The Mark Zaleski Band

July 31, 2008 | From Boston Phoenix Online 7/31/08
UP AND COMING
Still only his early 20s, Boylston (it’s near Worcester) sax man MARK ZALESKI has made inroads as a student at the highly competitive Brubeck Institute and at New England Conservatory, in the meantime racking up gigs with Brubeck père Dave, bass genius Christian McBride, and the touring orchestra of Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson. And the Boston outfit he leads (with his brother Glenn on piano) has a fresh, aggressive edge, happy to play straight-ahead swing with bit, or roil around in a rock-tinged original number like “ . . . and Danced” with Ken Vandermark–like abandon. The Zaleski gang are at Ryles, 212 Hampshire St, Cambridge | 9 pm | $10 | 617.876.9330 or www.rylesjazz.com.

January 27, 2008 | Browse!
If you haven't visited the site recently, I encourage you to browse and see all the new stuff I've put up for you! The listen section has 3 new bootlegs from our Ryles show on Jan. 17 of "Your Attention," and some new tunes like "Cerina's Serenity" and Will Graefe's "Old Piano". I will try and add a new bootleg live track about every month. I also posted a link to a video I posted on youtube (thanks Yasmine!) from that show as well. There are some great pictures from our gig at Northeastern University from a few months ago (note that we'll be back there Feb.18th). We also have received some nice reviews recently that you'll see below. Thanks for visiting again and thank you for your continued support!

January 24, 2008 | From Boston Phoenix Online 1/23/08
MARK ZALESKI is only 22, but the saxophonist, who just began his final semester at New England Conservatory, has played with both Dave Brubeck and Jethro Tull. He studied at Brubeck’s Institute in California, and in 2006 he played clarinet in an orchestra Tull took on tour. Nice credentials. But he’s proudest of his all-NEC-based sextet, the Mark Zaleski Band, who released a homonymous CD late last year that’s solid bebop and swing with impressive improv chops. “Everyone comes from a jazz background,” he says, “but we also fit into the modern jam-band category. I don’t want to alter the music, but I’d like to the change the face of the [jam-band] field. One of the things Brubeck advised was, ‘Do what’s cool for you; don’t copy.’ Same at NEC. Doing something distinctly your own is embraced.”
by Jim Sullivan

January 21, 2008 | NEC Penguin Article
So my always supportive and fantastic community of my peers at New England Conservatory of Music have come through again and wrote a beautiful writeup on the band that will be printed in the Feburary issue of the school newspaper, the NEC Penguin. Thank you to Anne and the people of the newspaper! Here is is:
An Evolutionary Sound
The Mark Zaleski Band Transcends Standards in its New Album
By: Anne Gregory

Procuring an ensemble where both talent and amity are attributes is a rare find in today’s musical community. The Mark Zaleski Band is one such group that not only draws from an extraordinary pool of expertise but also possesses a high level of enthusiasm. “These are all people I like to be around who just happen to be great at what they do,” Zaleski says of the band’s members. Mark Zaleski, on alto saxophone, wanted to create a group of reliable, talented musician and subsequently compiled several colleagues with whom he’s known and trusted for several years. The band’s members include Jon Bean on tenor saxophone, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Alex Brown on piano, Will Graefe on guitar, Will Slater on bass, and Tyson Stubelek on drums. With a year of experience behind them, The Mark Zaleski Band has already achieved a solid sense of ensemble with a matchless sound. Zaleski has high ambitions for the group, with a central objective being promotion of his band through audiences of the Boston college community, “I really like to play for younger people, and the band responds to that well.” By developing a larger fan base with college students, Zaleski hopes to foster a greater appreciation for jazz music in a time when venues have become more and more scarce. The band has already performed for several student audiences, most notably at Northeastern University, Mass College, St. Michael’s College, and New England Conservatory of Music. Other past venues include Ryles, Les Zygomates, Acton Jazz Café, 711 Bistro, and the Calliope Theater. The band’s greatest achievement came this past December upon release of The Mark Zaleski Band CD; an album that signifies the band’s growth and captures its eclectic sound. “I didn’t write anything specifically for this album,” Zaleski says, “(the songs) all came together at the right time and I was like, ‘These can make a great album.’” Some of the songs are relatively new, while others have been performed for several years. Zaleski believes the album does justice to the band’s ambition in promoting jazz as a diverse genre as well, “In a lot of ways this isn’t a jazz CD. Most of the music sways away from standard jazz composition and performance.” This album effectively conveys the band’s endeavors to transform the standards of jazz. From the lively spirit of “Care Free” to the gentle touch of “They Told Each Other Sweet Lies…”, The Mark Zaleski Band CD is full of variety and character. The CD is available online cdbaby.com, the iTunes store, and on the band’s website: www.markzaleskimusic.com.

December 01, 2007 | Debut album available online!
Finally its done! I'm so excited to announce that our debut CD is available for purchase. I can honestly say I'm proud to have have my name on this record and I hope you can get a chance to check it out. If you're interested in a copy click on this link and follow the instructions to buy online and have it shipped to your door. Within the next month there will be outlets to purchase a download of the album online, including Rhapsody and Itunes. Keep visiting the website for updates as to when that can be done and our latest gig schedule!

November 10, 2007 | What am I listening to?
What you are hearing, and what you will hear more of if you go to the "listen" section of this page are clips from our new CD. It will be available in the next few weeks, and will definately be ready for our Calliope Theater performance and all the others after that. Keep checking to site to find out how you can purchase it. Hope you enjoy!

June 30, 2007 | Where's the album?
Many people have been asking me when a CD of this band will become available. Have no fear, we will be in the studio all through Labor Day weekend. It should be ready for release by Novemeber of 2007, and my seinor recital at NEC will also serve as the CD release party. More details on that date to come. Still haven't come up with the title yet, do you have any ideas? For now, enjoy the demo tracks we recorded in May on the listen section of this page. They are rough mixes, so there are some recording glitches (esp. in "The Moon"), but I think it will give you an idea as to what we are all about.

June 08, 2007 | MarkZaleskiMusic.com is finally here!
Hi everyone,

Thanks for visiting the site of the Mark Zaleski Band. I hope you enjoy the music you hear on this page and please check the itinerary to find out when the band is playing soon. Check frequently for updates!

-mz