Donny McCaslin

2074 fans
Days before his January 2016 death, David Bowie released his final album, Blackstar. While the record represented an endpoint for the legendary artist, it also marked a new beginning for jazz lifer Donny McCaslin who, armed with his saxophone, defined Blackstar's visionary stylistic fusion.

Now, two and a half years after Blackstar's release, McCaslin returns with a new album, Blow., a new definitive statement that fully realizes Bowie's influence and McCaslin’s evolved artistic direction. "Before working with him, things like this didn't seem possible to me," McCaslin says of Blow., the most daring work of his two-decade, GRAMMY®-nominated career – set for October 5 release on Motéma Music. "The affirmation of that project and how wonderfully that turned out artistically — I feel like anything is possible now."

Despite McCaslin's extensive, acclaimed career — he grew up gigging with his father's jazz ensembles in Santa Cruz, California, attended Boston's esteemed Berklee College of Music, and began his recording career in the late '90s — collaborating with Bowie altered how he approached his craft. "His aesthetic in the studio was, 'Go for what you're hearing, don't worry about what it's going to be called or categorized as,'" McCaslin recalls of the late icon. "'Let's have some fun. Let's make some music.'" With the expansive, diverse Blow., McCaslin takes Bowie's philosophy to heart.

McCaslin hinted at his new direction earlier this summer with the release of the project's first single "What About the Body," a sizzling cut that blends alt-rock, jazz, and politically suggestive lyrics from singer-songwriter Ryan Dahle (Limblifter, Mounties) for a potent product — but it's just one of the many flavors he explores on the diverse record.

Supported by a top-notch cast of musicians that includes Sun Kil Moon's Mark Kozelek, Blackstar bandmate Tim Lefebvre, and fellow Bowie collaborator Gail Ann Dorsey, McCaslin applies his jazz roots in thrilling ways throughout Blow.'s hour runtime. "The idea was to just really go for exploring these collaborations and documenting everything," explains McCaslin, adding that the project had a "good gestation process" and developed "in a way that didn't feel rushed."

McCaslin emphasizes Blow.'s "wide range of moods," and some of them — like the driving, 10-minute instrumental "Break the Bond" or the chaotic and appropriately titled "Exactlyfourminutesofimprovisedmusic" — will sound familiar to longtime McCaslin fans. Others, not so much. "Tempest," a searing blast of prog-punk, clocks in at only 79 seconds and features off-the-cuff vocals from Jeff Taylor. Dorsey's soulful pipes complete the downtempo quiet storm of closer "Eye of the Beholder." And Kozelek — who McCaslin met and performed with when their tour itineraries recently intersected in Australia — delivers a hyper-detailed, characteristically batty narrative on "The Opener" to accompany an instrumental influenced by Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest.

Naturally, McCaslin's horn unites Blow.'s disparate elements, though not in the way one might expect. Thinking back to the Blackstar sessions, McCaslin remembers how Bowie urged him to manipulate his instrument's sound, to create "different loops and textures" while improvising. "That really stuck with me” says McCaslin. "It’s such a big part of what I'm doing now, how I integrate the electronics and the saxophone.”

According to McCaslin, the "natural progression" that led to Blow. began with 2016's Beyond Now. Compromised of originals written after Blackstar's recording but before Bowie's death, as well as covers of Bowie, Mutemath, and Deadmau5, the record contains what McCaslin describes as "the seed" that grew into Blow.: His moody, electro-tinged rendition of Bowie's "A Small Plot of Land." "That's the connecting point for what I'm doing now," he says.

But because McCaslin recorded Beyond Now nearly immediately after Bowie's death, it didn't capture Blackstar's full influence on his playing and writing — it took months of relentless touring for those lessons to seep in. "I was hearing something different and trying to explore what that was," he reveals. "The direction of this record is something I wouldn't have imagined myself doing 10 years ago. But having the opportunity to play so much and then see where my creative imagination would go, and to be in that space for a lot longer, led me down this new pathway." Adds McCaslin: "Because we had been playing so much, it felt pretty natural just to go into the studio and do this."

