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Donny McCaslin: Casting For Gravity
by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
Tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin has bravely developed a uniquely personal sound that proudly claims its heritage in the long mainstream of jazz, yet sounds freshly innovative. He has released eleven albums under his leadership, among which Recommended Tools (Greenleaf, 2008), with its punishing, revealing trio format, was a high-water mark. McCaslin deploys sheets-of-sound density inherited from saxophonist John Coltrane, together with an inventive approach to rhythm and the placement of notes. This latter characteristic can sometimes resemble the playing of ...
Continue ReadingDonny McCaslin: Casting For Gravity
by Mark Corroto
If saxophonist Donny McCaslin stuck a toe into the ocean of electric jazz with his previous album Perpetual Motion (Greenleaf, 2010), then with Casting For Gravity he dives headfirst into the sea. But don't worry, with his musical dexterity and adeptness on horn, he is in no danger of sinking. In fact, he takes to these waters like a thirsty horse.The saxophonist of choice for the band leaders including trumpeter Dave Douglas, singer Kate McGarry, and composers/arrangers Ryan ...
Continue ReadingDonny McCaslin Group: Half Moon Bay, CA, September 11, 2011
by Bill Leikam
Donny McCaslin GroupDouglas Beach HouseHalf Moon Bay, CaliforniaSeptember 11, 2011 From New York City, the Donny McCaslin Group arrived at the Douglas Beach House with everything ready to go. The group consisted of tenor saxophonist McCaslin, pianist Uri Caine, bassist Fima Ephron and drummer Mark Guiliana. McCaslin's latest album, Perpetual Motion (Greenleaf, 2011) formed the foundation for a tour whose California leg was scheduled to end with the Monterey Jazz Festival. It was a ...
Continue ReadingDonny McCaslin: Perpetual Motion
by Troy Collins
Perpetual Motion is tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin's first dedicated foray into the electrified realms of funk, R&B and soul. A renowned soloist whose memberships in Dave Douglas' Quintet, Mingus Dynasty and the Maria Schneider Orchestra have won him great acclaim (including a Grammy nomination for his work with Schneider's Orchestra), McCaslin has delved into groove-based territory in the past, but never as exclusively as he does on this simmering electro-acoustic platter.McCaslin's recent releases have relied on primarily acoustic ...
Continue ReadingDonny McCaslin: Perpetual Motion
by Dan McClenaghan
Saxophonist Donny McCaslin can be called, quite accurately, a fearless player, whether it's for his prodigious and always adventurous work as a sideman--very notably with trumpeter Dave Douglas' quintet and with Maria Schneider's award-winning orchestra (for which he garnered a Grammy nomination), or on his own discs as a leader.McCaslin's musical spirit is a searching one, exploring different facets of his artistry on the pared-down and often fiery trio outing, Recommended Tools (Greenleaf Records, 2008); going after the ...
Continue ReadingDonny McCaslin: Perpetual Motion
by Dan Bilawsky
Each new record from tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin is cause for celebration. With each album, McCaslin has put himself in the middle of a different instrumental configuration, challenging the saxophonist to reach new heights, and Perpetual Motion is no different. Now that he has proven his mettle on the piano-less trio battleground with Recommended Tools (Greenleaf, 2008), and demonstrated his significant arranging abilities with Declaration (Sunnyside, 2009), McCaslin moves on to a roiling locale with electric undercurrents. ...
Continue ReadingDonny McCaslin: Perpetual Motion
by C. Michael Bailey
Donny McCaslin's Perpetual Motion is an embarrassment of riches, employing a lineup populated by the edgiest, most progressive-thinking jazz musicians currently composing. Alto saxophonist David Binney (who also produces the disc), pianist Uri Caine, bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Antonio Sanchez have been producing music that has positively expanded jazz music for the past decade. McCaslin has made good company with these artists since hitting his stride on Declaration (Sunnyside, 2009) and Recommended Tools (Greenleaf Music, 2008), and here, this ...
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