On Labor Day week-end 2005, Denny returned to his home town to perform a trio set for thousands of jazz enthusiasts in Grant Park at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and received a standing ovation. Phil Elwood described the performance in jazzwest.com:

"Lanky pianist Denny Zeitlin, wearing a bright, multi-colored shirt, strides on stage along with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, comments about his late Chicago boyhood friend, jazz enthusiast/ benefactor Charlie Weeks (to whom the set is dedicated) and then, in his typical keyboard manner, floats into a lengthy, exquisite exposition of Cole Porter’s "All of You."

The audience exploded with applause when the number concluded; Zeitlin had hit a home run on his first rendition at his home-town’s 27th annual jazz festival. The bass in Williams’ hands, rather than just keeping time, is integrated within the piano lines - and, the amplification was perfect. Percussionist Wilson is an ideal fit in this trio, always flowing or punctuating, never intrusive or explosive.

The trio’s 50 minute set also included David Friesen’s "Signs and Wonders," which had dozens in the crowd standing and cheering; Zeitlin’s compositions, "Wishing On The Moon," a gorgeous, dreamy ballad, and "Slickrock," a lengthy keyboard reflection on biking near Moab, Utah, also generated a boisterous crowd response.

A remarkable performance, and a grand way to start a scheduled three day jazz event - which, in reality, is just one element of Chicago’s year-long attention to jazz, guided for the most part by the windy city’s Jazz Institute."

Two weeks later, Denny returned from the Monterey Jazz Festival and reported that "the Monterey Jazz Festival has such a wonderful vibe and history...I first played there in 1965 with Charlie Haden and Jerry Granelli, and have felt privileged to perform there on a number of occasions through the decades. Last Sunday, at this year's festival, the trio music with Buster Williams and Matt Wilson reached a new and galvanizing level over three evolving sets. We couldn't have asked for a better audience."

A review from the San Jose Mercury News by Richard Scheinin:

"Monterey just has a special feeling about it. This year's lineup included some real legends...the great bassist Buster Williams, who spent Sunday evening in a trio led by another astonishing player, pianist Denny Zeitlin, a Renaissance man who also is a Bay Area psychiatrist. This trio, with drummer Matt Wilson, a master of small gestures, played ...the weekend's deepest music: vital and pulsing, like brain tissue, with lush introspective harmonies. The super-responsive rapport among the musicians went way beyond technique and into the secret world of musical intuition."

Denny's recent appearances:

November 2, 2005 - San Francisco Jazz Festival, San Francisco, CA, with Buster Williams on bass and Lenny White on drums

Denny remarked “The San Francisco Jazz Festival is a world-class event where the musicians and audiences are treated very well. Matt couldn't make this concert, but Lennie White stepped in and brought his own special stuff to the music. It was a lot of fun sharing the bill at Herbst Theatre with Bill Charlap's excellent trio. The differing approaches made for a very interesting evening, and the acoustics in that hall are wonderful.”

November 18, 2005 - South Florida Jazz Festival, Hollywood, FL, with Buster Williams on bass and Matt Wilson on drums

"Ron Weber, a neurologist and jazz musician, runs an excellent festival, and the audience, though a bit sparse from the ravages of the hurricane, was very enthusiastic."

May 9-14, 2006 -  Jazz Showcase, Chicago, IL, with Buster Williams on bass and Matt Wilson on drums.

“Joe Segal has been presenting jazz in Chicago for over 50 years, in recent times aided by his son, Wayne.  Joe was the “gatekeeper” back in the 50s when I first began to sit in at Chicago jam sessions, so it is kind of a kick to play at his club.  The vibe is relaxed, and the trio got into some exciting new music.  Here are a couple of review excerpts”:

“The Denny Zeitlin Trio is one of our era’s great bands…Zeitlin has kept an exemplary - super-exemplary in fact - trio performing and recording for about five years.  Bass ace Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, and Zeitlin makes three - they’ve got the virtually telepathic interplay of a band that’s been together awhile…the foundations - of the building, of society - shook, as the trio played with a very high level of élan, energy, and empathy.  Zeitlin’s style is deceptively amiable - a lyrical amalgam of Monk, Brubeck, Tristano, and Powell, but the awe-inspiring gale winds of 70s McCoy Tyner blow through it too.  Zeitlin, as a shrink-doc, must know about tapping into that primal side lurking beneath our collective lobes, as he can be volcanic - but there’s warmth and humanity keeping things from being an aural obstacle course…Together, these three secretly rule the world…the world of piano trios, at the very least.”     Mark Keresman, JAZZREVIEW.COM

