Donny McCaslin

Last updated
Donny McCaslin
Donny-maccaslin DSC07853.jpg
McCaslin at Aarhus Festival, Denmark 2018
Background information
Birth nameDonald Paul McCaslin
Born (1966-08-11) August 11, 1966 (age 57)
Santa Clara, California
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Saxophone
Years active1978–present
Labels Naxos, Arabesque, Criss Cross Jazz, Sunnyside, Greenleaf, SkyDeck
Website www.donnymccaslin.com

Donald Paul McCaslin (born August 11, 1966) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has recorded over a dozen albums as a bandleader in addition to many sideman appearances, including on David Bowie's final studio album, Blackstar (2016).

Contents

Early life

McCaslin was born in Santa Clara, California, on August 11, 1966. [1] His father was a vibraphonist, and McCaslin played in his father's ensemble at the age of twelve. [1] He had his own group in high school, which played three years at the Monterey Jazz Festival. [1]

Musical career

Concert at Donostia Jazz Festival 2017 Jazzaldia2017-DONNY MCCASLIN QUARTET-ConcertPlazaTrinidad 03.jpg
Concert at Donostia Jazz Festival 2017

In 1987, after studying at Berklee College of Music, McCaslin joined Gary Burton's group and toured the world with him for four years. [2] [1] In 1991 he moved to New York City and was a member of Steps Ahead. [1]

In November 2014, McCaslin played saxophone on David Bowie's single "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)". [1] Subsequently he would play saxophone on Bowie's 2016 album Blackstar . [3]

On October 14, 2016, McCaslin released Beyond Now, inspired by his experience recording Blackstar. [1] The album features the same band that appeared on Blackstar - Tim Lefebvre on bass, Jason Lindner on keyboards, and Mark Guiliana on drums. [4] The album includes two Bowie covers, as well as covers of MUTEMATH, Deadmau5, and The Chainsmokers, plus five original tracks. [4]

NPR's All Songs Considered called McCaslin's "What About the Body" single "exhilarating art-rock". [5] The album it came from, Blow, was awarded New Jazz Album of the Year by JazzJapan. [6]

Grammy nominations

Discography

As leader

McCaslin in Aarhus, Denmark Donny-mccalsin DSC02030.jpg
McCaslin in Aarhus, Denmark

Collaborations

With Lan Xang

  • Lan Xang with David Binney, Scott Colley, Jeff Hirschfield (1998)
  • Hidden Gardens with David Binney, Scott Colley, Kenny Wolensen (2000)

With Dave Douglas

With The Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra

With David Bowie

As sideman

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Sánchez (drummer)</span> Mexican drummer and composer

Antonio Sánchez is a Mexican drummer and composer. He is best known for his work with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and as a composer of the film score for the 2014 film Birdman. The score earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and BAFTA Award for Best Film Music; he won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Score, and the Satellite Award for Best Original Score.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Potter (jazz saxophonist)</span> American jazz musician and composer

Chris Potter is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Monder</span> American jazz guitarist

Ben Monder is an American modern jazz guitarist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Binney</span> American alto saxophonist and composer

David Binney is an American alto saxophonist and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis Bonilla</span> American jazz trombonist

Luis Diego Bonilla is an American jazz trombonist of Costa Rican descent. He is also a producer, composer, and educator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Guiliana</span> American drummer

Mark Guiliana is a Grammy-nominated American drummer, composer and leader of the band Beat Music. He has played with Avishai Cohen, Brad Mehldau, David Bowie, Meshell Ndegeocello, Gretchen Parlato, Jason Lindner, Lionel Loueke, Dhafer Youssef, Tigran Hamasyan, Matisyahu, St. Vincent, the European piano trio Phronesis and his own groups, Heernt and the Mark Giuliana Jazz Quartet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Colley</span> American jazz double bassist and composer

Scott Colley is an American jazz double bassist and composer. He has performed in bands led by Herbie Hancock, T. S. Monk, Jim Hall, Andrew Hill, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Pat Metheny, Carmen McRae, Edward Simon, Adam Rogers, Brian Blade, David Binney, Antonio Sanchez, and Kenny Werner.

Jeffrey Lee Hirshfield is an American jazz drummer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Cruz</span> American jazz drummer from New York City

Adam Cruz is an American jazz drummer from New York City.

<i>Coming Through Slaughter: The Bolden Legend</i> 2009 studio album by Dave Lisik

Coming Through Slaughter: The Bolden Legend is the first large ensemble jazz album by composer Dave Lisik. It features trumpeter Tim Hagans, saxophonist Donny McCaslin, trombonist Luis Bonilla, and drummer Matt Wilson. The title and inspiration of the music and recording comes from the novel Coming Through Slaughter from the author Michael Ondaatje.

Alex Sipiagin is a Russian jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player.

