Glenn Zaleski

American jazz keyboardist and composer

Glenn Zaleski
Born	1987 or 1988^[1] Boylston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, arranger
Instrument(s)	Piano, keyboards
Labels	Sunnyside

Website	glennzaleski.com

Musical artist

Glenn Zaleski is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, composer, and arranger.

Early life

Zaleski was born and raised in Boylston, Massachusetts.^[2] His parents were Bob and Barbara Zaleski.^[1] He has an older brother, Mark, who plays the saxophone.^[2] Glenn took piano lessons from the age of seven.^[2] He played in an elementary school jazz band.^[2] While at high school, he had gigs in the Worcester, Massachusetts area.^[1] In 2004 he attended the Brubeck Institute's Summer Jazz Colony.^[1] He graduated from Tahanto Regional High School in 2005.^[3]^[4]

Zaleski received a two-year fellowship to study at the Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific (2005–07), then completed his degree at The New School.^[5] In 2006 he played with Dave Brubeck at the Monterey Jazz Festival.^[5]

Later life and career

Zaleski appeared on two trio albums with bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Colin Stranahan.^[5]

Zaleski's My Ideal, released by Sunnyside Records, contained both standards and Zaleski originals.^[6] Nate Chinen, reviewing My Ideal for The New York Times, wrote that some of the playing was "a little too close to the aesthetic territory of Brad Mehldau. [...] But if there is any unfinished business on this accomplished first outing, it involves a stronger claim to originality."^[7]

He played piano and keyboards on violinist Tomoko Omura's Roots.^[8] As of 2015, Zaleski is based in New York City.^[9]

Playing style

Zaleski acknowledges Bill Evans as an influence on his playing style.^[6] Chinen noted Zaleski's "subtleties of touch [...] along with his fluent but unhurried sense of phrase".^[7]

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

Year recorded	Title	Label	Personnel/Notes
2010*	Duet Suite		Duo, with Mark Zaleski (sax)
2011*	Anticipation	Capri	Trio, co-led with Rick Rosato (bass), Colin Stranahan (drums)
2013*	Limitless	Capri	Trio, co-led with Rick Rosato (bass), Colin Stranahan (drums)
2014	My Ideal	Sunnyside	Most tracks trio, with Dezron Douglas (bass), Craig Weinrib (drums); one track quartet, with Ravi Coltrane (tenor sax) added
2017	Fellowship	Sunnyside	Trio, with Dezron Douglas (bass), Craig Weinrib (drums)
2020*	The Question	Sunnyside	Most tracks quintet, with Adam O'Farrill (trumpet), Lucas Pino (tenor sax), Desmond White (bass), Allan Mednard (drums); one track sextet, with Yotam Silberstein (guitar) added; one track nonet, with Nick Finzer (trombone), Andrew Gutauskas (baritone sax), Alex LoRe (alto sax), Andrew Renfroe (guitar) added^[10]

As sideman

Year recorded	Leader	Title	Label
2015*	Isaac Darche	Team & Variations	Challenge
2015*	Tomoko Omura	Roots	Inner Circle
2015*	Lucas Pino	No Net Nonet	Origin
2016*	Scott Tixier	Cosmic Adventure	Sunnyside Records
2017*	Lucas Pino	The Answer Is No	Outside In Music
2021*	Gabriel Vicéns	The Way We Are Created	Inner Circle Music

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Simas, Art (May 25, 2005) "The Kid's Got the Goods". Telegram & Gazette. p. 133.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bhatia, Rafiq "Glenn Zaleski: 'A Sound'". The Jazz Gallery.
^ Duckett, Richard (November 24, 2008) "Brothers in Concert". Telegram & Gazette. p. E1.
^ Keenan, Kevin (June 6, 2005) "Tahanto Graduates Urged to Take Risks While They Can". Telegram & Gazette. p. B1.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dryden, Ken (April 2015) "No Net Nonet Lucas Pino (Origin) My Ideal Glenn Zaleski (Sunnyside)". The New York City Jazz Record. p. 17.
^ ^a ^b Garelick, Jon (May 2015) "Glenn Zaleski – My Ideal". Down Beat. p. 59.
^ ^a ^b Chinen, Nate (March 16, 2015) "New Albums From Sirens, Zaleski and Miller". The New York Times.
^ Tangari, Joe (April 2015) "Tomoko Omura – Roots". Down Beat. p. 62.
^ Booth, Philip (May 6, 2015) "Glenn Zaleski – My Ideal". JazzTimes.
^ "The Question CD". glennzaleski.com. Retrieved November 6, 2022.