Mauricio Zottarelli

New Endorsements!

2011-11-29T20:55:00.001-05:00

I am very happy, and honored to announce a partnership with two amazing companies and their products: SOULTONE Cymbals, and LEXICON PRO audio:

Lexicon Pro Audio www.soultonecymbals.com

SOULTONE is revolutionizing the industry, in my opinion. Fantastic sounding cymbals, great attention to detail and high quality, and amazing people involved...
from the Soultone website: "Originally founded in 2003 by the legendary drummer, percussionist, and entrepreneur, Iki Levy, after struggling to address frustrations with the major cymbal manufacturers over quality issues. 'I wanted to use the best products possible, and I had the opportunities, but I was not happy with anything those companies were producing – even with my product endorsements,' reports Iki. 'The blend of the metals we use is our own process that employs a balance of proper weight and tone properties. This creates the real difference between Soultone Cymbals and any other brand.'
Iki maintains a strict '120% perfection' policy in that each cymbal must meet his own specific quality controls. He does not sell anything that is not already exceeding expectations – if it is not perfect; it goes back to his facility."

Do check them out, and you will be blown away!

LEXICON:

I'm so thrilled to be associated with Lexicon. I have been using their LXP reverb plug-in and it's nothing short of amazing. Great presets too, if you need something quick, and easy, but don't want to compromise on quality. Check it out!!!
from the Lexicon Pro website: "With the introduction of the world's first digital processor in 1971, Lexicon became the world leader in digital audio. Since that time, Lexicon has continuously introduced ground-breaking technology to the audio industry. Today, Lexicon processing is heard on over 80% of all recordings- broadcast, film soundtracks, and music alike. In the home theater market, Lexicon sound is the acknowledged measure of excellence.
This year, Lexicon proudly celebrates its 35th Anniversary. For thirty-five years, Lexicon has had a dramatic impact upon the professional audio industry (with over eighteen years also in the consumer market). We invite you to look into our history and celebrate our anniversary with us. Please examine our legacy pages to see Lexicon's rich product past as well as the current product pages to see the present and future of this historic line."

New drum lesson

2011-11-18T12:44:00.001-05:00

Hello again!

As many of you know, I have been writing for Modern Drummer Magazine in Brazil, and many of you have been reaching out commenting and supporting the lessons and ideas! I am honored to be able to share these with you, and specially on such a great publication! I decided to post some of these materials here too, for your enjoyment, and for those of you who don't have the access to the brazilian magazine....
so here it is, "Groove Analysis - Creativity Beyond the Conventional". In portuguese, but also translated to English at the end. Just click on the link below, or find the link on the right side column "Drum Lessons". Have fun!

Groove Analysis - download the lesson here

Cool shows

2011-10-27T16:27:00.001-04:00

I have been meaning to mention these 2 shows here for a bit.... on Oct 21st I had the pleasure to play a concert with brazilian singer Kenia and the legendary Ivan Lins, in Pittsburgh, PA. It was a very special night... a big honor for me, and we all had a great time!

backstage before the show

In early September I played a concert withthe fantastic Locke/Keezer group, which is one of my favorite bands! FeaturingJoe Locke – vibes; Geoff Keezer- piano,keys; Mike Pope – bass. The legendarypianist Mr. Mulgrew Miller graced us all with his presence at the show, what atreat!

from L to R: Mike Pope, Mulgrew Miller, Geoff Keezer, Joe Locke and MZ

MOZIK CD Release on OCT 28th 2011

2011-10-16T01:49:00.002-04:00

My new recording, a collaboration with pianist Gilson Schachnik called MOZIK, is going to be officially released on Friday, October 28th, with a show at Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge, MA. If you are in the area, come see us and support this new release!

You can listen to the music and buy mp3 and physical CDs on the links below:

iTunes

Amazon

CDBaby

thanks for the support!! See you there!

