Donny McCaslin

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).

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

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

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

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

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

• 2004: Best Jazz Instrumental Solo – "Bulería, Soleá Y Rumba" onConcert in the Garden by Maria Schneider
• 2013: Best Improvised Jazz Solo – "Stadium Jazz" on Casting for Gravity
• 2015: Best Improvised Jazz Solo – "Arbiters of Evolution" on The Thompson Fields by Maria Schneider

As leader

• Exile and Discovery (Naxos, 1998)
• Seen from Above (Arabesque, 2000)
• The Way Through (Arabesque, 2003)
• Soar (Sunnyside, 2006)
• Give and Go (Criss Cross Jazz, 2006)
• In Pursuit (Sunnyside, 2007)
• Recommended Tools (Greenleaf, 2008)
• Declaration (Sunnyside, 2009)
• Perpetual Motion (Greenleaf, 2010)
• Casting for Gravity (Greenleaf, 2012)
• Fast Future (Greenleaf, 2015)
• Beyond Now (Motéma, 2016)
• Blow. (Motéma, 2018)

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

• Meaning and Mystery (Greenleaf, 2006)
• Live at the Jazz Standard (Greenleaf, 2007)

With The Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra

• Concert in the Garden (ArtistShare, 2004)
• Sky Blue (ArtistShare, 2007)
• The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare, 2015)

With David Bowie

• "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" (ISO, 2015)
• Blackstar (ISO, 2016)
• No Plan (Columbia, 2017)

As sideman

• Thana Alexa, Ode to Heroes (Jazz Village, 2014)
• Hutchinson Andrew Trio, Prairie Modern (Chronograph, 2013)
• Fahir Atakoglu, If (Far & Here, 2005)
• David Binney, Balance (ACT, 2002)
• Luis Bonilla, Escucha! (Candid, 2000)
• Luis Bonilla, Trombonilla: Terminal Clarity (Now Jazz Consortium, 2005)
• Kenny Carr, Idle Talk (CDBaby, 2014)
• Tia Carrere, Dream (Reprise, 1993)
• Scott Colley, Portable Universe (Free Lance, 1996)
• Tyler Collins, Tyler (RCA, 1992)
• Terence Trent D'Arby, Terence Trent D'Arby's Symphony or Damn (Columbia, 1993)
• Kenichi Doami, Chronicle (2007)
• Gene Ess, Sandbox and Sanctum (Simp, 2005)
• Geggie Trio, Across the Sky (Plunge, 2010)
• Marshall Gilkes, Sound Stories (Alternate Side, 2012)
• Hans Glawischnig, Common Ground (Fresh Sound, 2004)
• Joel Harrison, Search (Sunnyside, 2011)
• Steve Hass, Traveler (Hassbeat, 2003)
• Art Hirahara, Central Line (Posi-Tone, 2017)
• Art Hirahara, Sunward Bound (Posi-Tone, 2018)
• Julie Lamontagne Trio, Now What (Justin Time, 2009)
• Michael Leonhart, The Painted Lady Suite (Sunnyside, 2018)
• Dave Lisik, Coming Through Slaughter: The Bolden Legend (SkyDeck Music, 2009)
• Dave Lisik, Machaut Man and a Superman Hat (Rattle, 2014)
• Matthias Lupri, Metalix (Summit, 2006)
• Hector Martignon, Portrait in White and Black (Candid, 1996)
• Hector Martignon, The Foreign Affair (Candid, 1998)
• Bobby McFerrin, Vocabularies (Emarcy, 2010)
• Kate McGarry, If Less Is More (Palmetto, 2008)
• Tony Monaco, Master Chops T (Summit, 2002)
• Monkey House, Left (Alma, 2016)
• Virgil Moorefield, Distractions On the Way to the King's Party (Cuneiform, 1994)
• Alon Nechushtan, Venture Bound (Enja, 2014)
• New York Voices, Sing! Sing! Sing! (Concord Jazz, 2001)
• Nokko, Call Me Nightlife (Epic, 1993)
• Nokko, I Will Catch U (Sony, 1993)
• Danilo Perez, Till Then (Verve, 2003)
• Enrico Pieranunzi, Proximity (CAM Jazz, 2015)
• Enrico Pieranunzi, New Spring (CAM Jazz, 2016)
• Roberta Piket, Unbroken Line (Criss Cross, 1997)
• Bruno Raberg, Pentimento (Boston Skyline, 1992)
• Bruno Raberg, Chrysalis (OrbisMusic, 2004)
• Rachel Z, Room of One's Own (NYC, 1996)
• Samo Salamon, Stretching Out (Samo, 2013)
• Antonio Sánchez, New Life (CAM Jazz, 2013)
• Ken Schaphorst Big Band, Purple (Naxos, 1999)
• George Schuller, Round 'Bout Now (Playscape, 2003)
• George Schuller, Like Before Somewhat After (Playscape, 2008)
• Alex Sipiagin, Mirrors (Criss Cross, 2002)
• Alex Sipiagin, Out of the Circle (ArtistShare, 2007)
• Luciana Souza, North and South (Limited Edition 2003)
• Steps Ahead, Vibe (NYC, 1995)
• Sun Kil Moon, I Also Want to Die in New Orleans (Caldo Verde, 2019)
• Gary Versace, Outside In (Criss Cross, 2008)
• Torben Waldorff, Brilliance (Artistshare, 2006)
• Torben Waldorff, Afterburn (Artistshare, 2008)
• Torben Waldorff, American Rock Beauty (Artistshare, 2010)
• Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr, Landed in Brooklyn (ACT, 2017)
• Reuben Wilson, Organ Donor (Jazzateria, 1998)
• Ethan Winogrand, Made in Brooklyn (Clean Feed, 2003)
• Ethan Winogrand, Half Full (Every Good Song, 2011)
• WinterFisch Quartet, Timeless (Jazz Sick, 2016)
• Pavel Wlosok Trio,Alternate Reality (CDBaby, 2014)