“Is it possible to be a busy, practicing psychiatrist and a top-notch jazz pianist?  The case of Denny Zeitlin suggests the feat is entirely possible, judging by Zeitlin’s luminous performance Tuesday night at the Jazz Showcase…Zeitlin unfurls some of the most intriguing, idiosyncratic jazz piano to be heard these days…he plays with a degree of freedom and musical curiosity one doesn’t regularly encounter…choosing unorthodox sounds where many pianists cling to the familiar, exploring the farthest extremities of the keyboard in one tune after another, Zeitlin seems to revel in the unorthodox nature of his pianism.”      Howard Reich, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

July 22, 2006 - Ferrymusic, San Francisco, CA, Solo Piano Concert.

“An intimate chamber music venue in a ferry permanently anchored to a pier on San Francisco’s Embarcadero…I had to be careful not to look out the windows while playing - I would have gotten seasick for sure.”

August 29, 2006 - Sculler’s Jazz Club, Boston, MA, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“Preceded by a feature in the Boston Globe, we played to a packed house of enthusiastic fans, including octogenarian George Russell, whose personal encouragement, seminal musical theory, and recordings played a pivotal role in my development.”

August 31-September 3, 2006 - Iridium Jazz Club, New York, NY, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“Torrential rains and the Labor Day exodus in NYC didn’t prevent a number of jazz lovers from dropping by.  The trio was smoking, and Billy Hart did a beautiful job sitting in for Matt on our final night.  Billy Taylor, now in his mid-eighties, flattered us by coming to the club.  He was one of my earliest pianistic influences, and has been extremely supportive over the years. I was very touched at his excitement about our music.”

September 29 & 30 - Siskiyou Institute, Ashland, OR, Solo

“An acoustically perfect, modern barn sitting on 40 acres of woodland property served as the venue for a solo piano concert followed the next day by my lecture-demonstration “Unlocking the Creative Impulse: The Psychology of Improvisation.”  I was impressed at how genuinely this group spanning many decades and all walks of life got into an exploration of the kinds of beliefs that people carry in their psyches that impede creative work.”

October 29, 2006 - Shelton’s House Concerts, Sebastopol, CA, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“For several years, Ernie Shelton has been presenting concerts in his home.  He has generated a loyal following, and they packed the performance space with good vibes for the kick-off of our Fall Trio tour.”

October 30, 2006 - Yoshi’s Jazz Club, Oakland, CA, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“Yoshi’s is a world-class jazz club, and it is always a pleasure to play there.  They have a marvelous 9 foot Steinway, efficient and attentive staff, and the acoustics are excellent.  The room was filled, and we couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic audience.”

November 1-5, 2006 - Jazz Bakery, Los Angeles, CA, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“This Culver City performance space is a great venue, and I’ve played there for over 15 years.  Ruth Price, a fine jazz singer and great jazz supporter, presides and creates a special concert atmosphere.  We got a lot of help from the L.A. press, particularly from Don Heckman of the L.A. Times, who wrote:

‘Renaissance man’ may be an overused term, but not when it’s applied to pianist Denny Zeitlin.  Here’s a guy who has a day gig as a psychiatrist, teaches at UC San Francisco and moonlights as a world-class jazz artist.  He’s also a mountain biker, fly fisherman and oenophile.  If that doesn’t sound like the politically correct image of a jazzman, worry not.  When Zeitlin is in action with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, expect an evening of envelope-stretching, rhythmically dynamic contemporary jazz.’

“It’s a treat to be able to ‘settle in’ to a venue for a series of nights without having to tear down and set up, and this gig was extra-special in that we were recording.  We got a great harvest of material, and hope to have a live trio CD available in 2007.”

December, 2006 - Downbeat Magazine Blindfold Test

“It’s an interesting challenge to hear a succession of jazz tracks knowing nothing about them, and record your reactions. It had been many years since my previous Blindfold Test, and this was an intense, but enjoyable exercise. I particularly enjoyed tracks by Robert Glasper, Craig Taborn, and Herbie Hancock. (See Article in “Archives.”)”

April, 2007 - “The Merger State,” Johns Hopkins Magazine

“Being interviewed for this in-depth feature made me nostalgic for my years at Johns Hopkins Medical School - a time of tremendous intellectual focus, but also one of musical opportunities. (See Archives for the article.)”

