On Labor Day week-end 2005, Denny returned to his home town to perform a trio set for thousands of jazz enthusiasts in Grant Park at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and received a standing ovation. Phil Elwood described the performance in jazzwest.com:

"Lanky pianist Denny Zeitlin, wearing a bright, multi-colored shirt, strides on stage along with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, comments about his late Chicago boyhood friend, jazz enthusiast/ benefactor Charlie Weeks (to whom the set is dedicated) and then, in his typical keyboard manner, floats into a lengthy, exquisite exposition of Cole Porter’s "All of You."

The audience exploded with applause when the number concluded; Zeitlin had hit a home run on his first rendition at his home-town’s 27th annual jazz festival. The bass in Williams’ hands, rather than just keeping time, is integrated within the piano lines -- and, the amplification was perfect. Percussionist Wilson is an ideal fit in this trio, always flowing or punctuating, never intrusive or explosive.

The trio’s 50 minute set also included David Friesen’s "Signs and Wonders," which had dozens in the crowd standing and cheering; Zeitlin’s compositions, "Wishing On The Moon," a gorgeous, dreamy ballad, and "Slickrock," a lengthy keyboard reflection on biking near Moab, Utah, also generated a boisterous crowd response.

A remarkable performance, and a grand way to start a scheduled three day jazz event -- which, in reality, is just one element of Chicago’s year-long attention to jazz, guided for the most part by the windy city’s Jazz Institute."

Two weeks later, Denny returned from the Monterey Jazz Festival and reported that "the Monterey Jazz Festival has such a wonderful vibe and history...I first played there in 1965 with Charlie Haden and Jerry Granelli, and have felt privileged to perform there on a number of occasions through the decades. Last Sunday, at this year's festival, the trio music with Buster Williams and Matt Wilson reached a new and galvanizing level over three evolving sets. We couldn't have asked for a better audience."

A review from the San Jose Mercury News by Richard Scheinin:

"Monterey just has a special feeling about it. This year's lineup included some real legends...the great bassist Buster Williams, who spent Sunday evening in a trio led by another astonishing player, pianist Denny Zeitlin, a Renaissance man who also is a Bay Area psychiatrist. This trio, with drummer Matt Wilson, a master of small gestures, played ...the weekend's deepest music: vital and pulsing, like brain tissue, with lush introspective harmonies. The super-responsive rapport among the musicians went way beyond technique and into the secret world of musical intuition."

Denny's recent appearances:

November 2, 2005 - San Francisco Jazz Festival, San Francisco, CA, with Buster Williams on bass and Lenny White on drums

Denny remarked “The San Francisco Jazz Festival is a world-class event where the musicians and audiences are treated very well. Matt couldn't make this concert, but Lennie White stepped in and brought his own special stuff to the music. It was a lot of fun sharing the bill at Herbst Theatre with Bill Charlap's excellent trio. The differing approaches made for a very interesting evening, and the acoustics in that hall are wonderful.”

November 18, 2005 - South Florida Jazz Festival, Hollywood, FL, with Buster Williams on bass and Matt Wilson on drums

"Ron Weber, a neurologist and jazz musician, runs an excellent festival, and the audience, though a bit sparse from the ravages of the hurricane, was very enthusiastic."

May 9-14, 2006-  Jazz Showcase, Chicago, IL, with Buster Williams on bass and Matt Wilson on drums.

“Joe Segal has been presenting jazz in Chicago for over 50 years, in recent times aided by his son, Wayne.  Joe was the “gatekeeper” back in the 50s when I first began to sit in at Chicago jam sessions, so it is kind of a kick to play at his club.  The vibe is relaxed, and the trio got into some exciting new music.  Here are a couple of review excerpts”:

“The Denny Zeitlin Trio is one of our era’s great bands…Zeitlin has kept an exemplary—super-exemplary in fact—trio performing and recording for about five years.  Bass ace Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, and Zeitlin makes three—they’ve got the virtually telepathic interplay of a band that’s been together awhile…the foundations –of the building, of society—shook, as the trio played with a very high level of élan, energy, and empathy.  Zeitlin’s style is deceptively amiable—a lyrical amalgam of Monk, Brubeck, Tristano, and Powell, but the awe-inspiring gale winds of 70s McCoy Tyner blow through it too.  Zeitlin, as a shrink-doc, must know about tapping into that primal side lurking beneath our collective lobes, as he can be volcanic—but there’s warmth and humanity keeping things from being an aural obstacle course…Together, these three secretly rule the world…the world of piano trios, at the very least.”     Mark Keresman, JAZZREVIEW.COM

