Recommended Trio
Scott Williams | Oakland, CA United States | 09/11/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Overview:
The first thing you need to know about Recommended Tools is that it is a sax, bass, drums trio album with Donny McCaslin on tenor sax, Hans Glawischinig on bass, and Jonathan Blake on drums. Normally I'm not a fan of the sax trio, but Recommended Tools is definitely an exception. There are many reasons why this sax trio works while so many have failed to capture my interest. First and foremost there is a stellar performance from all three contributors. I was particularly impressed with 37 year old bassist Glawishchnig. Second McCaslin has amazing soloing capabilities where at times it sounds almost like two different musicians are trading solos. In addition he also has a very rhythmic attack that adds diversity. With no piano player to provide the chord structure a "rhythmic" solo or percussive attack is quite effective. No wants to hear a guy just noodle notes for 40 minutes. Diversity is the key. More along these lines Recomended tools includes both some fast pace burners, and also some very pretty ballads that feature some great lyrical play by Glawishchnig. Finally Glawishchnig really does a great job of connecting the dots in McCasslin's solos to clearly establish the keys of the various pieces. The overall tone of the album is hard bop. Stylistically it is a cross between the Sonny Rollins trios of the 50s and the type of work that McCaslin has been doing in his recent albums (e.g. In Pursuit).
Song Highlights:
Eventual - This is my favorite song on the album. The driving bass line and frenetic drumming really propel McCaslin forward. At one point McClaslin doubles up on the percussive bass line with dramatic results. According to the liner notes, this song was inspired by Gil Evans "Time of the Barricudas".
Late Night Gospel - This is a killer ballad. There is lots of spacing and just beautiful timing on the lyrical bass line. The perfect sax, bass, drums ballad. According to the liner notes, inspired by Bill Frisell's work.
Isfahan - This classic Ellington/Strayhorn song from Far East Suite is performed as a beautiful ballad here.
3 Signs - The liner notes indicate that the intro was inspired by Herbie Hancock's Succotash from Inventions and Dimensions. This track has the best drumming on the CD. Jonathan Blake is a frenetic monster here. McCasslin has some killer sheets of sounds solos too. Combine that with a nice bass line and you've got a great track.
I highly recommed this album for all McCaslin fans, and/or anyone who likes the sax, bass, drums trio format. Also, if you want to hear a killer new bassist, pick this up and check out Hans Glawischnig.
"
Donny makes his mark
Anthony Cooper | Louisville, KY United States | 11/19/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Donny McCaslin's sax trio CD is a way of spray-painting his name on the club's marquee and saying "here I am". McCaslin has been playing out since 1978 (with his father), but yet this is said to be his breakout CD. It lives up to expectations. The songs and playing is good throughout. Sax trios are difficult because you can't, like Coltrane did on "Giant Steps", pause in the middle to let the pianist take a solo. Most of the songs are fast-paced, state their business right away, and don't overstay their welcome. "Late Night Gospel" and "Margins Of Solitude" are the slower ones. The result is a very enjoyable CD that seems shorter than its 65 minute length. The rhythm section of Hans Glawischnig on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums deserves credit as well. They keep things interesting without showing off. McCaslin fans will want to pick this up, and anyone else curious about the 42-year old new kid on the block should buy it."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