Tour with Carmen Souza Quartet

2011-09-22T14:24:00.000-04:00

Hello my friends!!
During the second half of September and beginning of October of 2011, I will be on the road with the amazing artist Carmen Souza and her great band. Carmen's music is an organic mix of Cape Verdean, Afro-jazz, pop, Latin and Brazilian music. The writing is beautiful, and her performance on-stage is fantastic. The band is-

CARMEN SOUZA - vocals, guitar, keys
THEO PAS'CAL - el. bass, ac. bass
JONATHAN IDIAGBONYA - piano
MZ - drums, percussion

here is the full schedule -

15 Sep, SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ FESTIVAL, USA
16 Sep, MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL, USA
17 Sep, THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, GRASS VALLEY, USA
18 Sep, CHICO WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL, CHICO, USA
22 Sep, THE SHEDD INSTITUTE, JAQUA CONCERT HALL, OREGON, USA
23 Sep, WALTERS CULTURAL ARTS CENTER, HILLSBORO,OR, USA
24 Sep, CAPILANO UNIVERSITY-CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, VANCOUVER, CANADA
25 Sep, KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER, KIRKLAND, WA, USA
30 Sep, TEMECULA OLD TOWN THEATRE,CA, USA
01 Oct, DEL MONTE SPEAKEASY, VENICE, CA, USA
04 Oct, KENNEDY CENTER, WASHINGTON DC, USA
05 Oct, MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL (all year long fest), MONTREAL CANADA
07 Oct, FALCON ARTS, MARLBORO, USA
09 Oct, DROM, NY, USA

We are having a great time on the road, meeting some great people, and plus we get to play this beautiful music every night. If you happen to live or will be around one of these dates/venues, do come by to check it out and say hi!

some photos of the first few days:

at Monterey Jazz Festival - sept 16th, 2011

Photo by Arturo Riera

at Monterey Jazz Festival - sept 16th, 2011

Photo by Arturo Riera

the kit I am using on the tour -

photo from San Francisco Jazz Festival, sept 15th, 2011

for more info, and to get to know Carmen's work and music, please visit http://www.carmensouza.com/

Blue Note videos

2011-08-25T20:48:00.005-04:00

Dear friends!
following my previous blog about my group's Blue Note show in August 2011, here are a couple of videos from that performance! Hope you all enjoy it!

7 Lives (Mauricio Zottarelli)

Pinocchio (Wayne Shorter)
arranged by MZ

MZ Quintet Live at Blue Note NYC!

2011-07-11T23:54:00.004-04:00

Hi friends!
I am very happy to announce that my group will be playing the Blue Note NYC again, this time in the middle of the summer 2011.
The show will be on August 6th, Saturday night (into Sunday), at 12:30am. It's their late show series, which means will be extra rocking so nobody falls sleep in the audience! HA!
Please come and support the group if you can and live in the area, and/or if you happen to be around NYC during this beautiful (and pretty hot so far!) summer season.
We will be playing the music from our record "7 Lives", and a few arrangements of cool Brazilian and jazz/fusion classics.
Check out a video below from our previous appearance at the Blue Note NYC, in Nov 2010. Also, feel free to share/repost/send this to anybody you think will like it. Thanks again for the loyal support and for reading the blog. See you on August 6th!!!

@ the Blue Note in November 2010:

MZ in the team of columnists of Modern Drummer Magazine Brazil

2011-05-26T00:09:00.005-04:00

Hi friends!
Just a quick post to let you all know - and specially those of you that are/live in Brazil - that starting in May 2011, I am part of the team of columnists of the Modern Drummer Magazine in Brazil, together with Aquiles Priester, Azael Rodrigues, Daniel Oliveira, Pascoal Meirelles e Ramon Montagner. I am very happy and honored to be part of this great publication, and in such great company!
My first lesson - coming out on the May 2011 edition - talks about being creative beyond the conventional. It's an analysis of a bunch of African grooves, but also an in-depth look at how these grooves can sometimes be simple but very creative, and, most importantly, extremely effective to the song.
So, dig in, and check out some of these grooves I present. These are meant for you to play, practice, analyze.... and see the elements that make these grooves so cool and musical... It's an exercise on thinking outside the box, and I hope it inspires you to start coming up with your own parts and grooves!
here is the cover of the magazine...

I will post the lesson here at some point, for those of you that can't get the magazine and/or live outside Brazil.

thanks for the usual support, and see ya next time!

