Jazz returns to the focus of the Dick’s Den Wednesday Residency program in August when guitarist Zakk Jones takes the reins. The Portland, Oregon native recently graduated with a B.M. in Jazz Studies from Capital University, and is continuing to establish himself as one of central Ohio’s finest musicians and composers. His residency coincides with the first tour for his Screeching Owl sextet, and will present a variety of vibrant hues of modern jazz. Show times are listed below, and the cover charge each week is $4. Keep reading for details from Jones, and insights into the players and material:
Zakk Jones: “When I was asked to take on the August Dick’s Den residency I was beyond humbled, and knew I wanted to do my best at presenting a wide range of music that I am involved in.
Wednesday, August 5th, 9pm-1am: Safety Squad
Safety Squad is a 10-piece ensemble that embraces the music and spirit of Snarky Puppy, a Grammy-winning group whose music blends a mixture of funk, neo soul, modern jazz, dixieland and everything in between. We made our debut at Brothers Drake back in May and had an astounding response, and I think anyone who enjoys live music will dig us. Danny Bauer (pianist), who I have been playing with since my early days at Capital, put together this group, and we will be playing a number of SP charts as well as a few of Danny’s own originals. The lineup is as follows:
Danny Bauer – Keyboards
Andrew Willard – Keyboards
Matthiessen Nisch-Quan – Drums and Cymbals
Kramer Sell – Aux. Percussion
John Allen – Bass
Chase Potter – Violin
Alex Burgoyne – Alto Sax
Justin Dickson – Tenor Sax
Aroh Pandit – Trumpet
Zakk Jones – Guitar
August 12 and 19th, 9pm-1am: Screeching Owl
The middle weeks of my residency are an exciting time, as I have booked a tour with my original sextet Screeching Owl. This project has meant a lot to me, as its an outlet for my own original music and arrangements. Since our formation in January we have played a number of shows and released an EP called Dreams of Yesterday, with 6 original tunes of mine. The 12th marks the first night of our tour, which takes us to Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, back down to Columbus (the 19th) and ending in Cincinnati. With 8 gigs in 9 days, I couldn’t be happier about how it turned out, and the lineup speaks for itself. I’m bringing some very special guests who have been a big part of the Columbus scene and have now moved to different parts of the country. Billy Wolfe, an exceptional tenor player and Capital grad, helped me out immensely with logistical details and venue ideas. He has done this many times and without his help this could not have been planned out at all. Elliot Scozzaro (alto sax, now entering his 2nd year grad studies at University of North Texas), and David Wolbert (Bass, 2nd year Grad studies at DePaul) will be joining us, both great friends of mine from Capital.
Billy Wolfe – Saxophone
Elliot Scozzaro – Saxophone
David Wolbert – Bass
Steven Jacobs – Trumpet
Ryan Folger – Drums
Zakk Jones – Guitar
A few lineup changes happen on the 19th, so these two performances will be very different and we will not be playing the exact same sets. The book has originals from myself, and other members of the group, rounding it out with arrangements I have made from some of my favorite players Will Vinson, Donny McCaslin, Alex Sipiagin and more.
August 26th, 8pm-12am: The Zakk Jones 4tet
Last but certainly not least, the 26th will be my “Straight-ahead” offerings of the residency. Sticking to mostly standards, and some arrangements in the “hard-bop” realm, I’ll be joined by 3 musicians that I am beyond excited to be making music with.
Seth Rogers – Drums
Greg Wolfram – Bass
Pete Mills – Sax
Zakk Jones – Guitar
I hope to make this a very memorable set of performances, and I’m grateful for Dick’s Den, Tim Ackerman, musicians sharing the stage and anyone who comes out to support LIVE music at the One and Only.”