This article was in the top 3 winners of Lookout’s Journalism Scholarship challenge, which invited high school students to highlight an unsung hero in their life. For placing in the top 3 they were awarded a $500 scholarship. Learn more and find all of the winners here.
From an empty canvas, consisting of a trash can lid, a kick drum and a snare drum, to a sold-out venue in Japan, to one of the most legendary jazz drummers and teachers in the world, Zack Olsen has been nothing short of influential to aspiring musicians in our community.
Zack Olsen is a longtime drummer who was born in Redwood City, California, and raised in numerous states across America. Through his early years, Zack traveled and relocated several times, through different states in America. Zack began middle school, and soon found his first love for music, when he heard a local neighborhood garage band called the Rejects playing. After hearing the Rejects play, he found a sudden wave of inspiration, specifically toward the drums. Soon after, Zack bought a drum set for $50 dollars, that consisted of a kick drum, a snare drum and … a trash can lid. This drum set was his creative lifeline for around a year in eighth grade. He also took his first drum lessons in Seattle. His drum teacher, Rick Walker, was the first person who taught him how to play a drumbeat. Unfortunately, his excitement about drums subsided in high school as he drifted away from the art for a few years.
When Zack and his family relocated to a small town on the West Coast of California, he found a new inspiration in music. Through Cabrillo College, Zack once again found drumming as a source of creativity and an output for his emotions. He also found inspiration through the popular punk rock and musical culture. At the time, that’s what Santa Cruz was made out of. Zack became involved with drumming at Cabrillo College, diving headfirst into the deep end of musical evaluation. He focused his drive on every musical aspect in our community. He soon was asked to audition for a small band called Slow Gherkin, which, fortunately for him, went without a drummer.
Slow Gherkin had already begun their musical journey in Santa Cruz, playing shows at The Catalyst and Moe’s Alley. Needless to say, Zack’s excitement for his new opportunity with this pre-established band was substantial. The band had also developed their own musical flavor, leaning more towards ska and alternative rock styles of music.
For a few years, Zack Olsen dedicated most of his life to playing the drums, in order to be good enough to play with Slow Gherkin. And within this year, one of the greatest opportunities of his life presented itself. Slow Gherkin finally had the opportunity to go on tour.
As excited as Zack was, he had a decision to make. The path that he was following showed promise, as he was planning on going to San Francisco State University to study music. However, if he agreed to go on tour with his band, he would have to drop his hopes of going to university. The decision was tough, but ultimately Zack decided that his best interest would be to follow his dreams, and take the opportunity with Slow Gherkin.
Little did he know, this would be one of the greatest decisions of his life. Slow Gherkin hit the road, and for around nine years toured across the United States, as well as Europe and Japan.
The band played with Kara’s Flowers (which is now Maroon 5), they opened for Incubus in Denver, and played alongside many other famous and legendary musicians. Overall through touring, Zack learned skills beyond the field of musicianship.
After their nearly decadelong tour, Zack returned to Santa Cruz in search of new direction for his music career. At this time, Zack truly fell in love with the art of jazz music. After seeing multiple shows at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center with famous jazz drummers like Jeff Ballard, and Jeff Hamilton, watching the beautiful art, Zack became inspired and began studying jazz for the next few years of his life.
Zack opened up his drum studio and began drum lessons in Santa Cruz. Within the first few weeks, he had already pulled in several students.
Throughout the next few years, Zack’s drum lessons thrived as he got involved with Kuumbwa Jazz camp, educating youth jazz drummers. He also became involved with high schools, teaching drummers from Soquel High School alongside long-time drum teacher Jim Stewart. Zack remembers the first time he witnessed a student succeed in his career – after Peter Erskine, a famous jazz drummer and teacher, gave kudos to one of Zack’s students, letting Zack know how well his student read music and kept time. This furthered Zack’s inspiration in teaching drums.
Students who took lessons with Zack throughout the years state that his teachings have an emotional connection to them, seeing it as therapy through drumming. Zack teaches in hopes of acting as a vehicle to help students realize their full potential and dreams, facilitating where students want to go through student input.
Most of Zack’s students, even if they start off without drive for drums, will almost definitely leave after hitting direction in their drums, whether it’s figuring out a part for a middle school band song, to grinding out rudimentary chops. Zack is focused on his students’ goals, which is prominent from one of his quotes saying, “Where are we headed? I’ll help you get there, but we have to do the work.”
Overall, for over 30 years, Zack’s drumming career has been nothing short of inspirational, fueling multiple CCS wins for Soquel High jazz and varsity band, inspiring youth drummers at Kuumbwa jazz camp, and providing direction for young drummers at his studio, Zack Olsen is nothing short of a musical hero, and a master jazz drummer.