Once he got down to business on Blow. pre-production in the fall 2017, McCaslin says producer Steve Wall (Lucius, Tall Heights) began to conceptually tie the album's many diverse styles together. “He’s very methodical and deliberate. I give a lot of credit to Steve," McCaslin shares, “he had a vision for this album from the beginning and was right there working with me as the music developed. He’s a unique talent and he does it all; engineering, mixing, song writing, producing, sound design.”

Vocals also play a crucial role on Blow., in ways that they haven't previously in McCaslin's career. "There's so much that's possible," he realized after the Blackstar sessions. "Why don't I make a vocal record?" Besides his fruitful collaborations with Taylor, Dorsey, and Kozelek, McCaslin teamed with Dahle on "What About the Body" and three other tracks — "New Kindness," "Club Kidd," and "Great Destroyer" — that constitute the album's emotional core.

"There's some social commentary" on "New Kindness," says McCaslin, likening the song's themes of partisan polarization to those on "What About the Body." "At least from my perspective, we're in a really f---ed-up time in this country — sorry for the French," he notes wryly. "What's going to get us out of this? Maybe it's new kindness. I think that's something that's really timely and really powerful." "Club Kidd," meanwhile, unites two unlikely topics — bee migration and McCaslin's own experiences as a college student going to club shows — for a unique, intricate result.

Ultimately, McCaslin returns repeatedly to a specific phrase: "new territory." Along with his bandmates, he's propelling his music to places that seemed unreachable — to the extent that he'd even conceived of them —just a few years ago. And Blow. isn't the endpoint. "The live show is really evolving," says McCaslin, thrilled to share his fresh material with audiences around the world. "It's going to continue to evolve and we have this vision of how it's going to evolve. It's going to be much different from what it has been." Recent years have been a whirlwind for McCaslin, but Blow. proves he's ready for his next chapter: "Going all in with new territory is really stimulating to me."
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Top tracks

11
Eye of the Beholder
Donny McCaslin
Blow.
04:33
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Eren Cannata - Steve Wall
01
Meet Charlie Parker (Chan's Overture) (Vocal Version Of "Ornithology")
Madeleine Peyroux
Meet Charlie Parker (Chan's Overture) (Vocal Version Of "Ornithology")
06:20
Writer: David Baerwald / Composers: Charlie Parker
05
Bright Abyss
Donny McCaslin
Beyond Now
08:51
01
Glitch
Donny McCaslin
Glitch
05:21
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Tim Lefebvre
11
Salle Pleyel (The Journey To Paris) (Interlude)
Donny McCaslin
The Passion Of Charlie Parker
01:02
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Craig Taborn - Larry Klein
01
The Opener (Instrumental)
Donny McCaslin
The Opener
05:11
Composers: Donny McCaslin
10
The King Of 52nd Street (Chan's Declaration) (Vocal Version Of "Scrapple From The Apple")
Melody Gardot
The Passion Of Charlie Parker
03:40
Writer: David Baerwald / Composers: Charlie Parker
12
Après vous (The Apotheosis Of Charlie Parker) (Vocal Version Of "Au Privave")
Camille Bertault
The Passion Of Charlie Parker
02:47
Writer: Camille Bertault / Composers: Charlie Parker
02
The Epitaph Of Charlie Parker (The Funeral) (Vocal Version Of "Visa")
Barbara Hannigan
The Passion Of Charlie Parker
03:55
Writer: David Baerwald / Composers: Charlie Parker
01
Body Blow
Donny McCaslin
Body Blow
05:48
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Jason Lindner
01
Stria
Donny McCaslin
I Want More
05:37
Composers: Donny McCaslin
02
No Eyes
Donny McCaslin
Fast Future (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
05:56
Composers: William Boris Wiesenfeld

