Zak was born in England to diplomat-soprano parents. He began performing on TV at the age of 10, playing simple classical piano pieces on a weekly children’s program. Moving SE-Asia, he took up guitar at 14 – the forbidden instrument. With no support for his endeavors, Zak became a self-taught guitarist, moved out of home by playing in strip clubs, and landed his first recording contract with a rock band at Warner by 17. His dreams were crushed when the band broke up, and he paid his dues by moving on to Funk and Disco, doing R&B circuits and learning Cocktail Jazz; somehow finding time for Country music in between. By 21, he was doing a stint as a Musical Director for a youth radio program, churning out freshly-written Folk-Gospel songs for broadcast every week.
Zak’s versatility has enabled him to work as a recording sessionist, an instructor at music colleges, and brought him on tours throughout Scandinavia, Europe, the Far East and Australia. He has authored instructional material still in use by schools today. Music legends of our time have labeled him "part funk, part jazz, part blues, or purely any of them" and "always playing from the heart."
Among others, Zak has toured or shared the stage with:
Rev. Calvin Bridges (a.k.a. James Mendel of Curtis Mayfield fame),
Julius E. Green of The Platters,
Bernard Purdie (world’s most recorded drummer),
the late Master Henry Gibson (world’s most recorded percussionist),
Jon Lord ( Deep Purple ),
Pete York
( Spencer Davis Group ),
Percy Duke ,
O’Donel Levy (Count Basie, George Benson),
Jane Kitto ,
Eric Bibb ,
Bob Manning & The Soul Enterprise ,
Tony Ellis , Nevada Cato
"Animal" (Men at Work),
Joyce Hurley ,
Evan Lee (Taj Mahal),
Michael Baretto (Taj Mahal), Annika Ljungberg (Rednex),
Little Jenny ,
Douglas Pashley ... He has also been in opening acts for &/or done stage management or sound-engineering work for:
Stevie Wonder , the late
Wilson Pickett ,
Michael Jackson (Bad Tour, Australia),
Al Green ,
Isaac Hayes ,
Pink Floyd,
John Farnham,
Jimmy Barnes
...etc.
Zak’s recent forays into World Music genres have led to festival and TV appearances in the Middle East, and multiple live recordings and performances with Algerian artist
Khaled Habib , and
Zakaria from Kurdistan. In addition to his earlier influences, Zak now borrows from African guitar, elements of Flamenco, and Arabic maqams.
