Faculty Recital: Mark Zaleski, saxophone, and Glenn Zaleski, piano

Selections will be chosen from the following.

Julian "Cannonball" Adderley | Cannonball

George Fragos, Jack Baker, Dick Gasparre | I Hear a Rhapsody

Dave Brubeck | Fujiyama

Glenn Zaleski | Waltz for Vera

Thelonious Monk | Brillliant Corners

Paul McCartney | Eleanor Rigby

Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | Little Girl Blue

Chick Corea | Captain Señor Mouse

Thom Yorke | No Surprises

David Bowie | Space Oddity

Bios

Internationally touring musician Mark Zaleski has distinguished himself as a uniquely dynamic soloist, multi-instrumentalist, and band leader. He has performed with a diverse group of notable artists including Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride, Ian Anderson, Lake Street Dive, Louis Cole, Connie Francis, Antonio Sanchez, Rakalam Bob Moses, the Either/Orchestra, and Jason Palmer.
        Growing up in the small town of Boylston, MA, Zaleski was influenced by the musical tastes of his friends, family, and teachers.  His parents were fans of rock and pop music from the 1960s and 1970s like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Temptations, and Stevie Wonder.  His friends were fans of punk and metal bands of the 1990s like Nirvana, Metallica, and Pearl Jam.  His brother, Glenn Zaleski, and his music teachers listened to jazz artists such as Dave Brubeck, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, Cannonball Adderley, and John Coltrane.
        His unique approach to jazz led him to become the first alto saxophonist selected to the prestigious Dave Brubeck Institute Fellowship Program in Stockton, CA in 2003. Zaleski spent those two year performing with his virtuosic peers and learning from established pros such as Bobby Watson, Ndugu Chancler, Conrad Herwig, Eric Harland, Greg Tardy, Rufus Reid, Robin Eubanks, Mic Gillette, and of course, Dave Brubeck.
        The Mark Zaleski Band records for Origin Records, and has had notable appearances at Small’s in New York City, Scullers in Boston, the Ballard Jazz Festival in Seattle, the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival in Boston, Sam First in Los Angeles, and the Istanbul Jazz Festival.
        Additionally, Zaleski is active in many musical projects including work with Mehmet Sanlıkol, Matt Savage, Omar Thomas Large Ensemble, The Brighton Beat, John Allmark Jazz Orchestra and the Either/Orchestra. He also is on faculty at the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory.  In addition, he is the founder of Boston-based soul band “Planet Radio,” and plays electric bass in the band.

Glenn Zaleski is one of the most in-demand pianists on the New York City jazz scene. Originally from Boylston, MA, Glenn has made a name for himself playing with the likes of Ravi Coltrane, Cécile McLorin Salvant, the Vanguard Big Band, Yotam Silberstein, Ken Peplowski, Lage Lund, Ari Hoenig, and many more. His latest album, Solo Vol. 2, is a solo album of standards recorded during the pandemic, and the second from his own label Stark Terrace Music.
        His previous release, The Question, from July 2020, was released on Sunnyside Records, and features his quintet. From this album, his original BK Bossa Nova has nearly two million plays on Apple Music.  Live at Jazz Standard (Capri 2019), features his long-standing co-led trio, Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato, in a live set the legendary NYC club.
        One year prior, Solo Vol. 1 was released in early 2018 - his first solo piano album, as well as the first release from his own label Stark Terrace Music. In 2017 he released his second album for Sunnyside Records, Fellowship, prompting All About Jazz to note, "Glenn Zaleski has quickly become one of the most important pianists of his generation and it's easy to see why." His debut album, My Ideal, was released in March of 2015, also on Sunnyside, and received critical acclaim: Downbeat Magazine named it "sublime", Jazz Times called it, "an engaging set by a talent worth watching," and the New York Times named the record a "strong statement," praising its "fluent but unhurried sense of phrase".
        Glenn has also released two popular albums with the collective Stranahan/ Zaleski/ Rosato: Limitless (Capri, 2013), and Anticipation (Capri, 2011), as well as a duo record with his brother, saxophonist Mark Zaleski. (Duet Suite, 2010)
        In 2011, Glenn was a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, as well as a finalist for the 2011 APA Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz. He attended the Brubeck Institute Fellowship program in Stockton, CA from 2005-2007, and then finished his undergraduate studies at The New School in 2009. From 2009-2011, while working towards his graduate degree at NYU, Glenn was also on NYU faculty, teaching a variety of classes and private students.