cool moments...

Hello friends!
hope this finds you all doing great!
I want to share with you a few very cool moments I had here in New York City recently.
In January I discovered a restaurant that since then became one of my favorite places to go. It's called "Favela Cubana", and the idea behind is simple - to blend Brazilian and Cuban Cuisines! If you live in the city or happen to be around, you have to check it out! It has amazing food, great environment, and the people there are super nice. Owner Marco Britti, an accomplished drummer too (!!) has been inviting me for a long time, and now I can't get enough of the place!
Marco also asked me to sign one of his congas, which he uses as seats for the bar (very original!).
Owner Marco Britti and myself at "Favela":


signing one of their congas:


In February I went to see Hiromi perform solo on her CD release concert here in NYC. It was great to see her again, after playing together during Sonicbloom's last year world tour. During the break, I got to talk to Ahmad Jamal, one of the most important jazz pianists ever. We were both speechless from Hiromi's performance(!)..... catch her on her solo tour if you can!
Mr. Jamal and myself during Hiromi's CD Release show:


And finally, for now.... I was so honored and happy with this one! I was playing at the Blue Note with pianist Miho Nobuzane - do check her out too, she's a great pianist and her music and playing crosses over many styles, including jazz, pop, Brazilian and latin, African jazz, you name it! - during the spring of 2008. And in the audience was one of my heros, Mr. Bernard Purdie. He came to chat after the show, and it was an amazing experience to get to know him, and hear him comment on the show!

New CD review, and featured comment

Hello all,
here is a new CD review of my recent release, 7 Lives. It just came out on the magazine "Jazz Inside NY" on their february edition.
"(...)Triumphant, exotic, pounding, electric, yet deeply grounded in the stream of tradition, 7 Lives offers an exhilarating trip across an ever-shrinking, colliding and adapting musical globe." M. Marshall - Jazz Inside NY Magazine, feb/2010
Check out the whole review:


I also had the opportunity to contribute to their feature article on "passion". I talk about the importance of being passionate about something (in my case, music) and how we should strive to find our true passion (and consequently nurture it) in order to be happy. Check it out:


You can download the full magazine for free at their website:
Jazz Inside NY Magazine - free PDF download

And, since we are talking about this great publication, they just came out with a great idea: an Audio Wall - you can visit the site and preview lots of new and great music. Download a track, or sample all you want... and then proceed to each artist's websites to purchase the rest of the album. Go visit them, and happy listening!
visit the Jazz Audio Wall

Mauricio's group live!

hello friends!
it's been a little while since my last post. I hope that everybody is doing well, and that 2010 will be a fantastic year for all of you!

I wanted to share some pics and a video of one of the projects I am involved with: my own! The Mauricio Zottarelli's quintet features a unique mix of Brazilian music, fusion and jazz, being played by an amazing group of musicians...... I am so lucky to have these guys playing with me!
We did a few shows in NYC last year, and the response from the audiences was great - also, we had a blast playing the music! So,for those of you who couldn't be there..... do check out this video below, which has some footage of our CD release performance, and shows you what the project is about. Also, below are some photos of these performances in NYC.
More stuff will be posted here soon..... more videos and also more live dates to come! Stay tuned!

Mauricio Zottarelli quintet - video EPK


Mz quintet: (L to R) Rodrigo (tenor, flute) - MZ (drums) - Itaiguara (bass) - Gustavo Assis Brasil (guitar) - Oriente Lopez (keys, flute)
Dec 22nd, 2009 @ Zinc bar - NYC








MZ's quintet @ Zinc bar - NYC
Oct 8th, 2009

New published interview, and CD press

Hello friends!

I want to share with you this interview that was published on the magazine Jazz Inside NY - october 2009. They misspelled my first name, though, but it's close enough..... the JPG of the interview is below. Enjoy!

If you want, you can also download the whole magazine - oct edition - on their website.
Jazz Inside NY - October 2009

here it is -

page 38

continued... 1


continued...2


7 lives CD

My recent released CD "7 Lives" has been receiving some great press worldwide - here are the latest quotes:

" The album shows all the musicality and refined taste from this great drummer, who has all the requirements to grow even more on the Jazz and Fusion scenes worldwide, but always keeping the Brazilian touch in his music. (...) A beautiful example of how a solo CD from a great musician should be done, on which the creativity, tasteful playing and musicality are always valued." (V. Rocha, Modern Drummer Magazine Brazil)

"A convincing debut album from a drummer you certainly should know.” (from www.jazzdrummerworld.com)

Zottarelli, who wrote seven out of the eleven songs, is not only a gifted composer but also a great producer. '7 Lives' is a hit! (Silvano Gerosa, Jazz'n'More Magazine - Switzerland)

“(…) Featuring Zottarelli’s many different rhythmic and compositional skills, this album is high-quality Brazilian jazz”.
(H.Sugita - Swing Journal – JAPAN)

New CD from guitarist Prasanna

On this past September I recorded some tracks for the new CD release by guitarist Prasanna.
Prasanna hails from India, but he is based on the US. His music is a mix of Carnatic South Indian music, Jazz, Fusion, Rock, and everything in-between.
Really amazing writing, challenging, and fun music to play and listen to!
The line-up of this upcoming release includes:
Prasanna (guitars); MZ and Rodney Holmes (drums); Mike Pope and Bill Urmson (bass); Shalini (vocals); Dave Douglas (trumpet); Vijay Iyer (piano); Rudresh Mahanthappa and David Binney (saxes); and more guests to come. The CD is still in production/recording phase, but it should be done soon. I will keep you all posted here and on my website. Do check out Prasanna's website in the meantime, and get acquainted with this amazing artist!!

Prasanna's website

following are some photos of the sessions:


MZ in the studio


Mauricio and Prasanna


Bill Urmson



Dave Douglas and Prasanna


MZ, Prasanna and Dave Douglas