Zach Zaitlin
Portland, Oregon, United States
Music
Press
[PIANO MAN] Singer-songwriter Zach Zaitlin has a weird set of influences. On his debut EP, Joyeux Noël, Zaitlin mixes classical piano pieces with droning cellos, twinkling synth tones and a high-pitched falsetto that's straight out of Bon Iver's cabin in the woods. It's ambitious stuff...With a little seasoning, he could be on to something. - Willamette Week, 3/3/2010
...And so it goes that I’m letting you know to check out Portland piano troubadour Zach Zaitlin this Saturday, June 26.
Zaitlin’s 2009 album Joyeux Noel features grandiose compositions, sparse in their attention to curious instrumental accents, with experimental, “epic” melodies as found on “Breakup Song,” which rumbles in and out of Zaitlin’s emotive vocals and plunky keyboard melodramas, like the piano’s been drinking.
There’s an Antony vibe permeating some of the album, which is great company to be reminiscent of. But where Zaitlin soars is in his patience to let the song go where it needs to, never turning the corner toward a more palatable climax, like someone improvising a long, sad tale of cathartic respite. He’s figuring out how he feels as the song goes on.
Zaitlin does, however, delve into some more R&B-flavored tunes, especially on “Imelda,” which espouses a more focused take on fluffy pop elements... - JustOut
Zach Zaitlin, who hails from Saco but now resides in Portland, Ore. (www.myspace.com/zachzaitlin), is a piano player/singer-songwriter with a voice that is so tender yet soul-searing. Listen to "Breakup Song" and "High Road," and you'll understand exactly what I mean. His sound strays into an experimental, unpredictable landscape, and it is territory well worth exploring and spending time in. - Portland Press Herald (Aimsel Ponti)
AIMSEL L. PONTI
December 24, 2009
[...]'Twas the day after Christmas and I can tell you this: If you go to the North Star you'll hear our very own Will Gattis.
You'll also hear John Paul, who's come all the way from L.A. Come Saturday night, he too will play. Zach Zaitlin's from Portland; the one on the West Coast. He's got a new CD out and so to him we shall toast.
Zach plays the piano and his voice seems to come from an ancient, sacred place. Just listen to the first track from him at MySpace.com.
Away to the North Star, may you fly like a flash. There isn't a cover, but bring donations of cash. Three wise men of music play on Saturday night and indeed all is calm and most certainly bright.
Zach Zaitlin with John Paul and Will Gattis. 7 p.m. Saturday. North Star Music Cafe, 225 Congress St., Portland. All ages. Donations. Check out www.myspace.com/zachzaitlin, www.myspace.com/thejohnpaul and www.myspace.com/gattistheband.[...]
Copyright 2010 by The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. All rights reserved.
- Portland Press Herald
Discography
Joyeux Noel, EP (2010)
Photos
Bio
Growing up a mile’s walk through woods and marsh to the Maine coast, Zach Zaitlin often went to sleep with the deep distant roar of the Atlantic humming in his head. Over the years this hum has mixed – in rough chronological order – with the sounds of the Beatles, Bach, Neil Young, PJ Harvey, St. Vincent, Ramona Falls and many others to cultivate an original and ambitious musical voice. Zach combines soaring, emotive vocals with unexpected piano textures to create music that is intimate, eerie, and exciting.
A performance by Zach Zaitlin draws listeners into a dark, rich sound-world replete with heartbreaking ballads (see “Breakup Song” or “Coffee and Treats”), catchy and bombastic keyboard-busters (“Imelda” , “High Road”), and experimental, meditative epics (“Joyeux Noël”).
A classically-trained pianist and composer, Zach studied music at Swarthmore College, outside of Philadelphia, where he made his first dabbles in rock music-making. Zach moved to Portland, Oregon from Portland, Maine to take advantage of the Northwest’s thriving music scene in 2008.
His debut EP Joyeux Noël (released in 2010) transforms five songs originally conceived as solo piano/voice numbers into tracks with beautiful drumming, unconventional string textures, organ-buttressed walls of sound, and more.
Zach's newest compositions explore combining angular, unexpected acoustic piano textures with warm, haunting synth textures, ambient vocals, and various combinations of bass, electric guitar, strings, and more.
Zach has performed at a variety of venues, including Mississippi Studios, The Woods, and The Knife Shop in Portland, Oregon; the Sunset Tavern and Victrola in Seattle; the Tin Angel and composer Andrea Clearfield's legendary "Salon" series in Philadelphia; the North Star and The Oak & The Ax in Maine; and many others.
July 2011 will see Zach's first-ever tour of the west coast.
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