Jazz Articles about Denny Zeitlin

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Denny Zeitlin Trio: In Concert

by Raul d'Gama Rose
February 24, 2009

The art of the trio--piano, bass and drums--is an especially challenging prospect when considering that all three instruments play an essentially rhythmic role in almost any form of music. Thus, utilizing the harmonic extent of those instruments precludes extraordinary understanding of the finite possibilities of each with a view to extending these into the realm of the infinite. To bend and manipulate frequency responses of piano, bass and drums, and to extract and create melodic and harmonic invention requires consummate ...

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Denny Zeitlin: Solo Voyage

by John Kelman
June 24, 2005

Most jazz artists must face the harsh reality that it's almost impossible to sustain a living by making music. Many find themselves having to take alternate employment in order to allow pursuance of their art, and then face the considerable challenge of doing so without impeding their continued development. So perhaps Denny Zeitlin has had it right all along. While managing to generate a world-class reputation as a pianist, he's also maintained a second life as a practicing psychiatrist.

Consequently, ...

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Denny Zeitlin's Solo Voyage

by Bret Primack
June 10, 2005

Will the real Denny Zeitlin please stand up.Since the mid-60s, Jazz listeners have known Denny as an imaginative, audacious pianist who has led Trios, collaborated with bassists Charlie Haden and David Friesen, and mandolin maven David Grisman, and played some wonderful solo music.All this while also serving as a full time psychiatrist, and wait, there's more. He's a Professor at the University of California in San Francisco, as well. In his free (!) time, the Chicago ...

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Denny Zeitlin: Slickrock

by Jim Santella
June 2, 2004

With his straight-ahead acoustic piano trio, Denny Zeitlin improvises over familiar standards and fresh originals. As a practicing psychiatrist in the San Francisco Bay Area, he also teaches at the University of California and lectures on the psychology of improvising. A good teacher should always demonstrate when necessary, and who better for the task than one who’s devoted a lifetime to jazz performance? Zeitlin has juggled two careers to fulfillment, and he continues to demonstrate his capacity to lovers of ...

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Denny Zeitlin: Slickrock

by Louis Heckheimer
June 1, 2004

Denny Zeitlin, one of the most senior but least known of the great jazz piano innovators to arise from the ‘60s, makes his MaxJazz debut with Slickrock. With bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson (his working trio), he explores a collection of three originals, six arrangements of jazz standards and a suite reminiscing about his mountain biking trips in Utah.

They open with a swinging “You and the Night and the Music," expanding into a probing of ...

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Denny Zeitlin: Slickrock

by John Kelman
May 21, 2004

There are those who contend that the only way to have a serious career in music is to make it a full-time profession: a calling if you like. Pianist Denny Zeitlin who, for most of his adult life, has split his professional time between music and a psychiatric practice, is as good an argument as any against that philosophy. While he may not record as frequently as some, his career has been marked by an uncompromising devotion to his craft ...

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Denny Zeitlin Trio: As Long As There's Music

by Glenn Astarita
December 1, 2000

Practicing psychiatrist and jazz pianist extraordinaire, Denny Zeitlin has long been considered one of the finest exponents of his craft and here with, As Long As There’s Music, the artist elegantly performs a series of standards and a few originals along with a top notch rhythm section. Basically, Zeitlin epitomizes taste and flair, while garnering the sympathetic support of bassist Buster Williams and drummer Al Foster, who collectively bring years of seasoned experience to the table, which is quite evident ...