There are good reasons the violin plays so large a role in so many of the world’s musical traditions, starting with the vocality of its timbre and the humanness of its inflection, and ranging from its transcendent held notes to the prick of its pizzicato. Many jazz violinists have mastered some of these capabilities, but only a handful have shown a command of them all – let alone the ability to swing convincingly on the instrument. Brock has all that, and more: his solos have direction and spirit, and they open a window to an ordered but creative musical intelligence.
Violinists always have been marginalized in jazz, notwithstanding the silken beauty of Stephane Grappelli’s work and the historic contributions of Joe Venuti, Eddie South, Ray Nance and others.
Zach Brock is most widely recognized through his twelve years of touring and recording with the genre-bending super group Snarky Puppy.
“…not only is he my favorite violinist in the world, but he’s also one of my favorite musicians, period.” — Michael League, founder/bassist of Snarky Puppy.
