About The Disciple:
"This one is really outstanding. Here is a pianist of clarity and quality on a set that should be sought and savoured." - Mark Gardner, Jazz Journal (UK)
"Together these three make magic." Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
"A superb piano trio. Zak pays homage here, but with his own pleasures to offer, in his own voice." - Jon Garelick, DownBeat
About Eternal Triangle:
"The pianist's light touch and rhythmic poise make the set something of a standout" - Mike Hobart, Financial Times
"Peter Zak has developed into a pianist who knows what to leave out when playing, giving his music a buoyancy often lacking in piano trio CD's." - Ken Dryden, NYC Jazz Record
About Down East:
"The kind of trio date many aspire to but few reach so effortlessly, Zak and his pals are on the money throughout. A must hear/have date for all straight ahead piano jazz fans." - Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"Classy set by Peter Zak, accompanied by the stellar rhythm tandem...together they strike a swinging accord..." - Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes
"You can't help but be drawn in by his deep swing, mastery of tempos, horn-like phrasing, orchestrative savoir faire, and ability to conjure melodic pathways through harmonic thickets." - Ted Panken, DownBeat
About The Decider:
"This is another rewarding release by Peter Zak, a talent deserving of wider recognition. 4 1/2 stars." - Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
About Blues On The Corner:
"The inventive, poised pianist and composer Peter Zak — he of bebop-and-beyond heart — creates beguiling passages of flowing melody driven by an assured swing.” - Zan Stewart, Newark Star-Ledger
“…rewarding session…Zak puts his own stamp on each piece. 4 1/2 stars” - Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
About Seed Of Sin:
"...his fourth strong album for SteepleChase... Zak invariably comes upon lovely notes you never anticipated. “Shala” has a heartfelt melodic inevitability that, in a more perfect world, would make its composer famous." - Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times, November 2008
"NYC pianist Peter Zak, a spirited bebop-and-beyond stylist, again offers a beguiling mix of distinctive originals and jazz repertoire items both well-known and not-so. This is A-1 modern mainstream trio jazz, swinging with spark." - Zan Stewart, Newark Star-Ledger
"Zak covers a number of jazz styles during this wide-ranging session. His buoyant, swinging treatment of Billy Strayhorn's lesser known “All Day Long” and lyrical setting of Eubie Blake's “Memories of You” have great appeal. The brisk bossa nova “Propinquity” and the melodic “Shala” (the latter introduced with a bit of free improvisation) are also signs of Peter Zak's gifts as a composer." - Ken Dryden, All Music Guide read full review
"...another strong entry in (Peter Zak's) burgeoning catalog." - Derek Taylor, Bagatellen read full review
About My Conception:
"Zak's imaginative studio session blends stunning originals with a few overlooked gems...as a composer, comparable to the likes of Bill Evans, Denny Zeitlin, Fred Hersch, or any solo pianist you can name...a flawless record date. Four and one-half starts out of five" - All Music Guide
"...a bouquet of self-assured solo piano performances" - New York Times
"Peter Zak has now made three albums as a leader, all for SteepleChase of Denmark. The first two were piano-trio dates, the most recent of which, For Tomorrow, was one of 2006’s sleepers. My Conception, a solo album, is better.
The 12 pieces on this album feel less like calculated performances than one private, unbroken contemplation on which the listener is allowed to eavesdrop...
Zak plays a varied program: originals like “Mahmoud’s Memory,” with harmonies that suggest Arabia over a written bass figure; hard-bop classics like the title track by Sonny Clark; standards like “Witchcraft.” But even when he does a snapping calypso for trumpet by Blue Mitchell, “Fungii Mama,” never before heard as a piano solo, the rapt atmosphere is sustained. The best piece is “With a Song in My Heart,” with new changes, an unusual dead-slow tempo, and fragments repeated and communed over, as if in wonder." - Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times
About For Tomorrow:
"...together, Peter Zak, Paul Gill and Willie Jones III constitute one of the most polished, intelligent, swinging piano trios now playing jazz in New York or anywhere else. For Tomorrow gets better every time you play it." - Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times
One of the 10 best of 2006 (For Tomorrow) - Nancy Barell, Jazz Journalists Association
"A musician of Zak's caliber is expected to deliver, and deliver he does...For Tomorrow is chameleonic to the point of being startling. It is organic and tight, with no loose chords and no loose strings...You find yourself tapping your foot long after the last note is played and the resonance is as striking as the music." - Karla Cornejo, All About Jazz New York
About Peter Zak Trio:
"A pianist on the rise....an exceptional trio...melodically rich playing with harmonic depth and supple rhythm. One of the top emerging artists on the New York jazz horizon." ö Zan Stewart, Newark Star-Ledger
"Pianist Peter Zak has made a name for himself...but his new disc, The Peter Zak Trio, on Steeplechase, just might break him as a soloist." - TimeOut New York
"A thoughtful player who shines" ö Dan Morgenstern, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University
"Vibrant and singular...Zak's mastery is evident." - Terrell Holmes, All About Jazz New York
"Zak...has put together a nice mainstream style mixing melodic class with easy-riding cool. His work on his own compositions, "Laughing With RZ" and "Better Late Than Never" is bright and engaging while he brings an unusual waltzing grace to Monk's "Ugly Beauty." - Cadence Magazine