New Album Release August 23, 2024
Silent Boomer X
Vocalist Zack Foley with bassist Frank Wagner and drummer C.J. Everett
Official Video
"Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee"
Vocalist Zack Foley explores sparse trio format with bass and drums
Joined by bassist
Frank Wagner and drummer
C.J. Everett, adventurous vocalist
Zack Foley turns his attention to standards in an economical chord-less trio configuration on his third outing as a leader,
Silent Boomer X, available from
Jazzheads. On
Silent Boomer X, Foley goes all-in on standard repertoire but in a non-standard way, departing from the conventional “crooner” sound and letting his tenor voice play a role traditionally filled by the saxophone. In that vein, Zack aspires to link the improvising vocal lineage of Betty Carter, Chet Baker and Sheila Jordan, with the refined lyricism of saxophonists Don Byas and Lester Young. Delivering one exemplary scat solo after another on
Silent Boomer X, Foley takes up that mantle, proving himself a poised improviser with excellent time and taste.
Zack Foley is a jazz singer currently based in San Antonio, TX. He grew up in Houston, TX and attended the High School for Performing and Visual Arts. Zack lived in NYC for the next 20 years, earning a BFA in Jazz Studies at City College and a master’s in social work at Hunter College. He performed extensively with pianist/composer Jesse Elder from 2005-2012 in bands that featured Tyshawn Sorrey, Nasheet Waits, Logan Richardson, and Chris Tordini. Zack's musical friendship with Jesse culminated in the 2010 release of
Foldersnacks, a unique record of original music blending jazz with prog rock sounds and rhythms. During this period Zack also recorded a Simon and Garfunkel inspired duet record with singer/songwriter Jason Consolacion entitled
Fakin It.
In 2016 Zack made his band leading debut record entitled
LMSW with his working quartet featuring pianist Jesse Elder, bassist Chris Tordini, and drummer Devin Gray. In 2018 Zack reconnected with Foldersnacks guitarist Ryan Ferreira and formed a trio with bassist Chris Tordini called Heavy Lettuce. This trio made a record of Zack's original compositions entitled
A Bird in the Hand, which Zack self-released in 2023.
During the pandemic Zack moved back to Texas and rekindled a drum and voice duet called Archaic Torso with his life-long friend Paul Sundberg. Zack is also currently a member of the Plum Village band, a new music group composed primarily of monastics in Thich Nhat Hanh's Zen Buddhist tradition. The group toured the East Coast in Spring 2023 and made a record at Plum Village Monastery in France to be released in 2024.
Zack considers his music to be in the lineage of Houston pianist, Dave Catney, who died tragically in 1994 at age 33. Dave introduced Zack to Black American Music, and Zack aspires to be a continuation of Dave’s musical spirit.
Listen here to get a feel for Zack's unique vibe:
One of the most sublime and delightful finds on New York City’s youth-infused jazz scene. When Zack Foley performs, improvisation goes transcendental.
David Friend of Vanity Fair
Recent albums by Zack Foley
New Album
A Bird in the Hand
Featuring guitarist Ryan Ferreira and bassist Chris Tordini
Videos from "A Bird in the Hand"
LMSW
Released in 2018 featuring Jesse Elder, Chris Tordini, and Devin Grey
A Bird in the Hand is a manifestation of my explorations into the world of fuzz pedals that took place against the backdrop of burning out as a social worker during the pandemic and moving from Brooklyn to Texas to care for my father, which in turn triggered generational trauma with my mother. So making A Bird in the Hand was a very personal journey of revelation and self-discovery.
Just before the pandemic hit, I began exploring guitar-based effects after visiting Ryan Ferreira's Brooklyn studio, where I was riveted by the depth of Ryan's sound and his infinitely creative relationship with modulation and processing. For years I'd been struggling to express with my “acoustic” voice the sounds I was hearing in my head. With encouragement from Ryan and other guitarist buddies, I started messing around first with delays and reverbs and eventually with overdrive and fuzz pedals. Fuzz was the game changer. Happily falling down the rabbit hole of fuzz, I found my way to the beloved "Germanium Fuzz Face," which imbues my voice with the loveliest characteristics of fuzz while retaining my core vocal sound. Fuzz opened singing to more creativity and fun, and as I burned the midnight oil, melodies began emerging out of open-ended improvisations. Here were the origin and material for my new record, A Bird in the Hand.