April 27-28, 2007 - American Pianists Association Jazz Fellowship Award

“The Jazz Fellowship Awards are produced every three years by the American Pianists Association to select the Cole Porter Fellow of the APA. A distinguished panel of musicians adjudicates in an anonymous fashion the preliminary round and chooses five finalists from the recordings submitted by the applicants. These five are invited to Indianapolis for a week of community outreach concerts, social occasions and the semi-final and finals rounds of the competition. I was privileged to serve as a judge at the semi-finals and finals, along with Fred Hersch, Renee Rosnes, Lynn Arriale, and Joel Chriss. The overall talent and sophistication of these young finalists was stunning. I felt they all deserved special recognition, but Dan Tepfer was our first place choice. You’ll be hearing from him. The Cole Porter Fellow receives a two-year fellowship worth $75,000 in cash award, career assistance, publicity, professional fees and other opportunities worldwide.”

May 12, 2007 - Solo piano concert, Skokie Theatre, Skokie, Illinois

“An exquisitely refurbished Art Deco theatre, great acoustics, fine piano, and sold out house, all made for a special evening on the North Shore of Chicago, where I grew up. It was a particular treat to re-connect with some of my high school classmates. This concert will eventually be broadcast on NPR.”

August 21, 2007 - San Francisco Jazz Festival Salon

“I was pleased to be asked to give a solo concert at this elegant home in Marin County, California. The guests included current and hopefully future sponsors of SF Jazz events. They were extremely receptive, and appreciated my including some discussion about the challenges of improvising music.”

November 9, 2007 - Solo piano concert, Piedmont Piano Company, San Francisco

“I’ve never given a concert in a piano showroom before, and it was intriguing to be playing a marvelous concert grand up on a stage, and see an audience encircled by pianos of all shapes, makes, and sizes. This concert was expertly recorded, I felt I was playing my best, and I hope it will be released as a CD in 2009 or 2010.”

January 11, 2008 - Solo piano concert, International Association for Jazz Education Convention, Toronto, Canada

“It has always been an honor and a pleasure to be invited to perform at this annual convention. 4000-10000 people who live, eat, and breathe jazz come from all over the world, and you can’t ask for a more receptive audience. Shockingly, after a multiple year history of being the international hub of jazz education and performance, the IAJE went bankrupt later in the year, due to apparent irresponsibility and mismanagement. The phoenix arising from the ashes is the Jazz Education Network (www.JazzEdNet.org ), and I hope it will take wing.”

January 19-22, 2008 - Southern Florida trio tour with Buster and Matt

“This tour was born with a call 8 months earlier from a retired investment banker and amateur jazz pianist living in West Palm Beach, who has loved my playing for years. He presented us in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, and I was able to arrange another concert in Fort Lauderdale. The audiences in the latter two venues were very enthusiastic and sophisticated, but the West Palm Beach folks seemed utterly nonplussed by our music. Despite my attempts to pave the way for them with explanations of the tunes and forms, for the first time in memory, half of our audience drifted away by the end of the set. I felt badly for them; they had apparently come expecting something quite different.”

February 9, 2008 - Solo piano concert, The Athenaeum, La Jolla, California

“This elegant library in downtown La Jolla has hosted small musical group concerts for many years. I performed there a number of years ago with a trio, but this was my first solo appearance. A very diverse audience assembles, from teenagers to octogenarians, but what they share is an extreme openness to new music. An additional plus for me was one of the most gorgeous Steinway 7 foot pianos I have ever played.”

March 22, 2008 - Solo piano concert, Florence Gould Theatre, Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco

“This is one of my favorite San Francisco venues - a beautiful museum with a classic 1924 San Francisco Louis XVI style intimate jewel box theatre that holds about 300 people. Presented as part of San Francisco Jazz’ Spring Season, the advance publicity was comprehensive, including an engaging interview on Michael Krasny’s Forum on NPR. The place was packed, and I had a ball.”

March 30, 2008 - Solo piano concert, Highland Park Community House, Highland Park, Illinois

“This was an extraordinary week-end for me. I was invited back to my high school alma mater to receive a distinguished alumnus award. Highland Park High School, though still in basically the same place, was unrecognizable after 52 years. And the vibe was much more like a college campus. The students were very responsive to my talk about graduation and career development, and were really excited about the solo piano piece I played. Mary Jo Popich, who heads up the jazz program at the high school, helped to arrange a solo piano concert in town the night before, which felt like a class reunion."

