Press
February 25, 2010
"The New Rochelle Sister City Committee is proud to announce the selection of saxophonist Zachary Lipton as the city’s musical ambassador to the La Rochelle, France, “New Orleans Jazz Festival” this April. Lipton, 24, is a 2003 graduate of New Rochelle High School and a 2007 graduate of Columbia University.
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Lipton attended Columbia University, in a city overflowing with musical opportunities. While an undergraduate, he performed at a number of clubs and universities, gave performances and clinics at high schools, and founded a weekly on-campus jazz performance. During his senior year, he recorded a collection of original compositions on an album entitled First Steps, which was praised in a review on All About Jazz as “engaging, musically genuine and well-conceived”.
After graduating from Columbia with honors, having completed a major in Mathematics and Economics, Lipton’s musical career has been on the rise. He has performed a series of concerts recently at the Underground Lounge in New York City and is at the forefront of the intersection of internet technology and the world of music, developing new ways to share music and the artistic process and to create a richer, web-based interaction between artist and audience.
Lipton was chosen by a musically-based audition committee consisting of Brian Carter, David Patterson, Sheila Sarkar and Domenick Guastaferro, from among several qualified applicants who responded to a request publicized by the Sister City Committee earlier this year. "
February 16, 2008
"Lipton's improvisational approach echoes the swiftness of 1960s-era Wayne Shorter (Flight) and the gracefulness of Dexter Gordon (March 1st, Waltz for Maya). The disc's ten tracks, all composed by Lipton, traverse a diverse array of tempos and grooves, with an underlying propensity to swing. Lipton's compositional skills shine bright on the opening track Shtuyot, the ballad, March 1st, and The Hodge Positionary, a frenzied romp with angular proportions.
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A gifted saxophonist and composer, Lipton has the potential to develop into an original voice on the jazz scene. First Steps is an engaging introduction, musically genuine and well-conceived."
“Zack’s dedication to often-overlooked elements of musicianship is rare in a person of his age. I am impressed with his innate sense of curiosity and meticulous attention to detail.”
- Branford Marsalis
