Rachel Z

Rachel Z (actually Rachel Carmel Nicolazzo; born December 28, 1962 in Manhattan, New York City ) is an American jazz pianist.

Life and work

Rachel Z., daughter of an opera singer and a painter, grew up with Italian opera music. Even as a two year old, she received singing lessons at age seven and began piano lessons. From the age of fourteen, she occasionally played jazz, where she impressed the music of Miles Davis. 1979 Rachel Z graduated from a summer course at the Berklee College of Music with Joanne Brackeen and Richie Beirach, then she studied from 1980 to 1985 at the New England Conservatory. During her studies she often appeared with Bob Moses, Miroslav Vitouš and George Garzone to lead then to 1987 in Boston own groups.

In 1988 she moved back to New York, where she played at Al Di Meola, to then become a member of Steps Ahead in 1988, where she took her stage name and initially remained until 1996. She also worked with musicians such as Larry Coryell, Angela Bofill and Mike Mainieri. In 1995, she was instrumental on the album High Life by Wayne Shorter, which was awarded a Grammy. In 1999 she took part in a fusion - jazz project by Stanley Clarke and Lenny White.

Rachel Z derives besides having its own jazz trio and the rock band Peacebox. Between 2002 and 2004 she took part in Peter Gabriel's Growing Up Tours.

Disco Graphical Notes

  • Yin Yang Steps Ahead, 1990
  • Trust the Universe, 1993
  • High Life, 1995
  • Room of One 's Own, 1996
  • Love Is the Power, 1998
  • Vertu ( with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White ) ( Sony Music, 1999)
  • On the Milkyway Express, 2000
  • First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, 2003
  • Everlasting with Tony Levin and Bobbie Rae, 2004
  • Growing Up Live DVD (Real World) Peter Gabriel 2004
  • Grace, 2005
  • More Growing Up Live Peter Gabriel 2006
  • Mortal (Artist Share) 2006
  • Dept. of Good and Evil ( Savoy Jazz / WEA) 2007
  • I Will Possess Your Heart (M & I Japan Stereo ) 2009

Lexigraphic entries

  • Richard Cook Richard Cook 's Jazz Encyclopedia. Penguin, London 2007, ISBN 978-0-141-02646-6.
  • Martin Kunzler: M -Z. Rowohlt, Reinbek 2002, ISBN 3-499-16513-9 ( Jazz-Lexikon. Volume 2).
Bob Moses (musician) Grammy Award Jazz fusion ArtistShare Integrated Authority File
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