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  • Discography
Albums
℗ 2024 Kepach Music S.r.l.
29-11-2024
It's Christmas Time
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As Long As There's Christmas
Fulvio Sigurta'
It's Christmas Time
02:06
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Frosty The Snowman
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Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
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White Christmas
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River
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Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
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Composers: Hugh Martin
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The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
Rosa Brunello
It's Christmas Time
03:55
Composers: Robert Wells - Mel Tormé
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(P) 2023 Edition Records
16-06-2023
I Want More
01
Stria
Donny McCaslin
I Want More
05:37
Composers: Donny McCaslin
02
Fly My Space Ship
Donny McCaslin
I Want More
04:23
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Jason Lindner - Tim Lefebvre
03
Hold Me Tight
Donny McCaslin
I Want More
04:31
Composers: Donny McCaslin
04
Body Blow
Donny McCaslin
I Want More
05:48
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Jason Lindner
05
Big Screen
Donny McCaslin
I Want More
04:11
Composers: Donny McCaslin
06
Turbo
Donny McCaslin
I Want More
05:55
Composers: Donny McCaslin
07
Landsdown
Donny McCaslin
I Want More
05:10
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Tim Lefebvre
Access the complete album info (8 songs)
2020 David Lisik
02-06-2020
Hitch / Slap: Music of Dave Lisik
01
Infinity War Depression
Donny McCaslin
Hitch / Slap: Music of Dave Lisik
08:32
Composers: Dave Lisik
02
72 Virginians
Donny McCaslin
Hitch / Slap: Music of Dave Lisik
07:00
Composers: Dave Lisik
03
Archie's Bunker
Donny McCaslin
Hitch / Slap: Music of Dave Lisik
07:17
Composers: Dave Lisik
04
Astro Cat Blues
Donny McCaslin
Hitch / Slap: Music of Dave Lisik
05:44
Composers: Dave Lisik
05
Hitch / Slap
Donny McCaslin
Hitch / Slap: Music of Dave Lisik
07:11
Composers: Dave Lisik
06
Priest Strangler's Cousin
Donny McCaslin
Hitch / Slap: Music of Dave Lisik
04:48
Composers: Dave Lisik
07
Chieftain Weapons Inspector
Donny McCaslin
Hitch / Slap: Music of Dave Lisik
07:42
Composers: Dave Lisik
Access the complete album info (9 songs)
(P) 2018 Motema Music LLC
05-10-2018
Blow.
01
What About the Body
Donny McCaslin
Blow.
04:29
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Ryan Dahle - Tim Lefebvre
02
Club Kidd
Donny McCaslin
Blow.
04:53
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Ryan Dahle
03
Break the Bond
Donny McCaslin
Blow.
09:13
Composers: Donny McCaslin
04
New Kindness
Donny McCaslin
Blow.
04:30
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Ryan Dahle
05
Exactlyfourminutesofimprovisedmusic
Donny McCaslin
Blow.
04:02
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Zach Danziger - Jason Lindner - Jonathan Maron
06
Tiny Kingdom
Donny McCaslin
Blow.
06:18
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Jeff Taylor
07
Great Destroyer
Donny McCaslin
Blow.
04:22
Composers: Donny McCaslin - Ryan Dahle - Steve Wall
Access the complete album info (11 songs)
14-10-2016
Beyond Now
01
Shake Loose
Donny McCaslin
Beyond Now
07:14
02
A Small Plot of Land
Donny McCaslin
Beyond Now
06:24
03
Beyond Now
Donny McCaslin
Beyond Now
07:52
04
Coelacanth1
Donny McCaslin
Beyond Now
04:52
05
Bright Abyss
Donny McCaslin
Beyond Now
08:51
06
Faceplant
Donny McCaslin
Beyond Now
04:05
07
Warszawa
Donny McCaslin
Beyond Now
08:41
Access the complete album info (9 songs)
2015 Copyright
31-03-2015
Fast Future (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
01
Fast Future
Donny McCaslin