2011 - cool things part 2

2011-04-06T12:29:00.005-04:00

Hi friends!
Continuing on my list of some of the cool things happening in 2011, I am proud to say that I signed with this great company from Brazil, FSA Cajons. I have been using their cajon (standard model, with 2 mics built-in, 2 XLR outputs) and it is pretty amazing.
Super easy to use - just bring the cajon and 2 cables, and you are done - it's ready to go.... just "plug and play"! The cajon is completely handmade, looks beautiful, and sounds fantastic.
Check out this video I did recently, while recording with the great bassist Amanda Ruzza.... hope you enjoy it!
www.FSACajons.com.br

2011 and some recent cool things, part 1: Dom Salvador

2011-01-07T20:08:00.008-05:00

Hello friends!
First, I want to wish you all a fantastic 2011! Much happiness and great things to all of us!

It's been a while since my last post, so I want to talk about a few things I have been involved with....
(hence the "part 1" title.... part 2 coming in a few....)

I have been working with the legendary brazilian pianist/composer Dom Salvador.
I played a few shows with him this year, including a concert in São Paulo Brazil at the Bourbon Street Jazz Club in June, and more recently, at the Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio, as part of the CopaFest 2010. Needless to say, it's been an amazing experience. Salvador is without doubt one of the most important Brazilian musicians ever, and I believe that much of what we do today in music we owe to his incredible artistic vision and concept.
I also played drums on his latest recording, The Art of Samba Jazz, which features some of his classic compositions perfomed by trio, quartet and sextet. Definitely check it out! Here is the cover:

Here are some photos of the group, as well as a video from our show at Bourbon Street -

at Bourbon Street, SP, Brazil:

at CopaFest, RJ, Brazil:

these last two photos, courtesy of Henry Schroy. Thanks Henry!

Performing the classic "Gafieira" at the Bourbon Street, SP:

More to come, everybody... stay tuned, and thanks for visiting!

A day at the park

2010-07-23T22:28:00.004-04:00

hello friends!
I just returned from a very nice trip to Brazil. Some great playing experiences, I will post some photos soon.
In the meantime, I want to share with you all this amazing artwork by artist Parker Gambino.
On July 16th I was playing a concert with the great harmonica player and composer Hendrik Meurkens at Pierson Park, in Tarrytown, NY, and Parker was hard at work during the show. As soon as we were done, he approached me with this, and needless to say, I was very impressed!

For those interested in the process, here it is in his own words -
"I create the images as my subjects are performing; when the performance ends, I am ready to close the book (except for getting autographs). Beyond annotating the event, ex post facto alterations are rare and minor, and I do not refer to photographs. Later I scan the images to prepare the JPEGs (sometimes with minimal photoshop cleanup)."

Parker is an incredibly talented guy and he does a lot of things, please check him out and support the art!
click here for Parker's website

Show Dates in Brazil!

2010-06-25T18:45:00.004-04:00

Here is the latest info on my tour dates in Brazil!
June and July 2010:

june 27th - Workshop in Araçatuba, SP
http://alma.art.br

june 29th - show with Dom Salvador 4et @ Bourbon Street jazz Club - São Paulo, SP

july 2 - Zottarelli/Mangueira 4et @ Jazz nos Fundos, São Paulo, SP

july 6 - workshop @ Casarão da Cultura, Rio Claro, SP

july 7 - show with MZ quartet @ Clube Ginástico, Rio Claro, SP

New CD releases

2010-04-15T00:21:00.004-04:00

Dear people,
hope everybody is doing well. For those here in the US, more precisely on the northeast, we were looking forward to spring... It has finally arrived!
I want to share with you a few CD releases that will be coming out soon - and a few that were already released - on which I am participating. Do check them out, and be sure to look back here soon. I'll be posting some more news about what's coming out.

New CD with Guitarrist Prasanna
Prasanna's new release is an incredibly diverse and virtuosic travel to often different and innovative musical territory. I am honored to be part of it!! The list of musicians involved include:
Prasanna (guitars); MZ and Rodney Holmes (drums); Mike Pope and Bill Urmson (bass); Shalini and Natalie John (vocals); Dave Douglas (trumpet); Vijay Iyer (piano); Rudresh Mahanthappa and David Binney (saxes).
It should be out towards the end of this year.

New release by Pianist/Flutist/Composer Oriente Lopez
Oriente is an amazing composer and an incredible musician. We were in the studio at the end of last year for two days of intense recording. The CD also includes Itaiguara Brandão on bass, and guests Paquito D'Rivera, Romero Lubambo, and Hendrik Meurkens. It also should be out towards the end of the year.

Scott Anderson - Music For The Quiet - Released 2010
Scott is a super talented NYC based guitarist, composer and producer. I have been working with him quite a lot, and I was very happy to be called to play on this project. Great music - a beautiful conceptual work that you should check out.
Click here for more info.

