Glenn Zaleski

The first song on guitarist/composer Dan Wilson’s Things Eternal opens with a recorded voicemail from the late organist, personal mentor and dear friend Joey DeFrancesco, serving as a tribute, guiding light and mission statement. Throughout a curated selection of 12 songs, Wilson gathers hope and inspiration from ancestral wisdom, dedicated to the enduring quality of the human spirit. From unique takes on classics from The Beatles, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Michael Brecker, Freddie Hubbard and McCoy Tyner to original compositions, Wilson has crafted an impeccable statement for the world to take notice.

A collection of arrangements that Charlie Parker commissioned for strings but never got a chance to record. Charlie Parker recorded his classic Bird with strings arrangements while he was in his late twenties/early thirties, and was really proud of those recordings and expressed a desire to work more with a small string ensemble, harpist, oboist and rhythm section, but the economics even back then of traveling with anything besides a quintet were prohibitive. So this record will hopefully serve as a what if regarding the short-lived (1929-1955) yet prolific career of one of the undisputed geniuses of modern music - most of these arrangements would have served as a significantly more ambitious follow-up to the classic string recordings the listener already knows. Featuring Ken Peplowski, Clarinet and Tenor Saxophone, Terell Stafford, Trumpet, Glenn Zaleski, Piano, Peter Washington, Bass, Willie Jones III, Drums. Conducted by Loren Schoenberg, the orchestra features Rose Kow Xiu Yi - 1st Violin, Concertmaster, orchestral contractor, Tia Allen - 2nd Violin, Yoonjung Hwang - 3rd Violin, Kayla Williams - Viola, Robin Park - Cello, Elizabeth Steiner - Harp, Keve Wilson - Oboe.

Trombonist Nick Vayenas has been a mainstay on the music scene for the past 17 years. Based in New York City, Nick has worked in a variety of settings both as a sideman and leader. From creative jazz to pop, classical, and big band, Nick is comfortable in almost any musical setting. 'Lineage' is Nick's 7th album as a leader, and his first consisting of all standard repertoire. "I wanted to choose some of my favorite tunes from the American Songbook, as well as a few classic jazz standards, get a swinging band, and just have some fun", says Nick. "I grew up listening to my idols play standards and I have always wanted to make an album like this. I felt I was up to the challenge, and this album was in the "Lineage" of the jazz tradition."

A cryptic element lurks beneath trombonist Nick Finzer's Cast Of Characters. The theme of the album is artistic influences. But who are they… "We laugh, we cry, we celebrate, we learn, and we forge our own path on the shoulders of those who came before us. We are both the sum of our experience and the product of our influence. We are who we choose to embrace." This is from the spread out trifecta of liner notes in the tri-fold cover of the album.

At the core of everything that guitarist/composer Perry Smith does is the desire to create personal and musical connections with the artistic community. That’s true of the community he’s built around his inclusive weekly series in Brooklyn, “The Nest Session;” it’s behind his decision to use social media as a means of reaching out, not cutting off. And it lies at the very heart of his third album as a leader, New Angel both in the close relationships he shares with his bandmates and in his desire to make the sometimes heady concepts of modern jazz something accessible and deeply personal.

The new album project Dreams, Visions, and Illusions from Trombonist Nick Finzer is a culmination of over ten years of leading his sextet “Hear & Now” (whose first album, “Exposition” was released in January 2013) featuring Lucas Pino on Tenor Saxophone and Bass Clarinet, Alex Wintz on Guitar, Glenn Zaleski on Piano, Dave Baron on Bass, and Jimmy Macbride on drums.