Mark Zaleski - Our Time: Reimagining Dave Brubeck (CD)

... an exhilarating, fresh and dynamics-happy listening experience - The Day Magazine. Boston-based saxophonist, Mark Zaleski, pays tribute to one of his mentors, revisiting several of Dave Brubeck's more vital works and filtering them through a modern lens. Mark and his brother, pianist Glenn Zaleski, were two of the first students selected to the Dave Brubeck Institute, where they shared the stage with him at the Library of Congress and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Brubeck always encouraged Mark to "find his own voice," and he does just that by offering alluring sonic landscapes for Brubeck's melodies and making striking choices in groove and orchestration. From the searing guitar work and fiery New Orleans funk of "Unsquare Dance," to the classically inspired opening of "Softly, William, Softly," or the epic "They Say I Look Like God," with the chilling vocals of Michael Mayo, the joy and respect Zaleski has for his mentor's memory is evident and heartening.