She had already made a life that worked. Piano since she was seven, songs since her teens, years of stages and studios, then law school and courtrooms. For nearly twenty years she did not make a new record. Then one night she watched a documentary about the musicians who had shaped the records she grew up loving. She wrote to one of them. He wrote back. This is what happened next.
There is a particular kind of courage that appears later in a creative life. It is not the courage of the young artist who has nothing to lose. It is the quieter courage of someone who has already built something solid elsewhere and still decides to knock on a door that might not open. Patti Zlaket had that courage on an ordinary evening last year. She watched Immediate Family, the documentary about the legendary session players known as The Section, and something long quiet inside her stirred. She wrote to bassist Lee Sklar. Not to ask for a favour at first, but simply to thank him. Then she did something braver. She asked if he would listen to a new song she had written but never recorded. If he liked it, she wanted to make it with him.
He liked it. What followed was a year of recording with Sklar on bass and producer Tariqh Akoni guiding the sessions. The album that emerged, Dance Again, now out on Meridian, carries the weight of that decision without ever making a show of it. These are not songs that announce a triumphant return. They are songs that simply continue a conversation Zlaket had never truly stopped having with herself. The voice is older, yes, but it is also clearer. It knows what it no longer needs to prove.
She grew up in Tucson, studied theatre at USC, moved between Los Angeles and Nashville, sang jingles, released a small body of work, then chose law. She never stopped playing live. The long silence in the studio was never a renunciation of music. It was simply the sound of a life being lived in full. When she finally reached out to Sklar, she was not starting over. She was returning to a room she had never entirely left.
In conversation with Patti Zlaket
We spoke with Patti Zlaket about the moment she decided to knock, what it meant to hear back from a musician she had long admired, and how a life split between piano benches and courtrooms shaped the songs on Dance Again.
1. Watching Immediate Family clearly moved you in a specific way. What was it about that film, or about the lives and work of those musicians, that made you decide to reach out to Lee Sklar rather than simply feel inspired and carry on as before?
They say timing is everything. I believe I was meant to watch that film at that exact moment because my spirit was ready to be moved and shaken up. I quite literally could not get the film out of my head for days and weeks afterward. It was like watching the story of the soundtrack of my life. And I grew up with albums and liner notes (the glorious days), so this film hit even deeper, because it celebrates the players whose names were finally given ink and credit for creating all of the songs that we still love today.
2. When you asked Sklar to listen to your new song and he agreed to play on the record, what did that response mean to you personally and creatively at that stage in your life?
Honestly, it blew my mind. First, to have someone of his legendary status respond to a person he did not know – that alone was incredible. He could have simply read my message and gotten on with his day. But beyond that, the fact that he took the time to listen to one of my tunes, which was a very rough demo, and then to say he’d love to work on it with me, well, it was a “pinch me” moment to say the least. Working with Lee has reminded me of my own strengths as an artist. He inspired me to give my very best to this project, and I will carry that with me every step of the way for the rest of my musical journey.
3. Tariqh Akoni and Lee Sklar brought distinct sensibilities into the room. How did their presence and way of working shape the final sound and feel of the songs on Dance Again compared with your earlier recordings?
Tariqh is a musical magician. This album could not have become what it is without his multitude of talents. He is a masterful musician, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. He was able to take my songs and the ideas I had around them, and expand them with creative arrangements that brought more to them than I ever could have on my own. And he listens. He truly wanted this to be a collaborative effort, and it was from start to finish. Lee, and all of the players I worked with on this album, are so good at finding all the right spaces to place their own sparkle and shine. And the great thing about Tariqh is that he allowed them the room to do that. When you work with people this good, you need to let them do their thing. Once I got over my initial nervousness, the whole experience was like falling into a comfortable bed.
4. Several songs circle around ideas of second chances and resilience, and one tells its story from the perspective of a rescue dog. How much of the album draws directly from your own experience of stepping away from recording and then finding your way back?
Honestly, I think much of what came through on this album, as far as a theme, was kind of in the stars. I didn’t set out to write an album about resilience or second chances. It really just happened. I think those ideas and feelings must have been stirring around in my soul somewhere, and so when I started writing, all of it was right at the surface. I am not a disciplined writer. I have to be in a zone for things to start bubbling for me creatively. Once I’m there, I like to say “the faucet is on.” With this project, once I decided to do it, I was waking up in the middle of the night with melodies and lyrics flowing out of me. I love the coincidental nature of the songs as they relate to my “comeback” story. Kind of perfect.
5. You maintained a parallel career in civil litigation while still performing live. Did any of the discipline, perspective or habits from your legal work find their way into the writing or recording process for this album?
Becoming a lawyer and practicing law has been one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done or will ever do. Helping people access the legal system is a privilege, and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to do it for such long time. The work, the people I’ve helped, the things I’ve learned about the world and humanity, all of that informed my art in ways I’m still uncovering. I like to say that life is big, and you can be more and do more than one thing. I don’t feel as if taking a second path hindered me as an artist. I think it enhanced my human experience which continues to bring more to my art and my musical life every day.
6. The deluxe reissues of your earlier catalog last year brought fresh attention to the music you made before the long break. Did that renewed interest change how you approached making Dance Again?
Ah, what a gift those reissues have been. Back when I made those albums, there were very limited ways to get one’s music out into the world. For the first time, people all over the globe have been able to hear those songs, and it has been so rewarding for me. This new music model has its challenges, for sure. But to be able to share my art on such a large scale is really more exciting than I could have imagined. With respect to the new album, I simply hope listeners to hear how far I’ve come, and that they enjoy it all. Making music is wonderful, but sharing it is the true joy for me.
7. As you prepare to play these songs live, including shows alongside Lee Sklar, what feels most alive or most different about performing now compared with earlier chapters of your career?
Playing with people like Lee Sklar, Herman Matthews, Jon Gilutin – that level of musicianship inspires and compels me to bring every ounce of myself to every single show. There is never a time when I feel I can “phone it in” with these cats. I have always loved performing live, and I have never taken an audience for granted, but I can tell you, when you’re playing with the all-stars, you step up your game in every way. I am more excited about performing than I’ve ever been. And I’m just getting started.
Follow Patti Zlaket
Dance Again is out now.
Listen: Spotify
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ROMBO Editorial Staff
The collective voice behind ROMBO Magazine’s news, reviews, features, and cultural coverage.
