Format: CD
Barcode: 0608917146325
Releasedate: 26-09-25
- Snarky Puppy violinist in a soulful quartet
- Encounter under a lucky star: top-rate quartet with Snarky Puppy violinist Brock
- In Finland with passion: debut of a high-class international quartet
It's not always fair even in the jazz world. If it were otherwise, violinist Zack Brock and pianist Phil Markowitz would be among well-known, internationally celebrated, great musicians. But if you listen to what people in the music scene say, there is fortunately a different picture. The two Americans enjoy an excellent reputation. Not the least, their numerous engagements and albums speak for this.
Most of these days, the name Zach Brock is associated with Snarky Puppy. He has been playing regularly with the versatile collective for years, and he can be heard on eight Snarky albums to date. Brock once belonged to the band of bass ace Stanley Clarke and later to a group of guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, among others. A series of his own albums documents his class and his wide stylistic horizon; "Dirty Mindz", his eleventh, was nominated for a Grammy.
Phil Markowitz is a generation older. His extensive credits include playing along master musicians like Michael Brecker, Al DiMeola, Joe Lovano and David Liebman. They cover a broad spectrum of jazz, from traditional to avant-garde, from his early connections to Chet Baker and Toots Thielemans to his decades-long collaboration with Bob Mintzer.
Several of his albums, which were recorded over the decades, are projects in co-leadership—including the first with Zach Brock, "Perpetuity" (2014). In addition to their musical connection, Markowitz and Brock also have other things in common. Both are experienced and internationally sought-after lecturers. This became the actual starting point for "Stratus", the brilliant album with a top-rate Finnish team: bassist Ville Herrala and drummer Jaska Lukkarinen.
"I'm incredibly happy that this album is finally being released!" Zach Brock stated enthusiastically. "In terms of its meaning, especially with regard to what I want to say musically, this is at the top of my list." At the same time, he emphasized the team character. "Our music might be intellectually and emotionally challenging, but the heart clearly set the tone for us four." Jaska Lukkarinen, who was in charge of the organizational details, corroborated this. "The connection between us was there immediately! Musically and humanly, everything was just right for this project." There was not too much preparation time. Lukkarinen: "It happened in an almost old-fashioned way: a rehearsal, a few concerts, and two days in the studio. Everything went surprisingly smoothly." The decisive factor was the shared certainty that everyone is open to all kinds of things, "that together we can push in all directions in which we are drawn."
Markowitz, Brock, Lukkarinen and Herrala met for the first time in 2017. The violinist and pianist had already had a duo for some time, and they had recorded duo and quartet pieces for the album "Perpetuity". In 2012, Zach Brock approached Phil Markowitz to get fresh impetus for his personal development. Markowitz has long been regarded as an experienced and versatile open-minded jazz educator; he has the ability to inspire even advanced jazz players with his skills and insights.
In 2017, the two accepted an invitation from the renowned Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. During their stay, they took part in a concert on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Dizzy Gillespie. The rhythm group of the evening was formed by two of Finland's outstanding jazz personalities: Ville Herrala and Jaska Lukkarinen. Brock: “I was blown away when I heard those two!" And he continued to rave: "Ville is one of the best bassists I've ever played with – and there were many of them. He’s just a super-bad dude. Just like Jaska. He's just great at playing empathetically while still maintaining high intensity.” Both have been well connected for years and have worked with many of Finland's most prominent jazz acts; the credit lists of productions are long and illustrious.
The musical appreciation was followed by a personal encounter. Mutual sympathy became an equally important basis. Lukkarinen set the framework for the quartet for the following spring. He booked festival appearances in the Finnish north (Oulu, Rovaniemi) and was able to win over national Finnish radio for a studio production. The compositions were provided by Brock and Markowitz. They had already played some of them as a duo, including the Markowitz arrangement of Ellington's "Come Sunday" and Brock's arrangement of the folk song "Black is the Color". Everything that makes Brock or Markowitz special can be found in their own pieces: above all, harmonic and melodic complexity, rhythmic idiosyncrasy, lyrical power – and a very unique signature. All of this comes to life in the closely intertwined interaction of the quartet. It plays like a collective. And at times it sounds as if it had developed togetherness over a longer period of time.
Not surprisingly, the participants emphasized the personal aspect again. When Brock talks about the common music, the words connectedness, love and camaraderie are a matter of course. "This music requires a high degree of vulnerability. I prefer to play with musicians I like, with whom I feel comfortable in every way, so that I can be as free, open and honest as possible." Alone his intimate expression in the opening piece "Wonderment" speaks volumes. Lukkarinen added: "Everyone listens attentively to everyone else, which is not so self-evident." Both agree that Phil Markowitz has a large part to play in this. "He's one of the very fantastic musicians. He plays incredible stuff, but never brags. He is one of those pianists who make everyone else sound better." Lukkarinen had lessons from the American at the Sibelius Academy in 2003, and he went to the Manhattan School of Music in New York for a few years on the advice of Markowitz, . After that, their contact never broke off.
There are various reasons why "Stratus" is only now being released, one of which resulted from the upheavals of the Covid era. After that, production was temporarily forgotten in the maze of time. The common will to follow up on this is all the more powerful now, among other things, with concerts that show and deepen all the qualities of this extraordinary group in every respect.