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“THE AUGMENTED EAR”
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“FAIRY TALES CAN COME TRUE, IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU…”
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Choosing to be a musician is a commitment for the long-term, especially if one aspires to be a jazz musician. For every Jamie Callum or Eldar, there are thousands of determined players woodshedding every day and dreaming of having a hit record.
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They may have even already recorded the tracks that will break through – and don’t know it. That’s what happened to New Jersey pianist Joel Zelnik. (born in Elizabeth)
Zelnik is a regular performer in New York and Northern New Jersey clubs, where he and his wife Francine Evans draw crowds with their tributes to Frank Sinatra, Big Band girl singers and other shows.
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His career began in the late 1960s, when he formed the J. Zelnik Trio. The group’s swinging performances earned them lots of fans, including Dr. Billy Taylor, who would feature tracks from an LP recorded by the trio in 1968, MOVE, regularly on his radio shows.
Turns out, Move is a big hit in Japan … in 2010.
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The album wasn’t a big seller initially, in fact, when the son of the trio’s drummer David Rosenberg, who died some years after the recording was made, wanted to hear his late-father’s work a few years ago, the only copy anyone seemed to know about was on Zelnik’s shelf.
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Zelnik made a copy of the recording and sent it to Jay Rosenberg (son of David). Jay enjoyed it so much, he began a one-man crusade to spread the music of the J. Zelnik Trio.
Thanks to the Internet, Japanese businessman Keisuke Taniguchi became a fan, investing time and money in producing a CD to release in Japan.
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Search online for the J. Zelnik Trio and a handful of Japanese sources pop up – using Google’s translator, a few things were clear: the album is legendary among jazz fans there (and they are a dedicated and informed bunch); it features such tunes as “Tune Up,” “A Minor Thought” and “Will You be Mine”;… and it’s selling out.
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It’s such a hit, the Japanese Think! Label has already released a follow-up, Joel Zelnik Trio Live At Steinway Piano Gallery.
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You may preview both of these albums at:
http://Last.fm/music/joel+zelnik
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OR http://www.amazon.co.jp/LIVE-AT-STEI...2612982&sr=8-1
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They may be purchased at:
JOEL ZELNIK - Jazz great Dr. Billy Taylor, was the first to give air play to Joel’s first jazz album, “MOVE”, which was reissued in Japan. A contemporary of Bill Evans, Joel has entertained 5 presidents, has been a pianist/bandleader for thousands of events, and has performed at concert venues in New York, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Japan and Greece. NYC venues include: Windows On The World and The Rainbow Room. He has recorded four CD’s and also holds a B.A. from NJCU, and an M.A. (from Rutgers University). His latest recording, “Live At Steinway Piano Gallery” was performed on a Steinway Model D Concert Grand, released in Japan, and is now available in the US. Contact: DustyGrooveAmerica.com.