Bill Zavatsky Bill Zavatsky was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1943, where he grew up. He was handed a tiny accordion at the age of six, learned to play it, then began piano lessons around age twelve. In his teens he studied with Tony Guzzi, who had been a student of Jaki Byard in Boston. By fifteen he had his own band and began gigging with it and with other musicians until he moved to New York at age twenty-two.
While attending Columbia University and growing more and more interested in writing, he studied jazz improvisation and harmony at the New School and privately with Hall Overton. He also held down the piano chair in a big band at Columbia assembled by then saxophonist Marc Copland, who eventually switched to piano. By this writing Bill has written around twenty poems for Marc’s CDs.
A poetry reading at the Museum of Modern Art led to a meeting with Bill Evans and his wife Nenette, and a friendship ensued. After Evans’ death, Nenette Evans and Helen Keane, his manager, asked Bill to write something for You Must Believe in Spring, the first posthumous Evans recording to be issued. The “Elegy: For Bill Evans, 1929-1980” first appeared on the sleeve of that LP, which has been twice reissued. Bill continues to play the piano and write poetry. Hanging Loose published Where X Marks the Spot in 2006. He loves the work of Marc Copland, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and a zillion other jazz artists.