Jon Gold - Brazil Confidential - Released 2010
That was a fun project! Jon's writing is a refreshing new take on Brazilian contemporary music. Check it out.
"Intricate arrangements with a lively sense of rhythm, this recording of Jon Gold's music is attractive and full of a palpable joie de vivre. You will be entertained for sure. " -- Dave Liebman
Click here for more info.

Nilson Matta - Copacabana - Released 2010
Nilson is considered to be one of the best on his instrument, and one of the most important brazilian musicians ever. His new album features a selection of great Brazilian classics and some very cool originals. The line up features Nilson on bass, Klaus Mueller on piano, MZ on drums, Anne Drummond on flute, Harry Allen on sax, and Zé Mauricio on percussion.
Click here for more info.

Some other new projects are in the works, and I'll be keeping you all updated through this blog. Check back often!
cheers.....
mz

cool moments...

2010-03-10T21:41:00.008-05:00

Hello friends!
hope this finds you all doing great!
I want to share with you a few very cool moments I had here in New York City recently.
In January I discovered a restaurant that since then became one of my favorite places to go. It's called "Favela Cubana", and the idea behind is simple - to blend Brazilian and Cuban Cuisines! If you live in the city or happen to be around, you have to check it out! It has amazing food, great environment, and the people there are super nice. Owner Marco Britti, an accomplished drummer too (!!) has been inviting me for a long time, and now I can't get enough of the place!
Marco also asked me to sign one of his congas, which he uses as seats for the bar (very original!).
Owner Marco Britti and myself at "Favela":

signing one of their congas:

In February I went to see Hiromi perform solo on her CD release concert here in NYC. It was great to see her again, after playing together during Sonicbloom's last year world tour. During the break, I got to talk to Ahmad Jamal, one of the most important jazz pianists ever. We were both speechless from Hiromi's performance(!)..... catch her on her solo tour if you can!
Mr. Jamal and myself during Hiromi's CD Release show:

And finally, for now.... I was so honored and happy with this one! I was playing at the Blue Note with pianist Miho Nobuzane - do check her out too, she's a great pianist and her music and playing crosses over many styles, including jazz, pop, Brazilian and latin, African jazz, you name it! - during the spring of 2008. And in the audience was one of my heros, Mr. Bernard Purdie. He came to chat after the show, and it was an amazing experience to get to know him, and hear him comment on the show!

New CD review, and featured comment

2010-02-06T12:19:00.005-05:00

Hello all,
here is a new CD review of my recent release, 7 Lives. It just came out on the magazine "Jazz Inside NY" on their february edition.
"(...)Triumphant, exotic, pounding, electric, yet deeply grounded in the stream of tradition, 7 Lives offers an exhilarating trip across an ever-shrinking, colliding and adapting musical globe." M. Marshall - Jazz Inside NY Magazine, feb/2010
Check out the whole review:

I also had the opportunity to contribute to their feature article on "passion". I talk about the importance of being passionate about something (in my case, music) and how we should strive to find our true passion (and consequently nurture it) in order to be happy. Check it out:

You can download the full magazine for free at their website:
Jazz Inside NY Magazine - free PDF download

And, since we are talking about this great publication, they just came out with a great idea: an Audio Wall - you can visit the site and preview lots of new and great music. Download a track, or sample all you want... and then proceed to each artist's websites to purchase the rest of the album. Go visit them, and happy listening!
visit the Jazz Audio Wall

Mauricio's group live!

2010-01-29T14:29:00.010-05:00

hello friends!
it's been a little while since my last post. I hope that everybody is doing well, and that 2010 will be a fantastic year for all of you!

I wanted to share some pics and a video of one of the projects I am involved with: my own! The Mauricio Zottarelli's quintet features a unique mix of Brazilian music, fusion and jazz, being played by an amazing group of musicians...... I am so lucky to have these guys playing with me!
We did a few shows in NYC last year, and the response from the audiences was great - also, we had a blast playing the music! So,for those of you who couldn't be there..... do check out this video below, which has some footage of our CD release performance, and shows you what the project is about. Also, below are some photos of these performances in NYC.
More stuff will be posted here soon..... more videos and also more live dates to come! Stay tuned!

