Michael Zilber's Originals for the ORIGINALS
Friday 7 April 2017 at 8:00pm The Berkeley Hillside Club is delighted to present our friend, saxophonist and composer Michael Zilber with a program of his original compositions written in honor of seven shining lights of the jazz saxophone. Joining Mike for this gig will be Matt Clark, Peter Barshay, and Hamir Atwal. Don't miss these remarkable artists performing in our historic and acoustically-excellent hall. The Artists: Michael Zilber - saxophones
Matt Clark - piano
Peter Barshay - bass
Hamir Atwal - drums
special guest:
Zachary Shubert - piano
The Program: In a tribute to saxophone giants, one of the Bay Area's top saxophonists Michael Zilber performs all original music from his new ORIGIN CD, Originals for the ORIGINALS, written in homage to John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker, Sonny Rollins, Paul Desmond and Joe Henderson. Hailed by leading jazz critics such as Andrew Gilbert and Bill Milkowski, Zilber's 11th release as a leader is being widely described as his best and most personal recording. Zilber will be joined at The Hillside Club by the outstanding rhythm section of pianist Matt Clark, bassist Peter Barshay and drummer Hamir Atwal. Opening for the group will be jazz piano prodigy Zachary Shubert, the pianist with the SFJAZZ ALL STARS and the Downbeat-award-winning Jazzschool Advanced Jazz Workshop. About the Artists: Michael Zilber is a San Francisco-based saxophonist and composer. Jazz legend Dave Liebman calls him “one of the best players and composers around anywhere. Period!” He has released 10 albums as a leader to numerous rave reviews, the latest being Originals for the Originals, his homage to saxophone giants. Featuring jazz greats Dave Kikoski, James Genus and Clarence Penn, the album was released in January 2017. In late 2016, he and guitar virtuoso John Stowell released Basement Blues, their 3rd recording together on Origin Records. Zilber is currently a sideman in trumpeter/composer Erik Jekabson’s Stringtet, as well as playing and composing for the highly regarded Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, whose recent release Cheap Rent received 4.5 stars in DownBeat. Zilber also teaches at the California Jazz Conservatory where his student groups have won more than a dozen national DownBeat awards. Pianist Matt Clark is a masterful artist who evolved from a child prodigy into a pillar of the San Francisco jazz scene. After his formal education at Ohio’s prestigious Oberlin Conservatory, Clark planted roots in the Bay Area and quickly became a first-call rhythm section player, working steadily with an impressive list of jazz heavyweights including Bobby Hutcherson, Marcus Shelby and Joshua Redman. In addition to his sparkling résumé as a sideman, he’s led a pair of sessions for the Elixir label that focus on the work of composer/arranger Ron Ermini, both featuring esteemed bassist John Shifflet and veteran drummer David Rokeach. Peter Barshay is a veteran bassist who has established a strong reputation over the years from his sideman work on both the New York City and Bay Area jazz scenes. He has performed with such jazz luminaries as Milt Jackson, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Woody Shaw, Pharoah Sanders, Blue Mitchell, Tony Williams, Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano, Johnny Griffin, Bobby McFerrin, Jimmy Rowles, Tommy Flanagan, the Mingus Big Band, Victor Lewis, Lou Donaldson, Lew Tabackin and Joe Chambers. Barshay began cello lessons at age nine. During his year at the San Francisco Conservatory Peter was able to add one particularly impressive name to his resume. "I actually got to play under Igor Stravinksy," he explains. "It was for the official opening of Zellerbach Auditorium in 1968 and they commissioned Stravinsky to come here and conduct four concerts.” Peter has appeared at Chez Hanny with Larry Schneider, Michael O'Neill, and Dave Scott.
Hamir Atwal is one of Bay Area's finest musicians and is known for his versatile style of drumming. He has worked with acts ranging from pop to the avant-garde. Some of these artists include tUnEyArDs, Michael Formanek, Ben Goldberg to Joe Lovano, and Greg Osby. Hamir is also a guest clinician/teacher at schools which include: Oberlin College, Peabody Conservatory, Stanford University, CalArts, and the California Jazz Conservatory.