- Rachel Z
Infobox Artist
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name = Rachel Z
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birthname = Rachel Carmel Nicolazzo
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location =New York City
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field = Jazz pianist
training =Berklee College of Music Summer School
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works = "see below"
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influenced by =Miles Davis ,Wayne Shorter
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awards =Rachel Carmel Nicolazzo better known as Rachel Z, is a
jazz pianist. She attended theBerklee College of Music Summer School andManhattan School of Music Pre-College , where she launched the quintet, Nardis, whilst studying withJoanne Brackeen andRichie Beirach in NYC. Later Rachel Z graduated from theNew England Conservatory with a 'Distinction in Performance' award. Meanwhile she was playing professionally in and aroundBoston in a small group.In
1988 , Rachel returned to New York and co-wrote Tokyo Blue with schoolmate turned pro-saxophonist Najee and then played mostlykeyboards with classic fusion bandSteps Ahead where leaderMike Mainieri suggested she altered her name as to be easier to pronounce.Rachel Z remained with Steps Ahead until
1996 ; however, she collaborated with a number of different artists during this time, establishing her name within the jazz scene. In1995 she worked withWayne Shorter , on his album "High Life", which won aGrammy forBest Contemporary Jazz Album . She was responsible for the CD's synthesized orchestral settings, acoustic piano solos and several concurrent world tours.While signed to Columbia by Dr.George Butler, she released an influential CD "Trust the Universe" which was unique in featuring a jazz A side with Charnette Moffett and Al Foster and an electric jazz B side with Lenny White and Victor Bailey. Her next solo CD ,"Room of One's Own-a tribute to Women Artists" featured arrangements by Maria Schneider and Alvaro Cordero. "Room" won 4 stars in Downbeat and extensive critical acclaim for the original compositions and wind ensemble arrangements.
In
1999 Rachel Z was a part of a jazz fusion project byStanley Clarke andLenny White . The effort, simply called "Vertu", featured such artists asKaren Briggs on violin,Richie Kotzen on guitar. The album received a very positive review from "All About Jazz". [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=4150 Vertu review at All About Jazz] ] (Clarke and White played together withChick Corea inReturn to forever ). She dedicated "A Room of One’s Own" to the many women artists who have played a significant role in her life. Her characteristic musical intelligence and development of her genre has made her one of the most exciting female jazz musicians of the twenty-first century.In 2002, having formed a trio with Bobbie Rae, she created a tribute to Joni Mitchell called Moon at the Window. This trio group continues to record New Standards and formulate complex arrangements of pop and jazz tunes and has 5 CDs released to date.
Intermittently, Rachel Z experimented with her own rock group Peacebox as a vocalist and Bobbie Rae as the producer. During this time she was also working with the Italian legend
Pino Daniele with whom she first began working in 1996. She later toured withPeter Gabriel during his Growing Up tours from2002 to2006 , which gave Rachel the opportunity to widen her fan base and work with renownedbassist Tony Levin . Her recent project, titledDept. of Good and Evil , featuresdrummer and husband Bobby Rae andbassist Maeve Royce . This trio's mission is unity and its ideas for transforming modern pop songs into jazz masterpieces using the jazz tradition as a benchmark for innovative and imaginative arrangements have thrust this group into the forefront of modern jazz.Discography
*"Yin Yang"Steps Ahead(NYC,1990)
*"Trust The Universe" (Columbia, 1993)
*"Room Of One's Own" (NYC, 1996)
*"Love Is The Power" (GRP Records, 1998)
*"Vertu" (project withStanley Clarke andLenny White ) (Sony Music, 1999)
*"On The Milkyway Express: A Tribute to Wayne Shorter" (Tone Center, 2000)
*"Moon At The Window: Jazz Impressions Of Joni Mitchell" (Tone Centre, 2002)
*"First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Venus, 2003)
*"Everlasting" (Tone Centre, 2004)
*"Grace" (Chesky, 2005)
*"Highlife"(Wayne Shorter) 1996
*"Growing Up Live DVD"(Realworld)Peter Gabriel 2004
*"Greatest Hits(Realworld) Peter Gabriel 2005
*"More Growing Up Live" Peter Gabriel 2006
*"Mortal(Artistshare)2006
*"Dept of Good and Evil(Savoy Jazz/WEA) 2007References
External links
* [http://www.rachelz.com rachelz.com]
* [http://www.petergabriel.com petergabriel.com]
* [http://www.stanleyclarke.com stanleyclarke.com]
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