Mauricio Zottarelli quintet - video EPK

Mz quintet: (L to R) Rodrigo (tenor, flute) - MZ (drums) - Itaiguara (bass) - Gustavo Assis Brasil (guitar) - Oriente Lopez (keys, flute)
Dec 22nd, 2009 @ Zinc bar - NYC

MZ's quintet @ Zinc bar - NYC
Oct 8th, 2009

New published interview, and CD press

2009-10-12T16:39:00.001-04:00

Hello friends!

I want to share with you this interview that was published on the magazine Jazz Inside NY - october 2009. They misspelled my first name, though, but it's close enough..... the JPG of the interview is below. Enjoy!

If you want, you can also download the whole magazine - oct edition - on their website.
Jazz Inside NY - October 2009

here it is -

page 38

continued... 1

continued...2

7 lives CD

My recent released CD "7 Lives" has been receiving some great press worldwide - here are the latest quotes:

" The album shows all the musicality and refined taste from this great drummer, who has all the requirements to grow even more on the Jazz and Fusion scenes worldwide, but always keeping the Brazilian touch in his music. (...) A beautiful example of how a solo CD from a great musician should be done, on which the creativity, tasteful playing and musicality are always valued." (V. Rocha, Modern Drummer Magazine Brazil)

"A convincing debut album from a drummer you certainly should know.” (from www.jazzdrummerworld.com)

Zottarelli, who wrote seven out of the eleven songs, is not only a gifted composer but also a great producer. '7 Lives' is a hit! (Silvano Gerosa, Jazz'n'More Magazine - Switzerland)

“(…) Featuring Zottarelli’s many different rhythmic and compositional skills, this album is high-quality Brazilian jazz”.
(H.Sugita - Swing Journal – JAPAN)

New CD from guitarist Prasanna

2009-10-12T15:54:00.003-04:00

On this past September I recorded some tracks for the new CD release by guitarist Prasanna.
Prasanna hails from India, but he is based on the US. His music is a mix of Carnatic South Indian music, Jazz, Fusion, Rock, and everything in-between.
Really amazing writing, challenging, and fun music to play and listen to!
The line-up of this upcoming release includes:
Prasanna (guitars); MZ and Rodney Holmes (drums); Mike Pope and Bill Urmson (bass); Shalini (vocals); Dave Douglas (trumpet); Vijay Iyer (piano); Rudresh Mahanthappa and David Binney (saxes); and more guests to come. The CD is still in production/recording phase, but it should be done soon. I will keep you all posted here and on my website. Do check out Prasanna's website in the meantime, and get acquainted with this amazing artist!!

Prasanna's website

following are some photos of the sessions:

MZ in the studio

Mauricio and Prasanna

Bill Urmson

Dave Douglas and Prasanna

MZ, Prasanna and Dave Douglas

Cool music!

2009-09-17T22:35:00.005-04:00

hey all!
I have been listening to a couple of great brazilian drummers, and I want to share their wonderful talent and music with you all.

One of them is Cuca Teixeira,a prolific drummer/percussionist who has performed with A LOT of great names, both in the pop, jazz, fusion and latin/brazilian scenes. His new project is a trio called Neural Code with Thiago do Espírito Santo and Kiko Loureiro. The CD is great, and showcases the trio very well, with their unique and interesting mixture of rock, jazz, fusion - creating a contemporary brazilian sound. Check it out!
Neural Code's myspace page

The next guy is another incredible musician and educator: Christiano Rocha, a highly creative and proficient drummer and percussionist. His new release "Ritmismo" is a super cool record, done with the help of some of the best musicians around. Christiano plays very fluently through many different styles, time signatures and intricate passages - all of that with tremendous musicality and some very tasteful drumming. Christiano also has a book out, "Bateria Brasileira" (Brazilian Drums), which is the most comprehensive (and perhaps the most complete!) drum book on Brazilian music I have seen. Check him out at:
Christiano's myspace page

Besides this two amazing guys, I have been checking out some other cool stuff - another killer record is Brian Blade Fellowship's "Perceptual". Beautiful music, and beautiful playing from everyone! Check it out ASAP!

happy listening!!
mz

Lesson on Modern Drummer Brazil - July 2009

2009-09-06T18:34:00.004-04:00

Hello friends!

