Zack Clarke Trio - Vertical Shores

2019 release

Pianist and composer Zack Clarke is a worker of forms, expanding the ones he chooses far beyond their conventions. Of course, when manipulating form, Clarke manages all of the inherent idiomatic factors while keeping himself away from any established sublabels, be it “third stream”, “fusion” or “collage”. After dealing with electro-acoustic projects including his acclaimed Random Acts of Order and Mesophase, his focus returns to the acoustic jazz piano trio in Vertical Shores.

It is in this format that we are able to see Clarke’s pianism on full display. Working with great improvisers Kim Cass and Dre Hocevar, the trio pushes into new territory using their shared aesthetic and textural sensibilities as well as a virtuosic technical proficiency between the three. What interests Clarke and his peers on Vertical Shores is the use of the return to the classic trio configuration as a tool for the purpose of creating a new beginning. The result rewards the listener with a world seen at a different slant.