Legendary drummer Omar Hakim from
Weather Report, Sting, Miles Davis and David
Bowie has teamed up with pianist
extraordinaire Rachel Z; whose work with
such artists as Wayne Shorter, Steps Ahead,
and Peter Gabriel has earned her
international recognition and acclaim from
her peers and fans alike.
This exciting musical partnership features the tasteful virtuosity and sensitivity of these Grammy Award winning musicians as they take you on an exciting journey performing some of the most creative and unique arrangements of jazz standards and chart topping rock hits of the past 30 years.
Trio of OZ‘ musical presentation is built upon compositions by such artists as Duke Ellington, Depeche Mode, Wayne Shorter, Joni Mitchell, Judy Garland, Sting, Peter Gabriel, The Killers, Coldplay, Stone Temple Pilots, and Björk. These songs have been re-interpreted with imagination, a deep sense of groove and a rich harmonic soundscape that is a launch pad for creative improvisation deeply rooted in the tradition of Jazz.
 Trio of OZ's"Lost" (mp3
sample)
Trio
of OZ's "Det Tar Tid" (mp3 sample) Trio
of OZ's "Angry Chair"(mp3 sample)
|
|
Omar Hakim
Widely acclaimed for his
versatility, technological prowess and
groove, Omar Hakim is one of the most
successful drummers and session men of
the past thirty-five years. He has
collaborated with artists ranging from
Miles Davis to Madonna, and has left his
imprint on hundreds recordings including
several under his own name.
Born in New York City to a musical family, Omar began playing the drums at age 5. At the age of ten, he was performing publicly with his father Hasan Hakim, a trombone veteran of the Duke Ellington and Count Basie bands. This period formulated Omar‘s traditional and improvisational jazz drumming techniques, and built a strong foundation for his unique drumming style. His father‘s friendship with John Coltrane enabled young Omar spend time with Elvin Jones and Art Blakey. And at age 11 he studied with (then Count Basie big band drummer and master technician) Clyde Lucas. This expertise in the Jazz tradition is what attracted band leader Mike Manieri to hire Omar and Music & Art HS classmate and future bass star, Marcus Miller for the Band Steps Ahead in 1980.
Seeking to broaden his horizons and implementing Duke Ellington‘s theory that, “there are only 2 types of music... good and bad”, he successfully branched out into other genre‘s of music. Allowing him to balance and develop a career that bridged many styles of music in a way that no other drummer before him had ever done.
He went on to record and tour with Gil Evans Big Band, David Sanborn, Patti Labelle and many others. Soon after, he filled in for a tour of the groundbreaking fusion band “Weather Report”, a job he would keep permanently until the band‘s breakup in 1985. In addition to the three albums he recorded with Weather Report, he also landed a gig playing on David Bowie‘s 1983 return to the American pop charts, “Let‘s Dance”.
His early successes led to many more high profile engagements and by the end of the 1980s, Omar had performed on landmark recordings with artists such as Miles Davis (Tutu, Music from Siesta), Dire Straits (Brother in Arms, Money for Nothing) and Sting (Dream of the Blue Turtles, and the popular “Rockumentary” movie Bring on the Night). His drum solo in Sting‘s movie on the song “I Burn For You” is considered by many fans and critics alike to be one of the greatest drum solos to be documented on film. It was a powerful and virtuosic jazz drum solo in the middle of a rock show that took fans by surprise and excited them to respond with standing ovations every night of the tour.
Building on these successes, in 1989 he even found time to produce and release his first solo album, Rhythm Deep, which earned him his first Grammy nomination. In the Nineties he toured with Lionel Ritchie and International Pop Superstar Madonna for 8 years. He was also a founding member of the Jazz Super Band “Urban Knights” along with Ramsey Lewis, Grover Washington Jr. and bassist Victor Bailey. The band featured his songwriting and vocal skills.
Omar was also exploring the latest advances in electronic drums and keeping up with the newest recording and percussion technologies. He was so excited about the Roland Musical Instruments Co. development of the “V-Drums” that he became the first international spokesman and adopter of that technology. His versatility put him in even greater demand, and his eclectic interests kept him busy in the pop, jazz, rock, fusion and R&B worlds.
Using V-Drums with Madonna on one hand and recording and performing on acoustic drums with Hank Jones Great Jazz Trio, he further established himself as a major innovator on his instrument.
Omar has collaborated with dozens of prominent artists including George Benson, Lionel Richie, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, Bobby McFerrin, John Scofield, Urban Knight‘s, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Jewel, J-Lo, D‘Angelo, Mariah Carey, and Madonna to name a few.
