| Show All |
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 |
| Peter Zak (2012) | |
|---|---|
| Growing up first in Ohio and later in Oakland, California, Peter Zak studied classical piano, turning to jazz as a late teenager.
By the time he graduated in History from UC Berkeley, Peter had already been playing with John Handy and Frank Morgan. He's been in New York City for over two decades now, and has played or recorded with the likes of Junior Cook, Jimmy Cobb, Billy Hart, Ryan Kisor, Al Foster, Eric Alexander, Walt Weiskopf (a lot of recordings), and vocalists Jon Hendricks and Curtis Stigers. He is on the faculty of the New School. Since 2005, Peter has released a series of excellent recordings for the Danish label SteepleChase ("Seed of Sin" received four stars from Mitch Meyers in "Down Beat" in 2009). Also in 2005, he received a $10,000 grant from the Doris Duke Foundation and Chamber Music America to compose and perform new works for his jazz trio with Paul Gill and Al Foster. The "New York Times" refers to "a bouquet of self-assured solo piano performances." Peter has also been called "highly focused", "thoughtful", "poised", and "a savvy bandleader". |
| Pick | Artist | Album | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # 1 | McCoy Tyner | The Real McCoy | Passion Dance | Blue Note |
| # 2 | Bud Powell | Jazz Giant | Tempus Fugit | Verve |
| # 3 | Herbie Hancock | Thrust | Actual Proof | Columbia |
| # 4 | Maurice Ravel | Arturo Benedetti: Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 12 & No. 4/Debussy, Hommage à Rameau/Ravel, Gaspard de la Nuit | Ondine from "Gaspard de la Nuit" | BBC |
| # 5 | Dexter Gordon | Go | Three O'Clock in the Morning | Blue Note |
| # 6 | Donny Hathaway | Everything Is Everything | Everything Is Everything | Atlantic |
| # 7 | Thelonious Monk | Standards | I Love You Sweetheart of All My Dreams | Columbia |
| # 8 | Peter Zak | Down East | Sector 7 | SteepleChase |
| Book | Robert A. Caro, "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York" | |||
| Luxury Item | "My Sony PlayStation 3 ... TV, and an Internet connection" | |||
| Tim Garland
26 Apr Ben Goldberg 01 Mar Lua Hadar 08 Mar | Molly Holm
19 Apr Remy Le Boeuf 15 Mar Stephanie Nakasian 18 Jan | Marlena Shaw
29 Mar Ben Sidran 12 Apr |