On the past month of July the Brazilian edition of Modern Drummer magazine published an article of mine, a warm up exercise for drumset involving hands and feet. This is something I have been using to some extent before gigs, recording sessions, and/or to get the body and limbs going before practice sessions.
The article is in portuguese, but here is the basic idea for all of you English speakers out there!

"D" means right hand - "E" means left hand.
Lines 1 through 5 go over the exercise, which covers 16th notes, quintuplets, 16th triplets, septuplets, and 32nd notes. Do use a metronome to make sure that all the groupings are being played correctly, specially the 5's and 7's. Be careful no to rush, and start slow and increase your speed gradually.

Lines 6 and 7 are examples of other ideas that can be used to practice the exercise. Using the left foot in the place of the right foot is certainly an option. Another idea is to use the left foot to play quarter notes, eight notes and or different ostinatos while playing the exercise as written. Lastly, you can alternate where the bass drum starts - play BD-RH-BD-RH, instead of RH-BD-RH-BD. (line 6)

Enjoy!

for any questions, please contact me through www.mzdrums.com

Article on Modern Drummer Brazil - June 2009

2009-08-21T18:31:00.003-04:00

The Modern Drummer Magazine - Brazilian Edition interviewed me for their June 2009 edition. It was amazing to be featured along great other drummers/musicians, including one of the most important Brazilian musicians ever, the incredible Rubinho Barsotti, from the Zimbo Trio. Rubinho was and still is, a huge inspiration for myself, and pretty much everybody else!
Here is the cover, and following is my interview, if you can read portuguese and/or are curious to check it out.
A big thank you goes to all my friends at MD Brazil, most importantly Vlad Rocha, Christiano Rocha and Dudu Portes. Thanks for the support guys!

Zottarelli's new book

2009-08-15T14:19:00.004-04:00

Hello friends!

In the last few years I have been in touch with a journalist from Milan, Italy. His name is Maurizio Zottarelli. We were both very happy and excited to meet each other online, because we do have the same name! (Except that I have a "c" on my first name.)
I just got his new book in the mail this week, and I am thrilled. I want to share the link with you all, so you can check it out. It's very curious to have the book in my hands and look at the author's name(!).... also, this will be my first read in Italian. So it will take me a little while....but it's great! I'm looking forward to reading it.

Maurizio is a journalist based in Milan, and a prolific writer. He writes for the Italian newspaper "Libero", theater, and in 2001 he was a finalist with the Marlboro Lights NIAF Prize in New York, a competition for new plays in English.
"L' Undicesimo dito" is his first narrative.
here's the link to the book on the web.

Newport Jazz Festival

2009-08-11T00:19:00.005-04:00

Last saturday, August 8th, I played at the 55th edition of the Newport Jazz Festival with Hiromi. It was a total blast! Getting there was another story though.... Traffic was crazy, and it took us a lot more than we had planned..... but we made it there safe and sound, and on time for the show! While we were getting settled, we heard the amazing Branford Marsalis quartet perform. And I got a chance to meet two of my idols, Christian McBride and Brian Blade! Below are some photos of the show. Also, our set was broadcasted live by WBGO, and it can be heard at the NPR (National Public Radio) address below:
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11165698

A few youtube videos!

2009-08-07T02:04:00.002-04:00

Dear people!

thanks again for checking out my blog!!.... I wanted to share a couple of videos that are on-line, and feature some of the stuff I have been doing recently. My most recent work has been touring extensively with pianist Hiromi. Here are a couple of links to videos of the group, during this year's tours.

a>

you can find more videos from Hiromi's SonicBloom at my myspace page -
www.myspace.com/mauriciozottarelli

Here's one with the Gustavo Assis Brasil trio, from his 2008 live DVD/CD recorded in Brazil:

and, last but not least, a video from a show with the great Fabiana Masili, a fellow brazilian that totally rocks. This was at the "old" Zinc Bar - NYC, on Houston st, just before they moved to their new location on west 3rd.

New CD "7 Lives" is available!

2009-07-31T17:22:00.003-04:00

Hello friends!
So, it's finally out, and available everywhere on-line!
Here is my new CD, "7 Lives". Check it out, and enjoy it!!!

