Mark Zaleski Band: Our Time: Reimagining Dave Brubeck
Origin Records

For his third studio recording with the Mark Zaleski Band, the Boston-based saxophonist fashioned a project dear to his heart. Dave Brubeck isn't merely someone Zaleski's admired from afar; on the contrary, his personal experiences with the iconic pianist have left a profound mark on his life and career, and in that light Our Time might be seen as an expression of gratitude as well as a collection of first-rate covers of Brubeck classics.

Two moments in particular had a pivotal impact on Zaleski, the first being enrolment in the Dave Brubeck Institute in California and the warm reception he received at the campus in 2003 from the legend himself and his wife Iola. The second came at the Library of Congress when Zaleski and other musicians, readying themselves for their first show with the pianist and the Institute's artistic director Christian McBride, did a run-through of “In Your Own Sweet Way” that largely hewed to Brubeck's own recording. Rather than being pleased by the gesture, he chastised them for being too faithful to his performance rather than making it their own. It's a lesson Zaleski learned well, as the seven Brubeck treatments on Our Time pay tribute without being overly reverential. Sixteen years removed from his time at the Institute, the saxophonist shows himself to be wholly comfortable interpreting the material without being constricted by earlier versions.

On the forty-five-minute set, Zaleski's on alto and soprano alongside tenor saxist Jon Bean, guitarist Mark Cocheo, bassist Danny Weller, drummer Oscar Suchanek, and Mark's brother Glenn on piano. There's long-developed rapport here, with the siblings having played for more than twenty years and the saxophonists' collaboration extending past ten. Helping to distinguish Brubeck's “They Say I Look Like God” is a soulful vocal by Michael Mayo. As far as soloists are concerned, the guitarist and pianist largely adopt supporting roles for the saxophonists, but Glenn and Cocheo do have spotlights too.

A tad surprisingly, “Take Five” isn't included, but many a familiar Brubeck tune is, among them “Blue Rondo à la Turk.” As it does on 1959's Time Out, the composition opens Our Time, with Zaleski's version swinging infectiously in its arresting 9/8 metre. It's hard not to hear a trace of Paul Desmond in the initial voicing of the theme, but Zaleski and company quickly leave imitation behind as the performance develops and the reins loosen. That happens all the more once the soloing starts, with the leader's bold deconstruction. Familiar too is “The Duke”, a 1955 composition written in dedication to Duke Ellington and well-known for its inclusion on 1957's Miles Ahead. Executed more slowly than the one by Miles and Gil Evans, Zaleski's drowsy take provides a nice vehicle for sultry exchanges between the saxophonists and a classic turn by the pianist that might have you thinking of Ahmad Jamal and Red Garland.

Taken from 1966's Time In, “Softly, William, Softly” finds the sextet in haunting mode during the fugue-like introduction before the material turns bluesy when freewheeling soprano and tenor solo statements. Brubeck originally wrote “They Say I Look Like God” for Louis Armstrong to sing in the jazz musical The Real Ambassadors and in addressing racial inequality sadly remains as relevant now as when it first appeared in the early ‘60s. Mayo contributes a tremendous vocal, which the others complement with powerful expressions of their own, the leader's soprano acting as a second prominent ‘voice.' By Zaleski's own admission, “Fujiyama” isn't a reimagining as the other pieces are, simply because the original ballad from Jazz Impressions of Japan is so beautiful he decided to stay true to its arrangement. In place of Brubeck and Desmond, however, the interplay's between the Zaleskis and thus fundamentally different. Mark delivers a heartfelt statement that's among his best on the date, while brother Glen lets his unfold with patience and circumspection.

October 2021