Piedmont Piano Company is pleased to present
The Dann Zinn 4
with Taylor Eigsti
The Dann Zinn 4 is a working band featuring Dann Zinn on saxophone, Taylor Eigsti on piano, Zach Ostroff on bass, and Mark Ferber on drums. This performance will feature Dann’s original music written specifically for this group, and they will be recording a CD in the days following this show. The music is a dynamic blend of Contemporary Jazz, World Music, and Americana, with memorable melodies and intense improvisations.
$20 General Admission
“Dann Zinn is a game changer, who is taking jazz in new directions.” As a world-class saxophonist/flutist, Zinn is renowned for being a passionate soloist and composer/arranger. Hailed over the years as “inventive,” “distinctive,” and for “creating a stunning and emotional listening experience,” Zinn has developed a unique style distinguishing him as a one of a kind artist with a tone unlike any other horn player on the jazz scene today.
Zinn’s resume includes working with Peter Erskine, Taylor Eigsti, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Mary Wells, Martha and the Vandellas, and Barry Finnerty, among others. Zinn has been featured on numerous CDs, and has produced four of his own; Ten Songs, Wish, Grace’s Song, and the newest, Shangri La. DownBeat Magazine gave Shangri La a Four Star review, and listed it as one of the best albums of 2015. Zinn has toured around the world, and played on distinguished stages including a Top Ten, Must See at the 2015 Monterey Jazz Festival with Peter Erskine, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, and Yoshi’s Night Spot, where he has played to sold-out crowds.
As an educator, Zinn’s resume includes Director of Jazz Studies at the California State University East Bay, Director of Jazz Studies at Chabot College, Director of the San Francisco Jazz Festival High School All Star Combo, faculty of the University of California at Berkeley, The California Jazz Conservatory, and The Brubeck Institute. Zinn’s private studio is home to multiple winners of full scholarships to the nation’s top Jazz college programs and all star bands. Zinn and the Art of Saxophone is the newly published series of six technique books based on Zinn’s 30 years of teaching experience. dannzinn.com
"Eigsti exudes fearlessness and joy, secure in the belief that he can make music with anyone." –Variety Magazine
33-year old New York-based pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti started playing the piano when he was four years old. Growing up in the Bay Area, Eigsti was quickly labeled a prodigy, and has since released 7 albums as a leader, garnering multiple individual GRAMMY Award nominations for his work as a recording artist and composer, including Best Instrumental Composition, and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. Recently, Eigsti also contributed a featured composition on the 2017 GRAMMY-winning soundtrack to the motion picture Miles Ahead, starring Don Cheadle.
Eigsti has performed, toured, or recorded with such luminaries as Dave Brubeck, Joshua Redman, Joshua Bell, Esperanza Spalding, Chris Botti, Sting, John Mayer, Terence Blanchard, James Moody, Chris Potter, Nicholas Payton, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gretchen Parlato, Julian Lage, Hank Jones, and Frederica Von Stade, among many others over the years. Eigsti has travelled internationally quite extensively over the years both as a sideman and with his trio and quartet, performing at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Royal Festival Hall, Olympia Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Salle Pleyel, and many top festivals throughout the world throughout six continents.
Eigsti has performed as a soloist with many premiere symphony orchestras, including the New York Pops, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, and many others. Eigsti has also composed a large repertoire of symphonic music for multiple collaborations with the Peninsula Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Bear Valley Chamber Orchestra, amongst others. Eigsti has also been featured numerous times in various television specials, NPR appearances, commercials, and composed the theme music to the motion picture Detachment (2011) starring Oscarwinner Adrien Brody, collaborating on the score with the Newton Brothers. tayjazz.com
Zachary Ostroff is a 24-year-old bassist, film composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and environmental entrepreneur. In 2017, Ostroff has been leading development of the world’s first 3D-printed, compostable, recyclable surfboard, while composing and performing scores for forthcoming films like Taro Tamai. In 2016, he premiered "Vote for Home" the first web video series to feature well-known musical artists discussing the current impact of climate change on hometowns in the United States, while helping register viewers to vote in the upcoming 2016 US election. In 2014, Ostroff performed for President Obama and the UN in New York City during COP20 and made his debut performance as a leader at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.. He was also featured in the HBO Series Masterclass performing with Joshua Bell in New York and London. He's performed at jazz festivals and concert venues internationally and currently resides in an ex-poetry commune boat in Sausalito, California. zacharyo.com
Drummer Mark Ferber can be heard on over 100 recordings. Ongoing projects includes the Gary Peacock Trio, Ralph Alessi’s ‘This Against That’, the Brad Shepik organ trio, and his twin brother, Alan Ferber’s big band and nonet. Past work includes tours and recordings with Lee Konitz, Jonathan Kreisberg, Jack Wilkins, Don Byron, Fred Hersch, Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, and John O'Gallagher, among others. Mark has taught extensively in the United States and Europe. He was a faculty member for the Maine Jazz Camp, the Tavira Jazz Workshop in Portugal, the School of Improvisational Music (SIM), and is currently teaching privately out of the City College of New York. He was born and raised in Moraga, CA and received a degree in Biogeography from UCLA. Mark is an endorsing artist for Istanbul Cymbals. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. markferber.bluemusicgroup.com