The outsized impressions Glenn Zaleski left on co-led projects like Duet Suite (with brother Mark), and his records within the Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato supertrio makes it hard to believe that the gifted pianist is just now putting out his first solo record.
My Ideal (March 17, 2015, Sunnyside Records), is another trio setting and none of the nine songs are Zaleski’s but there’s no doubt that this record is a manifestation of Zaleski’s musical personality. It comes out on “Nobody Else But Me,” where he demonstrates an understanding of the importance of the spaces between the notes, and swings naturally despite not placing those notes in obvious spots. With bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Craig Weinrib supplying the steady swing, there’s little need to play it so straight, anyway.
Even more so on “Body and Soul,” the essence of that song is established long before Zaleski is explicitly following the signature pattern, extending the melody, and — ahem — adding more soul to the body of the song. Only after Douglas’ earnestly pulsating bass solo does this standard become recognizable but by that time all the other character elements of it had already been filled in. Zaleski undertakes “Make Someone Happy” as a hushed but lyrically rich recital, with Douglas offering terrific low-end support.
Every song is a cover but not all are taken out of the Great American Songbook; Zaleski finds a couple of contemporary gems from composers he knows. Rick Rosato’s “Waltz For MD” has minor chordings make this deviate from those standards, and Zaleski mines the melody, uncovering rich facets of it by repeating the main figure with an evolving perspective on it. “REL”, composed by vibes player Peter Schlamb, uses a contemporary rhythm to propel the song forward, but Zaleski steadfastly honors tradition all the same, maneuvering around his rhythm section with little trouble.
The whole affair ends with “I’m Old Fashioned,” where the trio expands to a quartet with Ravi Coltrane sitting in. Sounding much like his father here (don’t most sax players do, though?) with the drawn out, darker way the melody is played illuminates that ‘Trane feel in the intro. Once the tune gets going, a much more lively tempo commences thanks to Douglas’ bubbling bass and Weinrib’s dynamic drumming. When Coltrane returns he takes on his own persona to match the percolating prance of the song.
Glenn Zaleski’s sensitive readings of these durable tunes makes it easy to get lost in those beautiful melodies. Without the need to create his own compositions, Zaleski nonetheless created his own space within mainstream jazz with this very strong debut. My Ideal is ideal those who crave well-performed piano trio jazz.
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