The Zachary Bornheimer Quintet (also known as the ZB5) started in 2014 as a vehicle for “The Emotional Suite,” to become a reality.  The first performance of the Emotional Suite was at the University of South Florida to overwhelming success with a 50 minute live, uninterrupted performance of music that hadn’t been seen before in the area – a mix of Fusion, Bebop, and Avante Guard performing.

As time has transfigured the band, the current iteration navigates the worlds of modern jazz influenced by classical, metal, and more – the tradition and the future.

The band serves as a creative outlet for leader and award-winning composer Zachary Bornheimer to create new music that blends various influences with skilled & lyrical writing and improvisation.  The music of the ZB5 is challenging and memorable.  There is a reason that the ZB5 is a crowd favorite and a musician’s favorite alike.

The Band’s Original Description:

The Zachary Bornheimer Quintet is a powerhouse with extreme flexibility.  The group, originally formed in the beginning of 2015 as a vehicle for “The Emotional Suite,” came forth from the band assembled for a recital Zachary Bornheimer gave in early 2014.  The concept behind The Zachary Bornheimer Quintet is to play music at the highest level possible, but to remove genre restrictions.  “The Emotional Suite,” a perfect example of the dexterity of the group to balance on the edges of genres, pushes into the Avant-garde and Fusion sub-genres of jazz, but can be described as “modern classical music performed by jazz quintet.”  The music of the group is primarily written by Bornheimer (the tenor saxophonist and leader), but could be believably attributed to any member of the group as the most consistent sound of The Zachary Bornheimer Quintet is balance, leaving no instrument relegated to a subservient position.  The group performs with an emotional ferocity that compliments the musical meditations it presents.

The members of the group have, separately and together, toured internationally with the University of South Florida Jazztet and, from 2012-2015, played with the USF Jazztet in Italy, France, and England, at various festivals (including the Umbria Jazz Festival, Jazz à Vienne, Birmingham Jazz Festival, and the Wigan Jazz Festival).