Search - Donny Mccaslin :: The Way Through

Right up there with other rising jazz stars . . .

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 05/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

". . . such as Ben Allison, Michael Blake, Frank Kimbrough, Stefon Harris, Peter Epstein, John Hollenbeck and the Claudia Quintet, and, especially, Dave Binney, his bandmate here as on the two Lan Xang discs--very much worth checking out, by the way, as are all the above listed artists' records.Interestingly, this disc is dedicated to the late, great Joe Henderson (as well as three other late saxophonists), whom McCaslin actually sounds something like. He's got that same breathy, rich, lilting, floating approach as Henderson developed in the latter part of his career. The music itself sounds almost nothing like Henderson's music, however. It's very open and world-jazzy, using a fascinating variety of horn voicings (including tenor sax, sop. sax, flute, alto flute, bass flute, alto sax, clarinet, and bass clarinet) and the very smart drumming/percussion of Adam Cruz, who plays everything from a normal drum kit, to steel drums, to various percussion, to marimba. Mention should also be made of Scott Colley (acoustic bass), who is brilliant in this setting. He perfectly understands the huge importance of his role in this keyboardless band, and he consistently digs deep for the ideally swinging vibe to both ground this adventurous music and properly contextualize it.One thing that impresses me about this music are the numerous small pleasures that emerge from its carefully crafted aural palette, esp. on the title cut, one of the more attractive quiet/intense world jazz tunes ever recorded. With its faux-oriental feel, its rich instrumental texture, eventually augmented by gorgeous wordless vocals from Luciana Souza, it makes a very strong impression.Once again, some of the most innovative, listenable jazz is being made on the margins. This transcendent disc is right up there with some of the finest renderings--I, Claudia, Safa, Nascer, and South (by Dave Binney). Essential for anyone who's onto this wonderful new development in jazz."