Donald Kahn) 7:16

3 DOLPHIN DANCE (Herbie Hancock) 9:02

4 SOUL EYES (Mal Waldron) 5:48

5 I’VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE (Frank Loesser) 7:40

6 I LOVE PARIS (Cole Porter) 7:24

7 BREA’S LULLABY (Luciano Salvatore) 7:31

8 TONES FOR JOAN’S BONES (Chick Corea) 6:56

Sam Dillon - Out In The Open (CELLAR LIVE September 7, 2018)

Sam Dillon (tenor sax)

Billy Drummond (drums)

Yoshi Waki (bass)

Peter Zak (piano)

1 I Hear A Rhapsody

2 Peace

3 Out In The Open

4 Triste

5 Night And Day

6 Everything Happens To Me

7 Untitled

8 New Blues

9 Third Stone From The Sun

Recorded at Trading 8s Recording Studio in Paramus, New Jersey on January 13, 2018 by Chris Sulit

Peter Zak - One Mind (feat. Marcos Verela) FRESH SOUND RECORDS 2018

"Peter Zak is a pianist of extraordinary talent and virtuosity. His latest CD exhibits mature, sensitive and high level creativity at its best."

Dr. Eddie Henderson (trumpeter)

01. For Sonny 8:22

02. Backseat Driver 6:33

03. George Washington 7:03

04. I Wish I Lived in LA 7:01

05. Where the Wild Things Are 7:52 

06. Moonlight Over Saturnvelen 7:35

07. Textures 5:52

08. So In Love 7:02

09. Reflections 4:51

All compositions by Peter Zak, except #5 by Marcos Varela; #7 by Herbie Hancock; #8 by Cole Porter, arranged by Peter Zak; #9 by Thelonious Monk.

Peter Zak (piano)

Seamus Blake (tenor sax)

Marcos Varela (bass)

Billy Drummond (drums)

Recorded at Tedesco Studios, Paramus, New Jersey, on May 26, 2017

Sound engineer: Tom Tedesco

Mixed & mastered by Katherine Miller

Cover art by Josh Pazda

Produced by Peter Zak & Marcos Varela

Executive producer: Jordi Pujol

Mike Richmond Cello Quartet - The Pendulum (SteepleChase Records 2017)

Mike Richmond, Grammy Award-winning bassist with vast experience with leaders such as Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Horace Silver, Jack DeJohnette, Gil Evans, Chet Baker to mention a few, leads here his own group with cello as his instrument for the first time. Cello as a jazz instrument is still a rarity but its history goes back to the 50s when Oscar Pettiford broke new ground. Richmond put together this all-Pettiford-composition album to honor the pioneer.

“…Dance for Andy is one of those rare CDs that sustain interest through a 70-minute-plus duration.” (Richard Cook & Brian Morton – The Penguin Guide on SCCD 31267)

“Richmond is as nimble fingered and resourceful a bassist we have heard in some time.” (New York Daily News)

01 THE PENDULUM AT FALCON’S LAIR 6:43

02 CELLO AGAIN 6:21

03 TWO LITTLE PEARLS 8:59

04 LAVERNE WALK 6:18

05 WHY NOT? THAT’S WHAT? 7:29

06 TRICOTISM 7:01

07 TAMALPAIS LOVE SONG TO THE WINDS 7:33

08 MY LITTLE CELLO 6:39

09 OSCALYPSO 8:53

MIKE RICHMOND cello

PETER ZAK piano

JAY ANDERSON bass

BILLY DRUMMOND drums

Stephen Riley & Peter Zak - Deuce (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2017)

Stephen Riley started his recording career with SteepleChase in 2005 with an amazing (and unusual) piano-less trio SCCD 31584 Inside Out. Since then he had more often than not opted for the piano-less format until he recorded his 2013 quartet release SCCD 31765 Lover with Peter Zak on piano.

Riley and Zak started performing as duo and made their first duo release SCCD 31806 Haunted Heart to critical and public acclaim. So here’s “Deuce” to follow up by the empathic twosome.

“…This session is his third meeting with pianist Peter Zak, whose sensitive accompaniment allows Riley the breathing room he thought could only be found in pianoless groups. This time, however, it’s just the pair, finding new avenues through a mix of jazz standards and gems from the Great American Songbook. Without timekeeping by a rhythm section, the players rely on intuition to anticipate their joint path…. With Haunted Heart, Stephen Riley and Peter Zak have achieved that rare chemistry that demands future projects together.”
(Ken Dryden, New York City Jazz Record on “Haunted Heart” SCCD 31806)

STEPHEN RILEY tenor saxophone

PETER ZAK piano

1 PLEASE (Ralph Rainger) 7:50

2 LOVER MAN (Ram Ramirez) 7:01

3 EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME (Matt Dennis) 5:51

4 INTERLUDE 1 (Stephen Riley) 1:31

5 TETRAGON (Joe Henderson) 6:45

6 INTERLUDE 2 (Stephen Riley) 0:48

7 WHO? (Jerome Kern) 6:07

8 SHALA (Peter Zak) 6:28

9 PANNONICA (Thelonious Monk) 6:16

10 INTERLUDE 3 (Stephen Riley) 1:46

11 EXACTLY LIKE YOU (Jimmy McHugh) 7:29

12 WITHOUT A SONG (Vincent Youmans) 8:30

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Peter Zak - Standards (2016)

Label:

Source: Peter Zak

Genre: Piano trio

GAB's Rating: ★★★★☆

The  bar  for  piano  trios  that  take  on  a  set  of  standards  sits  so  high  that  it might as well be the high jump competition  at  the  Olympics.  Not  only does  Keith  Jarrett’s  rapturous  standards trio come immediately to mind, but close behind are pianists as diverse
as Bill Charlap, Kenny Barron, Fred Hersch and Ethan Iverson, to say nothing of the legendary trios led by Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and many others.
The obvious question is: What are you going to bring the party?
For  veteran  pianist  Peter  Zak,  the  approach  is  truly  unique,  if  not brave, given the format and the material. Zak put the band together specifically  for  the  recording,  and  had  never  even  played  with  bassist  Jay Anderson  (drummer  Billy  Drummond  rounds  out  the  trio).  He  held no rehearsals, picked some songs that weren’t in his own repertoire and recorded everything in one afternoon.
The results, particularly considering that background, are quite good, if not spectacular. Here, Zak steers a center course, sticking close to the melodies and not throwing his unfamiliar bandmates any surprising rhythmic or harmonic curveballs. These are solid, interesting pieces—things of beauty on their own, and things of beauty in this trio’s capable hands. James Hale

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