Rachel Z
Manhattan-born and raised
Rachel Nicolazzo (aka Rachel Z) had
music practically ingrained in her
genetic code. Groomed to follow in her
mother‘s operatic footsteps, she began
voice lessons at two, started classical
piano lessons at seven and attended the
opera by age nine. “My first dollhouse
was a Metropolitan Opera House complete
with the stage and dolls which were the
performers,” she recalls. “Then I heard
Miles Smiles when I was 15, started
rebelling against the classical by
improvising, and played with a band that
covered Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan
songs.”
Listening to Herbie Hancock‘s harmonies over Wayne Shorter‘s compositions helped her bridge the gap from her classical training to jazz.”The way my jazz chops developed was twofold. I developed acoustic straight ahead and electronic fusion playing equally over time,” she says. After launching a quintet called Nardis, she studied with Joanne Brackeen and Richie Beirach.
Rachel Z graduated from the New England Conservatory with a ‘Distinction in Performance‘ award while working professionally in the Boston area with performers like Bob Moses, Miroslav Vitous and George Garzone. Returning to New York in 1988, she toured with New England Conservatory schoolmate turned rhythm & jazz superstar saxman Najee and later co-wrote album Tokyo Blue. While performing and recording steadily with the classic fusion band Steps Ahead from 1988 through 1996, she also worked with Al Di Meola, Larry Coryell, Special EFX, and Angela Bofill, and began a fruitful association with producer/vibraphonist Mike Mainieri. Mainieri produced her Columbia Records debut Trust the Universe in 1993. Reflecting the influence of Corea, Hancock, and even Pat Metheny, the CD featured the jazz radio hit “Nardis.”
Her connection to saxophone great Wayne Shorter grew from major influence to full-blown collaborator over the two years she worked on his hit comeback album High Life, for which she built a synthesized orchestral framework to crystallize his musical vision. Rachel Z also played acoustic piano on the album and was musical director for the tour that followed. The CD won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. 1996 also saw the release of her NYC Records debut A Room of One‘s Own, which she dedicated to the many women artists who have played an influential role in her life. Two years later Rachel released an album on GRP, Love is the Power, an album that featured hip-hop grooves with melodic piano flourishes and poems about the search for eternal love and wisdom through music.
Rachel returned to acoustic music, in an all-female trio setting, with On the Milky Way Express, her well-received tribute to Wayne Shorter, in 2000.
DownloadsNote: all of the documents, audio and video samples below can be downloaded and used in your publicity by opening the item and then saving to your computer. Or you can copy the link and use the link on your website by right clicking on the link and then selecting "Copy link location".
Audio & Video Samples
Pending........
Press Kit / Bio
The Trio of Oz One Sheet (pdf)
Press Kit Cover (pdf)
Press Kit Page 2 (pdf)
Press Kit Page 3 (pdf)
Press Kit Page 4 (pdf)
Press Kit Page 5 (pdf)
Press Kit Page 6 (pdf)
Photos
Photo 1 Hi-Res
Photo 1 Med-Res
Photo 1 Low-Res
Photo 2 Hi-Res
Photo 2 Med-Res
Photo 3 Hi-Res
Photo 4 Low-Res
Photo 5 Low-Res
All photos credit Carl Timpone contact@carlmarksmedia.com
Master Clinics
> Rachel Z Master Clinic and Master Performance Syllabus (pdf)
Reviews
Review The Hearld Scotland March 14, 2010
Past Reviews
> Downbeat Review "Dept of Good and Evil 2007 (pdf)
> All Music Guide Review "Dept of Good and Evil" 2007 (pdf)
> Washington Post Review "Dept of Good and Evil" 2007 (pdf)
> Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange Review "Dept of Good and Evil" 2007 (pdf)
> All About Jazz Review "Dept of Good and Evil" 2007 (pdf)
> Oakland Tribune Review "Dept of Good and Evil" 2007 (pdf)
> Downbeat Article June 2007
> London Guardian Review 2005 (doc)
> Preview San Francisco Chronicle August 2004 (pdf)
> Downbeat Magazine Review "Moon At the Windown" 2003 (doc)
> Jazziz Magazine Review "Everlasting" July 2004 (doc)
Artist Home Page
http://thetrioofoz.com/
Click here for more on Rachel Z
Request PR Materials
Click here to request a printed PR package on Trio of OZ including their latest CD*
Click here to request a digital download copy of Trio of Oz's latest CD*
