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.
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.
"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