Michael Zerang

• Born: 1958
• Active: '90s, 2000s
• Genres: Jazz
• Instrument: Drums

Biography

A self-described "Chicago-born Assyrian percussionist," Michael Zerang's list of collaborators is a virtual compendium of the Windy City's free jazz/improv community, including saxophonists Fred Anderson and Ken Vandermark, cellist Fred Longberg-Holm, drummer Hamid Drake, and bassist Kent Kessler, among others. Some of his many performance vehicles have been Liof Munimula, the Neutrino Orchestra, Frozen Lucy, the Quirt Quintet, Musica Menta, the Vandermark Quartet, Dream Cheese, the Sputter Ensemble, In Zenith, and Broken Wire. He's recorded for the Okka Disc, boxMEDIA, Kontrans, Southport, Quinnah Records, Eighth Day Music, Garlic, and Platypus labels. He's also composed for film, theater, and dance. Zerang is an educator; he taught performance technique and sound design as a guest artist at the Art Institute of Chicago, and rhythmic analysis for dancers at Northwestern University. He also teaches music to children. In 1985, Zerang founded the Link's Hall Performance Series in Chicago, and served as its director until 1989. Zerang's playing is primarily coloristic; he's more likely to embroider a group improvisation than drive it. He has a light touch and a discontinuous manner, and while he's not a viscerally exciting player, he is tasteful and responsive to what goes on around him. ~ Chris Kelsey, All Music Guide

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