Jacob Sacks
Introduction
Jacob Sacks is an American jazz pianist and composer.
Life and career
Sacks is originally from Michigan. He met drummer Dan Weiss at the Manhattan School of Music. Sacks was a finalist in the 1999 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, aged 22. Sacks was part of bassist Eivind Opsvik's quartet. Sacks has for a long time played in a trio with the bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Dan Weiss, and in a duo with vocalist Yoon Sun Choi. Sacks has also played and recorded with harpsicord and other keyboard instruments.
Playing style
Nate Chinen of The New York Times commented that Sacks is "drawn to the subtler, deeper mechanics of harmony and form."
Compositions
Sacks "isn't averse to succinctness or simplicity as a composer".
Discography
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
As leader/co-leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Two Miles a Day | Loyal / Yeah Yeah | Quartet, with Mat Maneri (viola, violin), Eivind Opsvik (bass), Paul Motian (drums) |
| 2008 | Imagination: The Music of Joe Raposo | Yeah Yeah | Duo, co-led with Yoon Sun Choi (vocals) |
| 2013* | No Man's Land | Yeah Yeah | Quintet, with Andrew Bishop (clarinet, tenor sax), John Wojciechowski (tenor sax), Tim Flood (bass), Dan Weiss (drums) |
As sideman
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010* | David Binney | Aliso | Criss Cross Jazz |
| 2010* | Dan Weiss | Timshel | Sunnyside |
| 2010* | Jacám Manricks | Labyrinth | Manricks |
| 2012* | Jon Irabagon | Unhinged | Irabbagast |
| 2012* | Eivind Opsvik | Overseas IV | Loyal |
| 2014* | Dan Weiss | Fourteen | Pi |
| 2014* | Mike McGinnis | Road*Trip | RKM |
| 2017* | David Binney | The Time Verses | Criss Cross Jazz |