Zach Brock - The Magic Number (2010)

The Magic Number is an acoustic trio with Zach Brock on violin, Matt Wigton on bass, and Fred Kennedy on drums, as well as wordless vocals and pitched percussion. The group's unusual instrumentation allows for a wide variety of sounds, from sparse to dense, and the group’s repertoire is a mix of Zach's original compositions with original arrangements of modern and classic jazz and pop standards. The absence of either piano or guitar demands extra harmonic duties from each member of the trio, including chordal techniques from the strings and a more contrapuntal approach to the musical arrangements overall. ~ achbrock.

Secret Fort Records, 60205, 2011
Recorded 20th-22nd May, 2010 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, New York 

Musicians:
Zach Brock - Violin, Violin [Baritone], Voice
Matt Wigton - Bass
Frederick Kennedy - Drums, Percussion
Scott Anderson - Percussion [Additional], Vocals 

Tracks:
1. Yeah Yeah Yeah {Zack Brock} (5:52)
2. Summer Dance {Zack Brock} (6:23)
3. You Don't Know What Love Is {Don Raye, Gene DePaul} (6:32)
4. Sno' Peas {Phil Markowitz} (5:22)
5. Brooklyn Ballad {Zack Brock} (4:42)
6. Golden Nuggets {Zack Brock} (5:26)
7. Man Of The Light {Zbigniew Seifert} (6:24)
8. In The Dark {Zack Brock} (7:20) 

Total Time: 48:01 

Credits:
Producer, Mixing & Mastering - Scott Anderson
Recording Engineer - Michael Brorby
Graphic Design - Janis Vogel 

Seriously, Violin Jazz
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Zack Brock plays violin. And he plays jazz. And he's fantastic on his instrument. But that's not the real secret of this album. The full value lies in Mr. Brock's abilities as a leader and writer. This is a serious jazz album, through and through. Tempos, keys, and themes vary from song-to-song, but the album holds together very nicely as a whole. The recording is beautiful, you can hear the timbre on each instrument. Production is kept to a minimum so you can appreciate the playing for itself. Highly recommended--No Household Should Be Without (NHSBW). ~ docviper, Amazon.com.