Throughout the first ten years of his career as a jazz violinist, Zach Brock has shunned conventional notions of his instrument's role in the jazz idiom. He has been heralded by Blue Note artist and MacArthur Grant recipient Patricia Barber as "the one on whom to place your bets in jazz" and lionized as "the great bright hope for jazz violin" by the
Chicago Tribune. Brock's wide-ranging accomplishments as a performer, composer, bandleader, and producer place him in the company of today's leading "indie jazz" innovators.
Brock's newest band, Arrival/Departure, which features guitar phenomenon John McLean and vocal sensation Grazyna Auguscik, has emerged from Brock's role in the upcoming independent documentary film Passion, a tribute to the late Polish virtuoso jazz violinist Zbigniew Seifert, produced and directed by Erin Harper. The new project offers a fresh take on the music of Seifert while presenting new music by Brock that is informed by the inspirations of Seifert's life and work.
Brock's arrival on the international jazz scene is a culmination of five years with his first ensemble, The Coffee Achievers. Originally convened for Brock's debut recording, The Coffee Achievers progressed from a circuit of Midwest jazz clubs to performing at the Tudo e Jazz Festival in Ouro Preto, Brazil. The group also produced three recordings and a live DVD on Brock's own label, Secret Fort Records.
Brock's growing reputation as a jazz performer has recently been heralded by magazines such as Downbeat, which confirmed his status as a "rising star," Strings magazine, and the College Music Journal. The Los Angeles Times called Brock "an intriguing young artist with a bright future"; the Chicago Tribune praised Brock's "rising stature as the rare jazz fiddler with something significant to say."
While working as bandleader, composer and producer, Brock still makes time to expand his resume, collaborating with an impressive roster of celebrated artists such as bassist Stanley Clarke, vocalist/pianist Patricia Barber, and drummer Dennis Chambers, as well as Alice Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette, Mose Allison, Kurt Elling, Chris Potter, John McLean, Grazyna Auguscik, Matt Ulery, The Mahavishnu Project and Eastern Blok.
Brock plans to tour with Arrival/Departure upon the release of the group's new CD and the distribution of Passion, continuing, as he has done throughout his career, to reshape the conventional notions of jazz violin.
Career Highlights
2008/2009
- Interviewer and performer in Passion: A Music Documentary
- Performing with legendary bassist and composer Stanley Clarke
- Recording and touring with new sextet "Arrival/Departure"
2007
- Coffee Achievers record their third CD and first DVD, "Live at the Jazz Factory"
- Performer on the soundtrack for the dramatic cultural critique Arranged (SXSW Festival 2007)
2006
- October 2006, performer with Alice and Ravi Coltrane, Reggie Workman, and Jack DeJohnette as part of Alice Coltrane's "Translinear Light" concert and it's subsequent recording
- The Coffee Achievers international debut at the Tudo e Jazz Festival in Ouro Preto, Brazil
Performer on the acclaimed documentary Black Gold (Sundance Festival 2006)
2005
- Coffee Achievers record sophomore CD, "Chemistry"
- Recognized by Downbeat Magazine as a new "Rising Star" and later featured in the magazine's "Player's Profile"
- Coffee Achievers perform at Carnegie Hall as part of Dave Douglas residency
2003
- Released debut solo recording, "Zach Brock and The Coffee Achievers", on his own record label, Secret Fort Records
2002
- Awarded a scholarship to participate in Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead 2002 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a selective jazz residency that "identifies outstanding, emerging artists and brings them together under the tutelage of experienced artist-instructors"
2001
- Appeared as guest soloist with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble under the direction of William Russo in a performance of Duke Ellington's masterpiece "Black, Brown, and Beige"
2000
- Awarded a grant by the National Endowment For The Humanities and The Smithsonian Institution to fund a lecture and concert illuminating early American jazz violin pioneers and their impact on the jazz culture in Paris, France during the 1920s and 30s
100-Word Bio
Jazz violinist Zach Brock has been heralded by Blue Note artist and MacArthur Grant recipient Patricia Barber as "the one on whom to place your bets in jazz" and lionized as "the great bright hope for jazz violin" by the Chicago Tribune. His wide-ranging professional accomplishments place him in the company of today's leading "indie jazz" innovators. In addition to work with his new sextet, Arrival/Departure, Brock is currently touring with jazz legend Stanley Clarke. In 2009 Brock will make his international film debut as part of Passion, a documentary about forgotten jazz violin pioneer Zbigniew Seifert.