Fast Future (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
05:54
Composers: Donny McCaslin/Dave Binney
02
No Eyes
Donny McCaslin
Fast Future (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
05:56
Composers: William Boris Wiesenfeld
03
Love and Living
Donny McCaslin
Fast Future (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
09:30
Composers: Donny McCaslin
04
Midnight Light
Donny McCaslin
Fast Future (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
06:39
Composers: Donny McCaslin
05
54 Cymru Beats
Donny McCaslin
Fast Future (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
02:16
Composers: Richard D. James
06
Love What is Mortal
Donny McCaslin
Fast Future (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
05:57
Composers: Donny McCaslin
07
Underground City
Donny McCaslin
Fast Future (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
06:59
Composers: Donny McCaslin/Dave Binney
Access the complete album info (10 songs)
2014 Pavel Wlosok Trio
29-12-2014
Alternate Reality
01
Hopeful Fool
Pavel Wlosok Trio
Alternate Reality
08:27
Composers: Pavel Wlosok
02
Little One
Pavel Wlosok Trio
Alternate Reality
06:22
Composers: Pavel Wlosok
03
Cullowhee Blues
Pavel Wlosok Trio
Alternate Reality
07:40
Composers: Pavel Wlosok
04
Speak Like a Child
Pavel Wlosok Trio
Alternate Reality
05:49
Composers: Herbert jeffrey hancock
05
Inner Urge
Pavel Wlosok Trio
Alternate Reality
07:36
Composers: Joe Henderson
06
Prelude to a Kiss
Pavel Wlosok Trio
Alternate Reality
07:25
Composers: Edward Kennedy Ellington
07
Moonglow
Pavel Wlosok Trio
Alternate Reality
05:11
Composers: Irving Mills - Will Hudson
Access the complete album info (9 songs)
2017 Skydeck Music
01-12-2014
Machaut Man and a Superman Hat: Music of Dave Lisik
01
Steal Bryan's Laptop
Alex Sipiagin
Machaut Man and a Superman Hat: Music of Dave Lisik
09:52
Composers: Dave Lisik
02
Machaut Man and a Superman Hat
Alex Sipiagin
Machaut Man and a Superman Hat: Music of Dave Lisik
06:50
Composers: Dave Lisik
03
Au chien qui fume
Alex Sipiagin
Machaut Man and a Superman Hat: Music of Dave Lisik
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04
(You Can't Always Get A) Wet Chihuahua
Alex Sipiagin
Machaut Man and a Superman Hat: Music of Dave Lisik
09:42
Composers: Dave Lisik
05
Hooptie on the 405
Alex Sipiagin
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08:21
Composers: Dave Lisik
06
Georgia on My Mind
Alex Sipiagin
Machaut Man and a Superman Hat: Music of Dave Lisik
11:59
Composers: Hoagy Carmichael
07
The Disgruntled Plagiarist
Alex Sipiagin
Machaut Man and a Superman Hat: Music of Dave Lisik
07:05
Composers: Dave Lisik
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2013 Samo Salamon
11-09-2013
Stretching Out
01
My Rain & Kei's Blues
Samo Salamon
Stretching Out
30:24
Composers: Samo Salamon
02
Swamp Area
Samo Salamon
Stretching Out
15:41
Composers: Samo Salamon
03
Ice Storm
Samo Salamon
Stretching Out
18:22
Composers: Samo Salamon
2012 Copyright
02-10-2012
Casting for Gravity (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
01
Stadium Jazz
Donny McCaslin
Casting for Gravity (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
07:18
Composers: Donny McCaslin
02
Says Who
Donny McCaslin
Casting for Gravity (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
06:18
Composers: Donny McCaslin
03
Losing Track of Daytime
Donny McCaslin
Casting for Gravity (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
07:38
Composers: Donny McCaslin
04
Alpha and Omega
Donny McCaslin
Casting for Gravity (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
04:12
Composers: Mike Sandison, Marcus Eoin
05
Tension
Donny McCaslin
Casting for Gravity (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
05:47
Composers: Donny McCaslin
06
Praia Grande
Donny McCaslin
Casting for Gravity (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
05:52
Composers: David Binney
07
Love Song for an Echo
Donny McCaslin
