"All the girls love Jimmy Z." - Etta James
"We don't know where we're goin', but somehow we always seem to get there." - Jimmy Z
There’s a reason legendary blues Diva Etta James calls Jimmy Z her "Hootchie Cootchie Man" and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics calls him"the best harmonica player in the world." Jimmy attracts attention. He caught the attention of Rod Stewart, Tom Petty and the Eurythmics – all of whom he recorded and toured with. He also caught the attention of Dr. Dre, Eric Burdon, Carol King, Barry White, Ziggy Marley, Yes, Bon Jovi, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Slash's Snakepit, Macy Gray, Jaguares, John Mayer, Pink and countless others who sought out Jimmy Z’s blazing harmonica and soulful saxophone to spice up their recordings.
From a smoky twenty seat bar in Sacramento to the 300,000 person sold out Rock in Rio concert with Rod Stewart in Brazil, Jimmy has toured the world blowing crowds away with his electrifying stage presence. Performing in 1988 with the Eurythmics for the Nelson Mandela Concert at Wembley Stadium and televised to 1 billion people worldwide, Jimmy’s harmonica solo on Must Have Been an Angel brought the world to its knees.
In 1988, Jimmy’s first solo instrumental album was for Miles Copeland, then owner of IRS Records, called Anytime…Anyplace! In 1991, legendary rap producer Dr. Dre produced Jimmy Z’s next album Muzical Madness, featuring Jimmy on lead vocals. In addition, Jimmy Z and Dr. Dre co-wrote all the songs.
Jimmy Z has appeared and acted in the movies Georgia, The Doors, Wild at Heart, and The Shrink Is In, as well as concert films with Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, the Eurythmics and Jaguares. He has scored numerous videos and films as well as written music for many commercials.
He’s also played live with DJs all over the world, including Afrika Bambaata.
Since the year 2000, he has toured extensively with Etta James as well as the Mexican rock band Jaguares, while also fronting his own blues rock band, ZTribe.
In 2001, Jimmy independently released the sizzling blues CD, Caught Inside. It is a true indication of his amazing abilities with the harmonica, saxophone and vocals.
In 2004, he released The Heart and Soul of a Jaguar - Corazon Y Alma de un Jaguar. It is a true blending of the Mexican side of Rock en Espanol, provided by Jimmy’s hermanos - some of the great musicians of Jaguares, along with their American counterparts from the world of blues and R&B.
In 2006, Jimmy joined blues and jazz luminaries Zac Harmon, Munyungo Jackson, Gregg Wright and Rich DelGrosso in NeoBlues, a fresh look and listen at African-American music in the 21st Century.
Currently, Jimmy is in the process of writing Confessions of a Glorified Sideman, chronicling his over 30 years in the music business. It includes many anecdotes and adventures from being on the road with some of the most famous (and infamous) musical celebrities.
In addition, he has recently been recording music for stock libraries and soundtracks for radio & TV commercials as well as producing new music in his home studio. He wrote and recorded The Big Easy’s Gone Cold as a commentary on the Katrina disaster and other songs, including the heartfelt Wouldn’t’ Have it Any Other Way.
Jimmy is currently touring with the legendary Etta James.
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For bookings in Europe and rest of the world outside America and Japan, contact Quentin Geerinckx
