Friday night in New York City and there’s no better place to be than Small’s Jazz Club. Apparently, Mark Zaleski Band thought so too – and decided to host the release of their new album “Days, Months, Years” at this jazz lover’s paradise in a two part set on Oct. 6th. We were thrilled to be asked to both sets and review the show.
The first set started off with all members demonstrating their seamless cohesion as a band in an introduction that playfully seduced their crowd- throwing in numbers such as as Cannonball Adderley’s ‘Fun’ (“describing the fun you will have tonight, we hope”). The six piece band consisting of Mark’s brother Glenn and colleagues then moved to moodier territory with ‘The Moon’, described as Mark’s version of a love song – and a charming, recognizable ballad called ‘In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning’ (heard on Duet Suite, as performed by the brothers).
It was mentioned to the crowd that the band practiced organic improvisational playing and recording. This was made obvious by each member throughout the first set as they took turns surprising the crowd with short solos. At every instance when a member took a moment to display his skills, it became evident that not only did he completely absorb the attention of his audience- but of his band as well. The admiration of each of the band members for each other was at once endearing and inspiring. To finish the set, Small’s was treated to a slower version of Charlie Parker’s ‘Bigfoot/Thriving on a Riff’ (with the great player looking on from a frame in the back) and a whirlwind rendition of ‘Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough’, to much applause.
After a quick clearing and re-entering of the audience, the second set officially introduced “Days, Months, Years” by playing only songs from the album. By this point it has been established that the gentlemen have an electrifying presence that immediately captivates both the listener and viewer. The sound for this album ranges- encompassing a smooth, bluesy approach, a track or two with reminders of a bossa nova night to a bit more energy with a flirtation of funk. It makes sense then that the admirers of this band at the show were long time jazz lovers, students coming from class, an array of music enthusiasts on dates or solo and straining for a closer look at this group. Mark Zaleski band brings to the stage what every show-goer is looking for: excellent knowledge of their genre as shown through the love for their music, a contagious excitement that transforms the space, and great tunes.
A round of applause for the band:
Mark Zaleski – alto/soprano saxophone
Jon Bean – tenor saxophone
Glenn Zaleski – piano
Mark Cocheo – guitar
Danny Weller – bass
Oscar Suchanek – drums
Stay in touch with Mark Zaleski Band on Facebook, Twitter and their official website. We’ll publish our interview with Mark Zaleski on the blog in the next couple days so stay tuned! đ
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