Donny McCaslin in the house

I first heard Donny in 1994 on the Steps Ahead album :Vibe, and then in 1998 on his excellent Naxos release: Exile and Discovery!(My favourite) This past week Donny McCaslin's new group rolled into town. It was a bit of a whirlwind ride for them, I'm sure they were in Calgary for less than 24 hours. The concert was great! and the clinic at the school was also great. I was really taken by how clean his tone was, and his very precise lines and articulation. While I was listening to him it dawned on me that he is really playing his own language. Occasionally something close to "standard Jazz language" would pop up but he definitely has his own take on it all.

I once read a quote of Donny's that has really inspired me.....

"You looked at Downbeat, and there was all these “young lions,” and I’m not one of them. They were all getting record deals and I want to have one and I want to be out there. I think I was feeling that pressure, I’m of that generation, where there was that large thing of the young lions, all these guys had record contracts, the Tough Young Tenors, all that stuff. I was of that generation but I wasn’t included in any of that. I guess I was struggling with that in a way, “Maybe I’m not good enough,” or whatever. I just hung in there and worked hard, and played as much as a could and practiced a lot."

I'm glad he stuck with it!!! I hope you enjoy this clip