May 3 & 4, 2008 - Mixing and mastering in New York City - Mosaic Records

"When I first heard from producer Richard Seidel that Michael Cuscuna of Mosaic Records wanted to re-issue my Columbia trio studio sessions from the sixties, I was very excited. Richard and Michael felt this body of work had historical and aesthetic importance, and I was pleased that the many people over the years who had inquired about CD re-issues would finally be able to get them all in one package."

"In May, 2008, I flew to New York City to spend a week-end with Michael and Richard at Mark Wilder’s mastering studio. Mark is a world-class engineer with a mind-boggling list of credits. I had never before fully realized the sonic sacrifices that are made when pressing a vinyl disc. Our ability, using today’s technology, to go back to the original tapes and mix, master, and transfer to the digital domain, vastly improved the fidelity. I found the music still fresh, exciting, deep, and exploratory. The project will be released in early 2009.”

June 15, 2008 - Duet with Kate McGarry

“A year earlier, I heard Kate with her trio at Ernie Shelton’s House Concert in Sebastopol, California. I think she is one of our great singers and musicians, and I gave her a copy of my composition, “Quiet Now,” imagining that she would be drawn to it. However, I didn’t hear back from her for almost a year, when she emailed me to say that she had indeed been profoundly moved by the piece, and wondered whether I would be available to do a duet version with her at her upcoming concert back at Ernie’s. I was thrilled at the prospect, and the experience was very special. If you’re not familiar with her work, check out her CDs on Palmetto. I first heard her on the air, singing ‘It Might As Well Be Spring’ from her album, ‘Target,’ and I almost drove off the road.”

July 19, 2008 - Solo piano concert, Ernie Shelton’s House Concert, Sebastopol, California

“A month later, I was back at Ernie’s, reveling in the salon atmosphere of his home, and the incredible sound and flexibility of his beautiful concert grand. He always attracts an audience that is wide open to wherever an artist wants to go. It’s a real privilege to perform there.”

September 26, 2008 - Solo piano concert and lecture-demonstration: Unlocking the Creative Impulse, Siskiyou Institute, Ashland, Oregon

“I found this week-end to be every bit as enjoyable as my first visit to this venue two years earlier. While I love playing for musicians and hard-core jazz fans, this venue offers a special opportunity to also share this music with folks who are unfamiliar, but open to a new experience. And they really meshed with the ideas in my lecture demonstration about the psychology of improvisation.”

November 9, 2008 - Mel Graves Memorial Tribute Concert

"Mel and I had a long history, going back to the late sixties when he phoned to say he had moved out to San Francisco from Ohio in the hopes of playing with me. We got together and really clicked, and with George Marsh on drums, spent the next decade exploring and integrating the worlds of jazz, rock, funk, electronic, and avant garde music. (You can hear him on my album “Expansion.”) He was a gifted, fearless, adventurous, and emotionally intense musician. Mel went on to a primary focus on teaching (he directed the jazz program at Sonoma State University for many years) and composing (receiving grants and commissions from top groups like the Kronos Quartet.) We stayed in contact over the years, and he invited me to present several lecture-demonstrations on the psychology of improvisation at Sonoma State."

"I was shocked to get a phone call from Mel last August, telling me he had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I was glad my medical background and contacts enabled me to help him orchestrate his treatment. Tragically, the surgery turned out to be only palliative; the cancer had already metastasized. Mel handled his approaching demise in an amazingly mature fashion. He accepted that his “number had come up,” and proceeded to plan for what little time he had left. He wanted the musicians he had been close to over the years to give a collaborative concert to raise funds for a jazz scholarship in his name at Sonoma State. We were all touched to be a part of this, and there was an outpouring of appreciation from former students all over the world. Mel titled the concert “Movin’ On,” and designed the shape of the program, which included current students at Sonoma as well as former students and colleagues, some of whom traveled thousands of miles."

"Mel missed the concert by one day, but his presence was keenly felt during a loving and inspirational evening of music. The audience filled the theatre and spilled out into the surrounding hallways. As he had wished, I played some solo piano, and then did a 4 hand piano duet with Art Lande, which was the image with which Mel had begun planning this concert. Art suggested we not divide the piano in the typical style of bass and treble, but straddle our hands, so we wouldn’t know who’s doing what. This was a great idea, and the resulting rollicking free improvisation felt like two kids playing in a sandbox. I think Mel would have loved it."

