PRESS
"Zahili Zamora's new release is a timeless evocation of Cuban musical traditions, an aural tapestry of the diaspora's sorrows and the beauty of spiritual yearnings."
Jason Berry | Journalist, Actor & Filmmaker
"The buzz around Cuban pianist Zahili Zamora is powerful: her elegant keyboard wizardry and precision vocals jump fresh from Havana's worldwide stage, polished bright in Berklee College's graduate program. True: Zahili's quartet opened the 10th Cambridge Jazz Festival in a joyous, action-packed hour that launched the crowd giddy with delight. Yet this debut CD reveals her candid, intimate side in a surprisingly laid-back chamber suite that tracks her personal journey in musical vignettes with a stellar cast of simpatico colleagues: Sean Jones, flugelhorn; Gerson Lazo, bass, Yosvany Terry, sax; Pedrito Martinez, percussion and Julian Miltenberger, Yandy Garcia and Keisal Jimenez on drums. We await more!"
Fred Bouchard | Journalist Downbeat for 'The Boston Globe'
"Rarely do musicians like Zahili Zamora and albums like Overcoming arrive on the scene so fully formed. Clearly this “new” artist has spent years mastering her art in ways that reflect the rich heritage of Afro-Cuban music while lending a powerful new take on where it overlaps with Jazz. Gifted, vibrant, inspirational and with an authentic voice that will go far, Zamora’s compositional talents are pristine as Overcoming shines throughout."
Michael Ambrosino | Jazz Journalist for '33third'
"The five pieces on "Overcoming" show that she's more than come into her own as a major talent."
"In addition to explorations of Habanera-steeped rhythms and textures and flourishes of American big band tradition, Zamora incorporates spacious and lovely melodies that soar beyond any descriptives... Her work might sound like what would happen if Bill Evans or Lyle Mays had been raised in Cuba..."
Rick Koster for 'The Day'
“Zahili Gonzalez [Zamora] is a very talented pianist-composer and educator. I saw her perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival a few years ago and was very impressed by her. She is the only performer I have ever heard (including throughout the recorded history of jazz) to sing spontaneous harmonies over rapid piano lines. All of the other musicians who sing along with their instrument sing in unison (the same note) rather than harmonies. I have written about Ms. Gonzalez [Zamora] in several magazines including the Los Angeles Jazz Scene.”
Scott Yanow | Jazz Journalist for 'Jazz Around Town' 2016 Monterrey Jazz Festival
“It was apparent from the opening number that the star was Cuban-born pianist-singer Zahili Gonzalez Zamora. A brilliant classically-trained improviser who is a master of polyrhythms, she is also a very appealing and versatile singer. Several times, she sang unisons with her own rapid ideas on the piano. Most impressive was when she effortlessly switched to singing perfect harmonies at the uptempo pace with her piano; it was as if she was three-handed. Zahili, who looked so happy to be performing at Monterey, displayed confidence and joy while talking to the audience. The set…made me think of the phrase “a star is born.”
Scott Yanow | Jazz Journalist
“Musically she is that kind of focused and genuinely gracious player that you can feel and hear…she is a brilliant composer as well. Her composition, Friends, will become a standard.”
Dr. William C. Banfield | Guitarist & Owner of Urbane Jazz Cafe, LLC
"Zahili is a dynamic, animated, emotionally charged performer who loves to play improvised music... Zahili has the makings of a superstar like the great bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding.”
“She is among the most notable female pianists/composers in the field of Latin jazz today and her skills as an improviser are unmatched by her peers… I was quite astonished by the extraordinary talent, professionalism, and musicianship that Ms. Gonzalez Zamora exhibited… [her] performances often showcase her great technique, tasty arrangements and inspiring compositions, sophisticated harmony and impressive soloing skills. Her contribution to music is so compelling that it draws the attention of jazz journalists and major festivals such as the Montreal and Monterey jazz festivals.”
Oscar Stagnaro | Bass player, 6-time Grammy Award Winner & Educator