“Is it possible to be a busy, practicing psychiatrist and a top-notch jazz pianist?  The case of Denny Zeitlin suggests the feat is entirely possible, judging by Zeitlin’s luminous performance Tuesday night at the Jazz Showcase…Zeitlin unfurls some of the most intriguing, idiosyncratic jazz piano to be heard these days…he plays with a degree of freedom and musical curiosity one doesn’t regularly encounter…choosing unorthodox sounds where many pianists cling to the familiar, exploring the farthest extremities of the keyboard in one tune after another, Zeitlin seems to revel in the unorthodox nature of his pianism.”      Howard Reich, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

July 22, 2006- Ferrymusic, San Francisco, CA, Solo Piano Concert.

“An intimate chamber music venue in a ferry permanently anchored to a pier on San Francisco’s Embarcadero…I had to be careful not to look out the windows while playing—I would have gotten seasick for sure.”

August 29, 2006—Sculler’s Jazz Club, Boston, MA, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“Preceded by a feature in the Boston Globe, we played to a packed house of enthusiastic fans, including octogenarian George Russell, whose personal encouragement, seminal musical theory, and recordings played a pivotal role in my development.”

August 31—September 3, 2006—Iridium Jazz Club, New York, NY, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“Torrential rains and the Labor Day exodus in NYC didn’t prevent a number of jazz lovers from dropping by.  The trio was smoking, and Billy Hart did a beautiful job sitting in for Matt on our final night.  Billy Taylor, now in his mid-eighties, flattered us by coming to the club.  He was one of my earliest pianistic influences, and has been extremely supportive over the years. I was very touched at his excitement about our music.”

September 29 & 30—Siskiyou Institute, Ashland, OR, Solo

“An acoustically perfect, modern barn sitting on 40 acres of woodland property served as the venue for a solo piano concert followed the next day by my lecture-demonstration “Unlocking the Creative Impulse: The Psychology of Improvisation.”  I was impressed at how genuinely this group spanning many decades and all walks of life got into an exploration of the kinds of beliefs that people carry in their psyches that impede creative work.”

October 29, 2006—Shelton’s House Concerts, Sebastopol, CA, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“For several years, Ernie Shelton has been presenting concerts in his home.  He has generated a loyal following, and they packed the performance space with good vibes for the kick-off of our Fall Trio tour.”

October 30, 2006—Yoshi’s Jazz Club, Oakland, CA, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“Yoshi’s is a world-class jazz club, and it is always a pleasure to play there.  They have a marvelous 9 foot Steinway, efficient and attentive staff, and the acoustics are excellent.  The room was filled, and we couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic audience.”

November 1-5, 2006—Jazz Bakery, Los Angeles, CA, with Buster Williams & Matt Wilson

“This Culver City performance space is a great venue, and I’ve played there for over 15 years.  Ruth Price, a fine jazz singer and great jazz supporter, presides and creates a special concert atmosphere.  We got a lot of help from the L.A. press, particularly from Don Heckman of the L.A. Times, who wrote:
 
  ‘Renaissance man may be an overused term, but not when it’s applied to pianist Denny Zeitlin.  Here’s a guy who has a day gig as a psychiatrist, teaches at UC San Francisco and moonlights as a world-class jazz artist.  He’s also a mountain biker, fly fisherman and oenophile.  If that doesn’t sound like the politically correct image of a jazzman, worry not.  When Zeitlin is in action with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, expect an evening of envelope-stretching, rhythmically dynamic contemporary jazz.’

“It’s a treat to be able to ‘settle in’ to a venue for a series of nights without having to tear down and set up, and this gig was extra-special in that we were recording.  We got a great harvest of material, and hope to have a live trio CD available in 2007.”