January 1, 2009 - Two CD projects to be released in February on Mosaic & Sunnyside Records

"It is a great treat for me, in my 70th year, to have two simultaneous CD releases spanning 45 years of recording."

"The 3 CD package on Mosaic Select “Denny Zeitlin: The Columbia Studio Trio Sessions” (see also my May 3 & 4, 2008 note) includes Cathexis, Carnival, & Zeitgeist, plus one hour of previously unreleased compositions from these LPs that were withheld for space reasons. The original reviews of these LPs are available (elsewhere on this site)."

The Sunnyside CD “Denny Zeitlin Trio In Concert Featuring Buster Williams & Matt Wilson,” contains our most exciting and exploratory work from the last several years."

March 10 & 11, 2009 - Denny Zeitlin Trio featuring Buster Williams & Matt Wilson at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Lincoln Center, NYC.

"This elegant, yet warm, jazz club is set well up in a high-rise overlooking Manhattan through floor to ceiling glass, complete with a full moon on the nights we played. The vibes could not have been better, and our music was recorded and later aired on Sirius-XM. The place was packed, due in part to my interview at WGBO, a very supportive piece by Doug Ramsey in the Wall Street Journal ( see Archives ), and fine coordination by Programming Director Todd Barkan."

June 5, 2009 - Denny Zeitlin solo piano at Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Healdsburg, CA.

"This world-class, expertly run international jazz festival is in the heart of California wine country.  It was fun being on a double-bill with John Handy's group.  He and I started recording for Columbia at around the same time in the mid-sixties, and an appreciation of our efforts from Gary Giddins in his JazzTimes article "Lost in Translation," appeared just a few weeks before the performance. (see Archives) ."

June 30, 2009 - Benefit concert for KCSM at Yoshi's Jazzspot, Oakland, CA

"For many years, KCSM has made a huge contribution to keeping jazz alive in the Bay Area, and three pianists who live locally each offered a set of solo piano. Taylor Eigsti led off with a fine, sophisticated set. Jon Jang followed with his own very original take on the jazz vocabulary. I finished up with a set of standards and originals. The room was sold out, and the warmth and collaboration among the musicians was touching."

November 15, 2009 - Denny Zeitlin solo piano at 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley, CA

"This Marin County venue hosts plays, dance, stand-up comedy, and musical events of all kinds, in an intimate setting with fine acoustics. The vibes could not have been better. The house was full, I could feel the audience reaching out to meet the performance, and some special music ensued. I hope to release it on CD downstream."

December 5, 2009 - Jazz Piano Summit, Woodside Priory School, Woodside, CA

"Herb Wong, now in his eighties, has been deeply involved in jazz for many decades in multiple capacities. He wrote the liner notes to one of my Columbia LPs back in the sixties, and we have remained friends ever since. He invited me to record for his Palo Alto Jazz label in the eighties ("Tidal Wave," and "Bill Evans, A Tribute"), and has presented a number of concerts in which I have participated. On this occasion, Taylor Eigsti, Susan Muscarella, Larry Vukovich, and I took turns playing solo, two piano duos, and trios with Peter Barshay, bass and Akira Tana, drums. An event like this can often become dizzying, but on this night the shifting of "musical chairs" seemed effortless, and some very special music emerged. Peter and Akira were great at adjusting to our differing styles. I had a ball, and particularly loved my two-piano duet on "Solar" with Taylor Eigsti."

April, 2010 - "For some time I have been planning an upgrade of my electronic-acoustic recording studio in my home, and this is the month I'm embarking. This will involve a new super powered Mac, a bunch of new software and sound libraries, new keyboards, synths, outboard gear, and microphones. Both daunting and exciting. I'm looking forward to some extended pieces integrating the worlds of classical, jazz, funk, ethnic, electronic, and avant-garde music."

May 18, 2010 - Street date for release of "Denny Zeitlin: Precipice," a solo concert CD.

"Here's my personal note in the Sunnyside CD package: 'While I love playing with other musicians, there is something wonderfully limitless and challenging about being onstage or in the studio by myself. In many ways, this is my most intensely personal musical statement, and goes back to my earliest musical roots. I hope to be open and fully present…allowing the music to go where it wants. When the audience shares this openness, we enter a merger state where magic can really happen, and I believe the concert on this CD provides a special example. The confluence of this intimate hall's fine acoustics, a superb instrument, and a rapt audience willing to actively meet the performance, created a "vibe" that helped me reach my deepest music.'

