OUR TIME: REIMAGINING DAVE BRUBECK

Saxophonist Zaleski, a native of Boylston, studied as a teen at the Dave Brubeck Institute and now teaches at the New England Conservatory. His sextet includes brother Glenn Zaleski on piano, Mark Cocheo on guitar and Jon Bean on tenor sax, along with Mark Zaleski's alto and soprano saxes. Re-doing Brubeck music is a tall order, not least because of his long association with Paul Desmond, who had arguably the best tone of any saxophonist. They don't go for the obvious Brubeck covers, like his big hit "Take Five," but unearth layers of new meaning in a wide variety of his work, and also explore the odd time signatures that were a Brubeck hallmark. "Blue Rondo a la Turk," for instance, rides that hypnotic 9/8 tempo before resolving into a 12-bar blues for the solos, where Mark Zaleski's sax really pushes the envelope. The lush melody of "The Duke" showcases both saxes together, while "The Golden Horn" starts with just alto and drums, before moving into an exciting workout by the whole band. Brubeck molded 7/4 time and country western in "Unsquare Dance," and this version has the guitar and bass dominant in the solo section, before finishing in a flourish of superb unison playing by the whole group.