Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato

Colin Stranahan has had a passion for music since he was a very young child. The son of a music/jazz educator, he has always been surrounded by music, most specifically jazz. His interest developed when he sat down at a drum set at age eight and was able to play. From that time forward, music has been his life focus and passion. He has sought out and followed every opportunity to learn about, listen to, play and write music. Teaching himself to play the piano has enabled him to develop his ideas and emotions and express his passion through original compositions. He has released three records of his own on Capri Records "Dreams Untold", "Transformation" and "Life Condition." In his earlier years Colin earned many awards including the Presidential Scholar in the Arts Award. Colin spent a year at the Brubeck Institute in Stockton, California, then studied in New York, where he attended the New School University where he studied with Ari Hoenig and Nasheet Waits. He finished his studies at the prestigious Monk Institute in New Orleans, where Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter were his main educators. In 2009 Stranahan toured to India with Herbie Hancock as a part of the 50th year anniversary of Martin Luther King's visit to India. Most recently, Stranahan has been touring worldwide as a part of Kurt Rosenwinkel's trio.

“Music is so important in our world today. My goal is to reach out to people, to connect with them. If I'm playing for 5 people or 1,000, my goal is to always touch people in some way,” says Stranahan. “Music is so beautiful because not only do I get to express myself, but also the listener can interpret what they are hearing in any way. It's about communication and sharing our stories with each other." Colin currently performs and tours with artists; Maria Neckam, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Fred Hersch, Niia, Dan Tepfer, Ron Miles, Glenn Zaleski, and Rick Rosato.

Glenn Zaleski is a Brooklyn-based pianist. After performing professionally in his native Worcester, MA during his high school years and two years of study at prestigious Brubeck Institute in Stockton, CA, Glenn moved to New York in 2007 to study at the New School. After graduating in 2009, Glenn began his graduate studies at NYU, and became an adjunct faculty member there, teaching and writing the curriculum for Jazz Keyboard Harmony I-IV.

Zaleski currently maintains an active performance career in New York City and abroad. His most recent projects include a duo with his brother Mark (“Duet Suite”, 2011) and this trio with drummer Colin Stranahan and bassist Rick Rosato. Also in 2011 Glenn was a finalist for the APA Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz as well as the Thelonious Monk Institute’s International Piano Competition, which will be held in September 2011.

A 2010 graduate from the New School, bassist Rick Rosato was also a precocious young talent, gigging around Montreal by the time he was 18 years old. He has since performed at notable locations including Smalls Jazz Club, the Jazz Gallery, the Bern International Jazz Festival, the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, and many more. The versatile and virtuosic bassist is in demand, lending his skills and sound to such leading names in jazz as Ari Hoenig,Tigran Hamasyan, Dan Weiss, and Aaron Parks, among many others. He currently lives in Montreal, where he is finishing a master’s degree in music at McGill University.