Shane Endsley is an American trumpeter, drummer, and composer. He is a founding member of Kneebody, as well as an active leader and sideman with other New York City jazz musicians, as well as with pop and rock musicians such as Ani DiFranco and Pearl Jam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)</span> 2014 song by David Bowie

"Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" is a song by English musician David Bowie released on 17 November 2014 as the lead single from the 2014 compilation album Nothing Has Changed. Co-produced by Bowie and longtime collaborator Tony Visconti, the song originated after the two saw bandleader and composer Maria Schneider perform with her orchestra in May 2014. They began collaborating on Bowie's first major project since The Next Day (2013). Following workshop sessions in mid-June, the track was recorded officially at Avatar Studios in New York on 24 July 2014, with contributions from Schneider's orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackstar (song)</span> 2015 song by David Bowie

"Blackstar" is a song by English rock musician David Bowie. It was released as the lead single from his twenty-sixth and final studio album of the same name on 19 November 2015. "Blackstar" peaked at number 61 on the UK Singles Chart, number 70 on the French Singles Chart and number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Blackstar" received both the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song and the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance at the 59th Grammy Awards. At 9:57, it was the longest song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 charts, overtaking Harry Chapin's "A Better Place to Be", until Tool broke the record in 2019 with "Fear Inoculum".

<i>Blackstar</i> (album) 2016 studio album by David Bowie

Blackstar is the 26th and final studio album by the English musician David Bowie. Released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday, the album was recorded in secret in New York City with his longtime co-producer Tony Visconti and a group of local jazz musicians: Donny McCaslin, Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre and Mark Guiliana. The album contains re-recorded versions of two songs, "Sue " and "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore", both of which were originally released in 2014. More experimental than its predecessor The Next Day (2013), the music on Blackstar combines atmospheric art rock with various styles of jazz. Bowie took inspiration from artists including Kendrick Lamar and Death Grips, listening to them during the album's production. The cover art, designed by Jonathan Barnbrook, features a large black star with five star segments at the bottom that spell out the word "BOWIE".

"Dollar Days" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It is the sixth track on Bowie's twenty-sixth and final studio album, Blackstar, which was released on 8 January 2016. The track was written by Bowie, and it was produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti. "Dollar Days" charted in multiple countries, including Bowie's home country of the United Kingdom, in which the song peaked at number 138.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Lefebvre</span> Musical artist

Tim Lefebvre is an American bass guitarist. Both as a session musician and band member, he has worked with a wide range of musicians, including David Bowie, The Black Crowes, Elvis Costello, Sting, Empire of the Sun, The Sleepy Jackson, Wayne Krantz, Patti Austin, John Mayer, Jovanotti, Chuck Loeb, Mark Guiliana, Jamie Cullum, Chris Botti, and Knower. A member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band until 2018, he also performed on film and television soundtracks, including Ocean's Twelve, The Departed, Analyze That, The Sopranos, and 30 Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore</span> 2014 single by David Bowie

"'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released on 17 November 2014 as the B-side of "Sue ". Taking influence from John Ford's 1633 play 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, the art rock song pits dark and violent lyrics against a rhythmic beat. Bowie recorded the track as a demo in mid-2014 at his home studio in New York City. The song, along with "Sue", was re-recorded for Bowie's twenty-sixth and final studio album, Blackstar (2016). The new version features the backing band from those sessions: saxophonist Donny McCaslin, pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Mark Guiliana. Unlike the original, the remake is influenced by hip hop while reviewers compared Bowie's vocal performance to various 1970s tracks. The remake was positively received, with many highlighting the performances of the backing musicians. In the wake of Bowie's death, two days after Blackstar's release, "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" charted in multiple countries, including number 107 in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Morgan (bassist)</span> American jazz bassist

Thomas Morgan is an American jazz bassist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnathan Blake</span> American jazz musician

Johnathan Blake is an American jazz drummer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ditzel, Eleanour. "Donny McCaslin: Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 2010-12-21.
  2. "Donny McCaslin". necmusic.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  3. Chinen, Nate On David Bowie's 'Blackstar,' Turning to Jazz for Inspiration The New York Times. January 5, 2016
  4. 1 2 Pearce, Sheldon David Bowie's Blackstar Band Announces New Album, Shares "A Small Plot of Land" Cover. Pitchfork. July 30, 2016/
  5. "New Mix: M. Ward, David Bowie Saxophonist Donny McCaslin, Sad Baxter, More". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  6. "JazzJapan Award 2018". JazzJapan. 102: 007. March 2019.
  7. "GRAMMYs On The Road With Donny McCaslin And Poncho Sánchez". Grammy.com.
  8. 1 2 3 "GRAMMY Award Results for Donny McCaslin". Grammy.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  9. "Exploring The Jazz Field Nominees". Grammy.com.
  10. "Nominees and Winners | GRAMMY.com". Archived from the original on 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  11. Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. pp. 269–271. ISBN   978-1-78565-365-0.
  12. Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. pp. 471–472. ISBN   978-1-78565-365-0.