Michael Zilber, whom jazz legend Dave Liebman calls “one of the best composers and players around anywhere, period!”, was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts in his late teens and to New York City in his early twenties. He has performed and/or recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Dave Liebman, Miroslav Vitous, Bob Berg, Dave Douglas, Rachel Z, and Narada Michael Walden, among many others.
While in New York, Zilber recorded two critically acclaimed OWL-EMI Records as a leader, "The Heretic" and "Stranger in Brooklyn", which was named one of the top 30 CDs of all time by Jazzfusion.com.
Since his move to San Francisco, Michael has performed in numerous musical settings as a leader and sideman, including co-leading a quartet featuring the renowned drummer Steve Smith and directing CARMA, the Bay Area's "all-star Jazz Orchestra".
Michael's 2000 release, the critically hailed "Two Coasts", features Steve Smith, Rachel Z, James Genus, and Rodney Holmes. This CD was a finalist for the 2001 Independent Music Awards Jazz Record of the Year.
In 2003 Zilber and Smith released a top 20 jazz recording on Blue Jay records entitled "Reimagined" which Michael Brecker called truly amazing and David Liebman said was the next step forward in reworking jazz standards. That same year, Zilber and Liebman were the featured artists on Jazzschool Records inaugural release, "Live at the Jazzschool".
Michael's next release, in 2005 was a reunion with his East Coast comrades Liebman, Bruce Barth, James Genus and Clarence Penn, and featured all original compositions, and was Zilber's first release to be primarily available online.
Current projects include recordings and performances with guitar master John Stowell, as well as ongoing performances and recordings with the 3 horn band Happy Hour.
Zilber is currently finishing up recording a song cycle of poems set to music, poems by the remowned American poet Billy Collins.
He is the artistic director of the newly announced Yoshi's-Jazzschool Institute for developing artists and audiences, which will begin operation in fall 2008.