The concert includes free improvisation, original compositions and American songbook standards. The front cover, commissioned for a Spanish artist, evokes the album title, and is wonderfully surreal. The recording quality is exemplary. I hope you will check this CD out, and that it will take you on a journey to some new places."

Denny Zeitlin: Precipice

June 11 & 12, 2010 - Denny Zeitlin Trio at Club Blujazz, Chicago

"Buster and Matt will be joining me in our first Chicago trio performance in several years. The club is brand new, having just opened in March of this year, the realization of the dream of the husband & wife musician team of Greg Pasenko and Diane Delin.

They are courageous in these times to launch a jazz club; I hope you will help spread the word about the venue, and also about our gig. They serve a variety of fine wines and cocktails, light food fare, desserts, coffee and tea, and are only 5 minutes from downtown Chicago. Sets are at 8 and 9:45. Admission (for our event) $30. Best to reserve tickets on the web site or by phone."

    Club Blujazz
    1540 W. North Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60642-2359
    773-360-8046
    club@clubblujazz.com

September, 2010 - "It has been heartwarming to see the critical response to my new solo piano concert album,"Precipice." If you'd like to take a look at some excerpts, listen to audio clips, and see a video, click here: Denny Zeitlin: Precipice."

November 20, 2010 - Solo Piano Concert at Piedmont Piano Company

"Despite a howling rainstorm, jazz fans made a journey to the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland, where I gave a solo piano concert. Their large showroom was sold-out, and I couldn't have asked for a more appreciative audience. The piano was a special treat: A 1908 Steinway Model A, completely refurbished by the Callahan Piano Service. The sound was exquisite, and the feel enhanced by a recent innovation, the Stanwood Action, which allows the pianist to control the effort required to depress the keys with the turn of a knob. Jim Callahan, the owner, really cares about jazz, and has been presenting an excellent series there. He has a great stable of new and used pianos."

December, 2010 - "George Marsh and I are embarking on a duo project that will involve his stupendous drumming and percussion, and my updated electronic studio. In the decade of 1968-78, we were involved in and recorded an integration of jazz, rock, funk, classical, and free-form music, and this will be a new chapter. My new rig will involve at least 5 digital keyboards, and I'm test-driving several Yamaha models. I still love my Yamaha S90 synthesizer which I've used for 8 years. The design, pre-sets, and keyboard action on Yamaha instruments are way ahead of the competition."

April 2, 2011 - Solo Piano Concert at UC Berkeley's Hertz Hall

"The opening set will be by UC Berkeley students, alumni and guests in The Contemporary Improvisation Ensemble, directed by Myra Melford. This is a wonderful concert hall with superb acoustics and a choice of two Steinway Concert Grands. Information about tickets will follow."

June 11, 2011 - Solo piano at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Healdsburg, CA

"For some years this has been one of the small, fine, pure jazz festivals utilizing top international musicians. Tottering financially, this year the players donated their services to keep the festival alive. I performed a solo piano set, followed by the John Heard Trio, and then the George Cables All-Stars, featuring Bobby Hutcherson, Bobby Watson, Craig Handy, David Weiss, Ray Drummond, and Victor Lewis. It was a very exciting evening, and the sold-out crowd loved it."

June 28, 2011 - Street Date for release of "Labyrinth," a live solo CD on Sunnyside

"Here's my personal note in the Sunnyside CD package:
'There is certainly a special kind of excitement experienced by a performer walking out on a stage to a huge audience. But there is a unique quality of intimacy created when the performer is in a room in someone's home, filled with less than 100 people. And if those people are willing to reach out and meet the music half way, then boundaries between player, instrument, room, and audience can easily dissolve, and some very deep, rich music may occur. Ernie Shelton's House Concerts provided this atmosphere, and I believe something special emerged.'

'Solo piano performance takes me back to my earliest roots, and allows for perhaps the most intensely personal musical statement. I hope to be fully present, open, and able to "stay out of the way" of the music as it draws on the worlds of jazz, classical, funk, and avant garde.'"

The CD includes standards, jazz standards, and original compositions. Manuel Ozaita provided another stunning cover illustration. The CD is sonically superb, and I hope you will find the music exciting and engaging."

