Steve Zirkel

 
As a 30-year veteran of the Austin music scene, Steve Zirkel is known for his ability to expertly span a wide range of musical genres. His first instrument was the trumpet, but he has achieved noteworthy proficiency on keyboards, fretless and fretted electric bass, and a variety of other instruments.

After studying jazz on scholarship at The University of Texas at Austin, he became a pillar of the Austin jazz and popular music performance scenes with the likes of Passenger, Kellye Gray, Beto y los Fairlanes, Harry Sheppard, Dave Catney, and Mitch Watkins. He toured the US and Canada with Leonard Cohen, culminating with an appearance on Austin City Limits, about which show the Austin American-Statesman quoted Austin City Limits producer Terry Lickona when he described the Leonard Cohen performance as "possibly the best show [they] ever filmed." Included among Zirkel's many other credits are performances on over 28 albums and cds to date, including a recording with Jerry Jeff Walker, in addition to associate-producer roles on six of those recordings.

For the last six years he's played salsa and Latin music with The Brew and his own Latin jazz band. More recently, Zirkel helped Will Taylor produce and performed on the debut cd release of Strings Attached. He also performed with Strings Attached on Sara Hickman's 2002 release, Faithful Heart. Zirkel's affinity and charisma with kids has been apparent at elementary, middle and high school shows as he has been a pivotal member of Will Taylor's grant-funded American Roots program.

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