The Squid's Ear Magazine


Clarke, Zack Trio (w/ Kim / Cass / Dre Hocevar): Vertical Shores (Clean Feed)

A lyrical album of original compositions from New York pianist Zack Clarke, in an acoustic jazz piano trio with double bassist Kim Cass and drummer Dre Hocevar, recording in the Systems Two studio in Brooklyn for nine pieces of both optimistic and mercurial temperament, a great example mixing virtuosic form and perceptive communication in a classic configuration.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Zack Clarke-piano

Kim Cass-double bass

Dre Hocevar-drums


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: 5609063005332

Label: Clean Feed
Catalog ID: CF533
Squidco Product Code: 28094

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2019
Country: Portugal
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Systems Two Recording Studios, Brooklyn, New York, on October 13th, 2017, by Rich Lamb.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Pianist and composer Zack Clarke is a worker of forms, expanding the ones he chooses far beyond their conventions. Of course, when manipulating form, Clarke manages all of the inherent idiomatic factors while keeping himself away from any established sublabels, be it "third stream", "fusion" or "collage".

After dealing with electro-acoustic projects including his acclaimed Random Acts of Order and Mesophase, his focus returns to the acoustic jazz piano trio in Vertical Shores. It is in this format that we are able to see Clarke's pianism on full display. Working with great improvisers Kim Cass and Dre Hocevar, the trio pushes into new territory using their shared aesthetic and textural sensibilities as well as a virtuosic technical proficiency between the three.

What interests Clarke and his peers on Vertical Shores is the use of the return to the classic trio configuration as a tool for the purpose of creating a new beginning. The result rewards the listener with a world seen at a different slant."-Clean Feed


Artist Biographies

"Zack Clarke is a pianist and composer currently living and working in New York City. His abilities as a jazz improviser were first recognized while attending Houston's acclaimed High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where he was the recipient of numerous awards, including outstanding soloist awards from the North Texas Jazz Festival and from Downbeat Magazine.

Zack attended The New England Conservatory in Boston, majoring in Jazz Performance. While there, he had the opportunity to study with jazz greats Danilo Perez, Fred Hersch, and Jason Moran. Zack performed regularly in Boston, and upon completion of his Bachelor of Music degree he moved to New York to study with Kenny Werner and attend NYU, where he earned a Masters of Music.

An active session artist and performer, Zack has recorded or shared the stage with a number of prominent artists, including Tyshawn Sorey, Ingrid Laubrock, Daniel Carter, Billy Drewes, Kenny Werner, Sara Serpa, Ralph Alessi and Rich Perry. In addition to his many appearances in Boston and New York, Zack has performed in the UK and has upcoming performances planned in Europe. He has appeared on Luis Antonio Castro's CDs Koyari and Mirrors; Continuum, with the Joe Wagner Quartet; and with percussionist Dre Hocevar on Large Ensemble.

Zack's own recordings reveal a broad musical vocabulary, a love of improvisation and a willingness to explore new forms - from his electronic album Music For Headphones, to Dialectic, a collaboration with cellist Chris Irvine that features free improvisation based on Bach's third cello suites. Zack's most recent album, entitled Random Acts of Order, is set to be released on Clean Feed Records in March of 2017.

In addition to performing and composing, Zack is a dedicated teacher who is grateful for the mentorship he has received from so many fine musicians, and who finds rewards in sharing that knowledge with others. Zack maintains a private piano studio, has worked as adjunct faculty at NYU, and has also taught classes at the Brooklyn Conservatory."

-Zack Clarke Website (http://zackclarke.com/)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Bassist Kim Cass is from an island off the coast of Maine, where he was introduced to bass playing at age 10. He quickly developed a unique style on the electric bass and began playing the upright bass at age 13. Developing this instrument in a jazz context became Kim's passion, as well as composing music featuring his upright playing.

When studying at the New England Conservatory of Music, Cass received personalized instruction from several virtuoso musicians including George Garzone, Ran Blake, Joe Morris and Joe Maneri. Cass currently resides in New York City. He has been featured in a wide variety of ensembles, executing music that is ever challenging and beautifully mysterious. Cass has performed with the likes of Matt Mitchell, Tyshawn Sorey, John Zorn and Bill McHenry. The solo album KIM CASS, released on Table and Chairs, is a showcase of Kim's upright bass playing and compositions. He is currently composing and practicing material for his next recording project, scheduled for 2018."

-Miller Theatre (https://www.millertheatre.com/explore/bios/kim-cass)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Dré A. Hočevar (Ljubljana, 1987) is a Slovenian composer and researcher based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Currently, Hočevar is conducting his PhD studies at the Centre for Research in New Music, CeReNeM, University of Huddersfield, UK. The central subject of his research and composition praxis is .meta [dynamic cognitive-apparatus formation, application, and analysis systems]. Dré A. Hočevar is the artistic director and founder of .alfabet, Institute for Research in Art, Critical Thought and Philosophy, and is frequently leading workshops, seminars, and lectures in composition, performance and research. Hočevar's teachers include Steve Lehman, Peter Ablinger, Joe Morris, Michael Carvin, Alexander J. Harker and Aaron Cassidy."

-Dre Hocevar Website (https://opus-i.io)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Foreign Waters 5:28

2. Toward Helios 7:35

3. Aggressive Deja Vu 6:00

4. Beneath The Storm 3:45

5. Lost In Ripples 5:40

6. Outer Orbit 4:04

7. Orphean Wind 7:17

8. Anxious Bodies 8:06

9. Shadows Of Anxious Bodies 6:54

Related Categories of Interest:


Clean Feed
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Trio Recordings
Melodic and Lyrical Jazz
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Search for other titles on the label:
Clean Feed.


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The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

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