This new project is an old dream of mine, and a great opportunity to show people my other side, both as a composer/arranger and band-leader. The band is comprised by some of my absolute favorite musicians, and the music is an unique (if I may say so!) mix of Brazilian Jazz, Fusion, Latin, and Jazz. The players:

GUSTAVO ASSIS-BRASIL ** ITAIGUARA BRANDAO ** MILENE CORSO ** BRANDI DISTERHEFT ** DOM SALVADOR ** ORIENTE LOPEZ ** ESPERANZA SPALDING ** CIDINHO TEIXEIRA ** RODRIGO URSAIA

The sessions for the album were done during the period of Oct/2008 and March/2009. The music was recorded by the great Michael Brorby in NYC and it was mixed by David Darlington, amazing engineer that won a Grammy award from his mix on Wayne Shorter's "Alegria" album.
I had my first real producing experience with this record, and I am really proud of how it came out!

So, now I should tell you, how can you get it???
The album is available on-line at:

CDBABY

iTUNES

DigStation

Amazon

Thanks for the support, and see you around!........... mz

Blue Note - NYC - july 2009

2009-07-11T16:06:00.005-04:00

Hello friends!
It's been a while since I posted something here. I have been very busy touring and performing all over, and finishing my solo CD. The CD is finally out now - look for another post very soon with details! - and my touring continues this month with dates in Europe and US.
On the first week of July the group I have been working with this year - Hiromi's Sonicbloom - performed at the Blue Note in NYC to a full house. We played there from june 30th to July 5th, and it was a blast. It was great to see a lot of fans, music and jazz enthusiasts, and friends come over and enjoy themselves. We had an awesome time too. Here are a few photos of that week, courtesy of the great Chris Vaindirlis -

Hiromi SonicBloom is -
Hiromi (piano,keys)
Tony Grey (bass)
Dave Fiuczynski (guitar)
Mauricio Zottarelli (drums)

Manila, Phillippines

2009-03-09T20:47:00.002-04:00

On March 1st I played at the Phillippines Jazz Festival with Hiromi’s Sonicbloom. Great time!.... And I got to meet Mike Stern, who played at the festival the following day.
Mike is one of my heros (of course!), and an incredible guy!

Jazz Alley, Seattle-WA

2009-03-08T14:27:00.005-04:00

Last month I was furtunate enough to play with the Eliane Elias trio, featuring the amazing pianist/singer Eliane Elias and bassist Marc Johnson. We played in Washington State, and also in Idaho.
One of the gigs was a two-day run at the Jazz Alley in Seattle. What a cool place! It was my first time there, and I had a lot of fun. Everybody was really nice, and the audiences were so receptive and great to play for. Hope to be back soon!

Bern, Switzerland - Jan 2009

2009-02-03T18:58:00.010-05:00

Performing in Bern, Switzerland with Hiromi's Sonicbloom- late January 09, at Marian's Jazz Room: Hiromi (piano & keys) David Fiuczynski (Guitar) Tony Grey (bass) and MZ (drums)

Music picks....

2009-01-07T14:43:00.002-05:00

Happy new year!

Here are some CD's I have been listening to lately.

Dom Salvador trio (2007)
Eliane Elias - Cross Currents; Something for You (Bill Evans Tribute)
Antonio Sanchez - Migration
Hermeto Pascoal - Live at Montreux - 1979
Tony Grey - Chasing Shadows
Allan Holdsworth - Then!
Hiromi - Beyond Standard
Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage
Yellowjackets - Twenty Five
Edu Ribeiro- Já tô te esperando
Metallica - Death Magnetic
Laço Tayfa - Hicaz Dolap
Miles Davis Quintet - 1965-1968
Bill Bruford's Earthworks - Footloose and Fancy Free (Live)
James Taylor - One Man Band
Jeff Tain Watts - Megawatts

all are highly recommended!!

New York....December......

2008-12-23T03:16:00.007-05:00

Snowy and cold New York City..... a few days ago......

Hermeto!

2008-12-13T14:55:00.004-05:00

I have been listening to this great record by the master Hermeto Pascoal and his group, recorded live during their show at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1979.
Truly amazing stuff.....
I just found this video from the show on youtube, thought I'd put it here.....
Enjoy!

Welcome to my Blog....

2008-12-12T19:37:00.001-05:00

Welcome, welcome!

Thanks for stopping by - this is my first posting here. I am still figuring out what to do with this new webspace, but the possibilities are endless!

In the mean time,you can visit my website at:

http://www.mzdrums.com/

for more information.

And, be sure to check back often. I will be adding more stuff to this page soon.

have a great one, everybody.

Happy holidays!