Max ZT

USA | 2021 PARTICIPANT

Lauded as the “Jimi Hendrix of Hammered Dulcimer” by NPR, and “A Force of nature” Max ZT is an innovator of the instrument. Taking his roots from Irish and American folk music, Max has transplanted his compositional techniques to both Senegal, where he studied the Mandinko technique with the Cissoko griot family, and to India, where he received the prestigious American Institute of Indian Studies Fellowship grant to study under the world-renowned santoor master Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. His fresh perspective and bold experimentalism have been the backbone to beautiful, complex, and genuine compositions, while his unorthodox playing style has been a pioneering force in revolutionizing dulcimer techniques.

Max ZT and his band House of Waters have been called “One of the most original bands on the planet,” by NY Music Daily, and have shared the stage with some of the most influential international musical leaders of the century including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Tinariwen, Jon Bon Jovi, Jimmy Cliff, Bela Fleck, Karsh Kale, Snarky Puppy, and more. With their most recent album Rising hitting #2 on the iTunes Jazz charts, critics are raving. All About Jazz calls the album, “…truly mesmerizing….