Casting for Gravity (feat. Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana)
08:30
Composers: Donny McCaslin
Access the complete album info (10 songs)
2011 Copyright
03-11-2010
Perptual Motion (with David Binney, Adam Benjamin, Uri Caine, Tim Lefevbre, Mark Guiliana & Antonio Sanchez)
01
Five Hands Down
Donny McCaslin
Perptual Motion (with David Binney, Adam Benjamin, Uri Caine, Tim Lefevbre, Mark Guiliana & Antonio Sanchez)
05:02
Composers: Donny McCaslin
02
Perpetual Motion
Donny McCaslin
Perptual Motion (with David Binney, Adam Benjamin, Uri Caine, Tim Lefevbre, Mark Guiliana & Antonio Sanchez)
12:19
Composers: Donny McCaslin
03
Claire
Donny McCaslin
Perptual Motion (with David Binney, Adam Benjamin, Uri Caine, Tim Lefevbre, Mark Guiliana & Antonio Sanchez)
11:21
Composers: Donny McCaslin
04
Firefly
Donny McCaslin
Perptual Motion (with David Binney, Adam Benjamin, Uri Caine, Tim Lefevbre, Mark Guiliana & Antonio Sanchez)
09:13
Composers: Donny McCaslin
05
Energy Generation
Donny McCaslin
Perptual Motion (with David Binney, Adam Benjamin, Uri Caine, Tim Lefevbre, Mark Guiliana & Antonio Sanchez)
07:16
Composers: Donny McCaslin
06
Memphis Redux
Donny McCaslin
Perptual Motion (with David Binney, Adam Benjamin, Uri Caine, Tim Lefevbre, Mark Guiliana & Antonio Sanchez)
07:30
Composers: Donny McCaslin
07
L.Z.C.M.
Donny McCaslin
Perptual Motion (with David Binney, Adam Benjamin, Uri Caine, Tim Lefevbre, Mark Guiliana & Antonio Sanchez)
07:07
Composers: Donny McCaslin
Access the complete album info (10 songs)
06-04-2009
Trip to the Casbah
01
Toboggan Ride
Nathan Eklund
Trip to the Casbah
06:19
02
Passing Trains
Nathan Eklund
Trip to the Casbah
06:08
03
Hand Picked from Her Garden
Nathan Eklund
Trip to the Casbah
04:26
04
South Chelan
Nathan Eklund
Trip to the Casbah
07:57
05
Trip to the Casbah, Part 1
Nathan Eklund
Trip to the Casbah
02:27
06
Trip to the Casbah, Part 2
Nathan Eklund
Trip to the Casbah
06:24
07
Long Lake
Nathan Eklund
Trip to the Casbah
06:48
Access the complete album info (10 songs)
℗ 2009 Criss Cross Jazz
01-01-2009
Give And Go
01
Outlaw
Donny McCaslin
Give And Go
07:37
Composers: John Swana - Steve Cardenas - Scott Colley - Gene Jackson - Donny McCaslin
02
Scrappy
Donny McCaslin
Give And Go
08:05
Composers: John Swana - Steve Cardenas - Scott Colley - Gene Jackson - Donny McCaslin
03
Drift
Donny McCaslin
Give And Go
09:25
Composers: John Swana - Steve Cardenas - Scott Colley - Gene Jackson - Donny McCaslin
04
Give And Go
Donny McCaslin
Give And Go
07:06
Composers: John Swana - Steve Cardenas - Scott Colley - Gene Jackson - Donny McCaslin
05
The Liberators' Song
Donny McCaslin
Give And Go
06:10
Composers: John Swana - Steve Cardenas - Scott Colley - Gene Jackson - Donny McCaslin
06
Two-three
Donny McCaslin
Give And Go
09:41
Composers: John Swana - Steve Cardenas - Scott Colley - Gene Jackson - Donny McCaslin
07
Doom Fuss
Donny McCaslin
Give And Go
05:26
Composers: John Swana - Steve Cardenas - Scott Colley - Gene Jackson - Donny McCaslin
Access the complete album info (8 songs)
23-09-2003
The Way Through
01
Skyward
Donny McCaslin
The Way Through
06:01
02
San Lorenzo
Donny McCaslin
The Way Through
02:49
03
Shadowlands
Donny McCaslin
The Way Through
06:31
04
I Should Care
Donny McCaslin
The Way Through
05:59
05
The Way Through
Donny McCaslin
The Way Through
07:50
06
Break Tune
Donny McCaslin
The Way Through
03:57
07
Free California
Donny McCaslin
The Way Through
03:22
Access the complete album info (11 songs)
12-09-2000
Seen From Above
01
Manresa
Donny McCaslin
Seen From Above
06:34
02
Seen From Above
Donny McCaslin
Seen From Above
06:51
03
Second Line Sally
Donny McCaslin
Seen From Above
05:08
04
These Were Palaces
Donny McCaslin
Seen From Above
05:38
05
Mick Gee
Donny McCaslin
Seen From Above
06:49
06
Strange Pilgrim
Donny McCaslin
Seen From Above
05:53
07
Going To The Territory
Donny McCaslin
Seen From Above
07:43
Access the complete album info (9 songs)