Early Recordings

Below are some highlights of Zack’s performances from early childhood through high school.

• "The Night I Followed the Dog"

  At six years old, Zack performed a musical retelling of Nina Laden's children's book.

• "That Place in Central Park"

  Zack was a Beatles fan from a very early age. This song was inspired by a visit to Central Park's Strawberry Field.

• "Spelling Test"

  This rocker was written in second grade and recorded with Merrill's help. It became a popular listener request on the radio show, Greasy Kid Stuff.

• The Magic Orchestra

  Zack began work on this mini symphony at age seven with the help of his teacher, Merrill Clark.

• "Anthropology" (Charlie Parker)

  Before he got into the bass, Zack loved drumming. Here, at age nine, Zack trades fours on this Bird classic.

• "Big Yellow Taxi" (Joni Mitchell)

  Hard to spot him behind the cymbal, but Zack sang the lead and played drums on this Joni Mitchell tune at the 1998 Halloween recital.

• "The Baseball Fugue"

  Zack's twin passions as a 10-year-old were music and baseball. He performed this original piece in his Mets hat and Mike Piazza jersey.

• "Satin Doll" excerpt (Billy Strayhorn)

  Not yet tall enough for an upright bass, Zack, at 10, took perhaps his first jazz "bass" solo on a cello.

• "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana)

  At 6th grade graduation, Zack got to perform his favorite Nirvana song.

• Harbor of Refuge Plays "Chameleon" (Hancock)

  Zack and Dan Knobler's earliest band played to their first big audience at a fundraiser for the ill-fated Dennis Kucinich presidential campaign.

• "Concerto for 5-String Fretless Electric Bass Guitar" (Clark)

  Merrill Clark wrote this piece for Zack when he was 15, and the three movements were played at student recitals over two years. The second movement was performed first, so in these performances Zack was 16, then 15, and then almost 17. The video of the first movement is incomplete, cutting out in the middle of the cadenza. The thematic motif of the third movement is the tune Zack wrote as a young child, “Mr. Z Wrote a Melody.”

• "Portrait of Tracy" (Jaco Pastorius)

  From a January '05 recital

• "Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly" (Chick Corea)

  Zack played this Chick Corea tune at a May 2005 recital with Jesse Fried and Gabriel Luce.

• Solo Blues Improv

  From a November '05 recital

• "Bitches Brew" (Miles Davis)

  From a November '05 recital

• Solo Arrangement of Miles' "Sanctuary"

  From November '06

• "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing" (Billy Strayhorn)

  From a January '07 student recital

• Fieldston Graduation Tunes

  "Hiccup" (Dan Knobler) and "Tow Away Zone" (Thad Jones) from high school graduation, June 2007.