Gabriel Zucker is a pianist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from New York, whose work combines maximalist compositions with the progressive improvisation of New York’s creative music scene. His music was nominated for two ASCAP composition awards and received 4.5 stars by Downbeat. As a Yale graduate and Rhodes Scholar Zucker has performed in New York at Carnegie Hall and The Jazz Gallery, as well as in 18 other countries. The Banff Jazz and Creative Music Workshop was the birthplace of Zucker’s first project, The Delegation, an indie jazz band. The group’s debut album, a 12-movement composition called Evergreen (Canceled world), was funded by an American Composers Forum JFund grant. It was released on ESP-Disk in October 2016 to great critical acclaim. The group’s second album, Leftover Beats From The Edges Of Time is expected to be released in 2019. Zucker is still active with many other projects. ESP-Disk’s November 2018 release of Zucker’s fourth studio album, Weighting, was an extended composition inspired Rachel Kushner’s novel The Flamethrowers. It features Tyshawn Sorey and Adam O’Farrill as well as Eric Trudel. It was highly acclaimed and appeared on many best-of-2018 lists. Last year, Zucker and Sorey collaborated once again, with the debut of Zucker’s duo New York, USA 2018, on the Sophia Rosoff Concert Series at Weill Hall. His other projects include the avant-indie band underorder and his concert piano work that focuses on twentieth-century repertoire. Zucker is the manager of Spectrum, a prominent experimental music venue. He also curates the monthly series Spectral Fridays. As a social activist and musician, Zucker worked with the Abdul Latif Jamel Poverty Action Lab (MIT) on poverty policy research. He also led the campaign to end veteran homelessness in Connecticut. He is currently a member of U.S. Digital Service where he works on access to healthcare at the Department of Veterans Affairs and homeless services. In 2012, he graduated summa cumlaude from Yale, where he double-majored in Economics and Politics.
