After graduating from New England Conservatory in 2005, Zaccai Curtis moved to New York City where he performs regularly with Donald Harrison, Cindy Blackman Santana, Chico Freeman, Avery Sharpe, Eddie Palmieri, Christian Scott, Ralph Peterson, Lakecia Benjamin, Brian Lynch, The Mambo Legends Orchestra and others.
Curtis composes and arranges for his own trio, quartet, big band and more. In 2003, he was awarded the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s Award. Soon after that, the Curtis Brothers Quartet was selected by the U.S. State Department to participate in the American Music Abroad (Jazz Ambassadors) program for two tours in 2006 to places as far flung as the Maldives. He was also awarded the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism’s Artist Fellowship and most recently, the prestigious Doris Duke/ Chamber Music America New Jazz Works grant.
Zaccai performs his own music with the Curtis Brothers Quartet and recently released Algorithm (2019) following four successful releases: “A Genesis,” “Blood Spirit Land Water Freedom,” “Syzygy” and “Completion of Proof”, all on the Truth Revolution Recording Collective label (TRRcollective). Founded with brother Luques, the label has developed a collective of musicians who produce music on their own terms. He is proud to have produced a GRAMMY-nominated album, “Entre Colegas,” by Andy Gonzalez, released on the label in 2016. He designed and created “The Riff: Music News,” the first free music news app built for record labels, venues and indie artists available on iTunes and android.
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