November 18, 2011 - WBGO Interview

"WBGO at 88.3 FM is the New York City area's jazz station, and with all the pressure from local and visiting musicians for interviews, I am pleased that I will be on the air with Rhonda Hamilton at 12 noon EST. For those outside the NYC metropolitan area, the station is on the internet at www.wbgo.org"

November 18 & 19, 2011 - Denny Zeitlin Solo & Trio in NYC's Kitano Jazz Room

"The Kitano is an intimate jazz room with a fine Steinway piano. All the top New York players love to perform there, and I'm looking forward to a solo evening on Friday, Nov. 18 and trio with Buster Williams and Matt Wilson on Saturday, Nov. 19. Located in the Kitano Hotel, 66 Park Avenue at East 38th, sets are at 8 and 10. Cover $25, and $15 minimum/set.

"Reservations recommended: (212) 885-7719. Light Japanese and American menu and full bar."

July 3, 2012 - Street Date for Release of "Wherever You Are," a solo piano CD

Here's my personal note in the Sunnyside Records CD package: "In concerts and in my previous albums, I have always programmed for variety. Yet for years I have wanted to record an album with one over-arching mood—a gentle, lyrical journey of mostly ballads.

I've chosen songs that I've loved for years, encountering some of them here as a performer for the first time. My hope was to explore them as deeply, authentically, and spontaneously as possible—to share how the music and often exquisite lyrics of these songs have touched and intrigued me.

The pieces on this CD come mostly from the American Songbook, with a contribution from Jobim, and two originals. They all express a fundamental desire we share as humans: the yearning for an intimate connection. Some celebrate the rapture of love "found." Others explore the heartbreak of love "lost."

My hope is that you will be rewarded by deep listening to this album, and also find it a worthy companion to activities of daily life—a fine meal, perhaps; moments of contemplation; and most especially, being with someone you love."

September 12, 2012 - The initial reviews of "Wherever You Are," my new solo piano CD on Sunnyside, have been extremely positive. If you'd like to check them out, click HERE

October 5, 2012 - I'm very pleased to be returning to the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland, CA for a solo concert Saturday, December 1. Their intimate showroom holds about 150 people, the acoustics are excellent, and the pianos are superb. The concert will feature some selections from my new CD. For information and reservations, click HERE

July 16, 2013 - Street Date for Release of "Both/And," a solo electro-acoustic CD

Back in the late sixties, after having recorded a series of acoustic piano trio albums for Columbia, and restless with the timbral limitations of the acoustic piano, I began a decade of exploring the possibilities of integrating acoustic and electronic instruments in a music that would draw on my experiences in jazz, classical, funk, and the avant- garde. Expansion and Syzygy documented this journey, culminating in the electronic-acoustic-symphonic score for the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers in 1978. I then returned to a focus on acoustic music for the eighties and nineties.

Since the millennium, there have been amazing technological advances that have exponentially increased the potential of electro-acoustic music, and I have been re-exploring this dimension, side by side with acoustic solo and trio concerts and recordings. I have upgraded my studio, which feels more and more like a magical musical sandbox where I can "be" an orchestra.

I enjoyed the challenge of being the sole composer and performer on this album, while imparting the impression of a number of players spontaneously interacting. Improvisation is at the heart of this music, and much of what you hear was recorded in real time. The only live-recorded acoustic instrument is a Steinway grand piano. All the other sounds are from the digital world and are triggered from keyboards: sampled instruments and sound sources, or sounds and instruments created by various forms of synthesis. All these sources are frequently further processed digitally.

There are those who feel that acoustic and electronic music do not mix. All my life I have resisted the concept of "Either/Or," being drawn to integration rather than separation; hence the title of this project: "Both/And."

July 3, 2016 - Some highlights since the last posting: In 2014 Sunnyside released "Stairway To The Stars," a live trio date with Buster Williams and Matt Wilson. This was followed in 2015 by "Riding the Moment," an electro-acoustic CD of duo free improvisations with drummer George Marsh. And for 2016, Sunnyside is releasing "Early Wayne," a solo piano concert album devoted to explorations of classic Wayne Shorter compositions. In the fall of this year, I plan to start posting videos of a solo piano concert exploring Thelonious Monk.

My life has been too busy to update this NEWS section in a timely manner, and at this point I invite visitors to sign up for my mailing list where I do keep folks informed. Please click here