Peter Zak piano · Santi de la Rubia saxophone · Ignasi Gonzalez double bass · Roger Gutierrez drums
Peter Zak & Santi de la Rubia — Contemporary Hard Bop Between New York and Barcelona
Peter Zak is one of the most solid and respected pianists on the New York scene, while Santi de la Rubia is one of the most active and in-demand saxophonists in Spain. Together, they create a direct and elegant dialogue rooted in hard bop, enriched by a deep understanding of jazz’s classical language, updated with a contemporary sensibility.
With more than two decades of international experience, Peter Zak has worked with key figures such as George Coleman, Jimmy Cobb, Eddie Henderson, Tom Harrell, and Billy Hart, and he also teaches at the prestigious jazz program at The New School in New York. His leadership combines fluency, harmonic rigor, and constant listening—qualities that have made him a reference both as a sideman and as a leader of his own projects.
Among his recent recordings, One Mind, a quartet album with Marcos Varela, Billy Drummond, and Seamus Blake, expands his usual palette with new compositional directions, while Standards, a trio recording, clearly showcases his artistic maturity and mastery of the repertoire. Both albums confirm a consistent career, rooted in tradition yet open to exploration.
Santi de la Rubia brings to this project a strong track record in national and international festivals, as well as extensive sideman experience with musicians like Tom Harrell, Jorge Rossy, Perico Sambeat, and Giulia Valle. In 2017, he released Broken Line, his first album as a leader with Roger Gutiérrez and Marc Cuevas, offering contemporary jazz infused with a distinctive hard bop energy.
Why shouldn’t you miss it?
Because this project unites two generations and two scenes in a single language: direct and elegant jazz, where the hard bop tradition is transformed into an intense and profound dialogue.
