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ALBUM REVIEW July 23, 2019

Zach Brock / Matt Ulery / Jon Deitmeyer: Wonderment

Read "Wonderment" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

A bold, enticing recording, Wonderment vividly captures all the energy and creative frisson that seems to stream endlessly from three of modern music's leading creators, Grammy-winning violinist Zack Brock, in-demand bassist and Woolgathering Records founder Matt Ulery, and drummer Jon Deitmeyer. Having played together in Chicago's burgeoning jazz atmosphere since 2005, Wonderment is the trio's debut and one to remember beyond the inevitable best-of-2019 lists. Brock's dervish swooping swirls and lengthy high wails may be the lead instrument ...

CATCHING UP WITH September 12, 2018

Zach Brock: Jazz Violin's New Wave

By Angelo Leonardi

Best known for his work with Snarky Puppy, Zach Brock is among the most creative violinists of his generation. Zach Brock is bringing the violin back to center stage. Influenced by European masters of the seventies like Jean-Luc Ponty, Zbigniew Seifert, Didier Lockwood, Brock has widened his perspective from modern jazz to rock, finding a synthesis that connects classical precision with a strong melodic sense and remarkable improvisational skills. Brock has recorded and toured with the likes of Stanley Clarke ...

ALBUM REVIEW April 8, 2014

Zach Brock: Purple Sounds

By John Kelman

Virtuosity isn't defined by notes-per-minute; true virtuosity is instrumental mastery surrendering to the demands of the song. Sometimes that can mean shredding with furious intensity, yes; but the real deal also respects music that demands less, rather than more. Violinist Zach Brock is, indeed, the real deal, and Purple Sounds, his second release for Holland's Criss Cross label, finds Brock and his stellar quartet playing exactly what's needed: nothing less; but equally, nothing more. Beyond two Brock originals, ...

CATCHING UP WITH August 8, 2013

Zach Brock: The New Meritocracy of Jazz

By George Colligan

[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth]About a month or so ago, I had the pleasure of performing in a duo setting with violinist Zach Brock. I've known Brock for years; we met and played together a few times in New York City. However, this was our first time really playing in a creative, intimate setting. Brock is, in my humble opinion, one of the best--if not the best--jazz violinist out there ...

MIX TAPE April 19, 2011

Some Things That I Love

By Zach Brock

Here is some of the music that I love. There is no way for me to reflect everything that I'm listening to in one playlist, but this is at least a partial representation of some of the sounds that were in my head as I wrote for my new CD The Magic Number. TrackNameTimeArtistAlbum1And Your Dream Comes True1:5The Beach BoysPerfect Harmony2Zhivago9:4Kurt RosenwinkelThe Next Step3Late November7:7Bobby AveyA New Face4On A Good Day1:48Joanna NewsomHave One On Me5Tango Pajdusko5:40Eastern BlokFolk ...

ALBUM REVIEW August 18, 2008

Zach Brock and the Coffee Achievers: Live At The Jazz Factory

By Budd Kopman

The relentlessly cooking and very original Live At The Jazz Factory is the third album from violinist Zach Brock's band, The Coffee Achievers, following their eponymous 2003 debut on Secret Fort and Chemistry (Secret Fort, 2005). The violin in jazz, especially that of the mainstream, can't get no respect, despite Regina Carter's 2006 MacArthur Award. Brock wishes to remedy that situation, composing and playing jazz that is mainstream by default, only because it is not avant-garde. Indeed, ...