I'm lucky to be able to make music with guitarist Ryan Ferreira and bassist Chris Tordini. Ryan’s grounded vibe, the space he creates when he plays, and his gorgeous sounds help me to feel relaxed and comfortable in my own skin, to let the music breathe, to let the sounds lead the way. Chris is my favorite bass player. He has exquisite taste and every note that man plays is life-affirming and is just the best damn note there is for that moment. We played a handful of shows together in 2018-2019 under the moniker, Heavy Lettuce. Four songs on the record ("Nooch Lady," "A Bird in the Hand," "Flavor Heat," and "Bodo Beya") feature this trio. Two songs, "Inward" and "Outward," are fully improvised “duets.” On these two tracks, I sing with my fuzz rig into Ryan’s H9000 processor. Ryan is processing/modulating my voice in real-time while I am responding in real-time to what he is doing, i.e. I have a "conversation with myself" of sorts, creating a fuzzy vocal landscape. "Inward" and "Outward" were true one-off improvisations, and I liked them so much that they ended up on the record. The album closes with a more traditional voice and guitar duet called "Analog Sun." The landscape of the Texas Hill Country is another important contributor to this record. Moving to Texas from Brooklyn afforded me long hours of driving along winding, county Texas roads, listening to music and taking in the big sky, the rolling hills, the rivers and the streams. Ryan’s guitar sounds fit this landscape beautifully. The song "A Bird in the Hand is worth Two in the Bush" is the perfect soundtrack for a drive in the country or the desert.
A Bird in the Band is a genuine artistic statement and serious foray into the possibilities open to the human voice as a jazz instrument. By using fuzz, I was for the first time able to express the sounds that I've been hearing for so long in my head, allowing me to escape my body and enter into a more instrumental landscape, one that I feel truly at home in. This is also the first record I have released with completely original material. The music on A Bird in the Hand was deeply inspired by guitarist and mentor, David Torn, a fuzz and sound pioneer who has influenced generations of musicians. David continues to make riveting works of art and has been insanely generous with his time and insights. I am forever grateful for the music and friendship of Jason Moran and the Bandwagon, for Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet, for Thom Yorke with Radiohead and The Smile, for Tim Berne’s bands, for Betty Carter, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Pat Matheny, Paul McCartney, and Neil Young. I am also inspired and encouraged by my friendships with Robert Glasper and Brad Mehldau. I consider my music to be in the lineage of Houston pianist Dave Catney, who tragically passed away in 1994 at age 33. Dave showed me the way, and I wish for my music to be a continuation for him.
About Zack Foley
Zack Foley is an improvising vocalist currently based in San Antonio, TX.
Bands Zack plays with:
Zack Foley Trio
Guitarist Ryan Ferreira and bassist Chris Tordini
Archaic Torso
A duet Zack co-leads with drummer Paul Sundberg, is currently for hire in the San Antonio/Austin area.
Avalo
A new music group composed primarily of monastics in Thich Nhat Hanh's Zen tradition. The group completed its first East Coast tour in the spring of 2023.
Diverse
Zack performed extensively with Jesse Elder from 2005 – 2012 in bands that featured Tyshawn Sorrey, Chris Tordini, Nasheet Waits, Logan Richardson, and Jeremy Viner. Zack's musical friendship with Jesse culminated in the release of Foldersnacks in 2010.
Zack grew up in Houston TX and attended the High School for Performing and Visual Arts. He lived in NYC for the next 20 years, studying jazz performance and Manhattan School of Music, New School and City College, where he eventually earned his BFA.
Alongside jazz gigs in NYC, Zack pursued a masters in social work at Hunter College. Since 2015, Zack has worked in the field of inpatient psychiatry.
In 2021, Zack moved back to Texas to care for his father and rekindled his longstanding duet with drummer Paul Sundberg. During the pandemic Zack began experimenting with fuzz and other guitar based effects in an effort to feel more free in improvisational settings. These effects are featured heavily in the band, Archaic Torso.
Zack considers his music to be in the lineage of Houston pianist, Dave Catney, who died tragically in 1994 at age 33. Dave introduced Zack to Black American music, and Zack wishes to be a continuation for Dave.