Search - Marc McDonald :: It Doesn't End Here

It Doesn't End Here marks alto saxophonist and composer Marc McDonald's long overdue debut as a leader on CD. Although his more than 25 years as a sideman include playing everything from punk to cabaret, It Doesn't End Here is comprised of Marc's first love, namely mainstream jazz with bop, Brazilian, and New Orleans influences. The album highlights both Marc's robust alto playing and his talents as a composer, with eight original compositions and three inventively re-imagined standards. Regardless of style or source, however, the music is distinguished by an approachability that doesn't sacrifice depth. "One of the finest mainstream jazz albums of the year...[an] exquisite debut...McDonald plays with fluidity and crispness...One very enjoyable album from start to finish. I could not be more impressed."--EJazzNews "McDonald and his supporting cast form a tight unit. Regardless of who has the lead, all players are heard and stretch out freely. It Doesn't End Here is an excellent album."--All About Jazz "[McDonald s solo disc] is a beaut. It will make you wonder, Where has this guy been, anyway?...He's a great writer to boot...He's got a confident and gentle vibrato, with a flowing sound that belies the harshness of too many an altoist...His tone is shimmering and glassy...Nice walk on homer by a veteran in the minors for too long."--Jazz Weekly Personnel:
Marc McDonald: Alto Saxophone
Jim Ridl: Piano
Steve Cardenas: Guitar (tracks 1, 4, 6, 9, 11)
Karl Spicer: Bass
Gene Lewin: Drums
Biography:
Saxophonist and composer Marc McDonald's music possesses a warm, lyrical quality while spanning a broad emotional range. If the best jazz tells stories, then McDonald's tales run the gamut from joyous to poignant, exhilarating to contemplative. McDonald has led groups for over 25 years in the New York/New Jersey area and such cities as Honolulu, London and Athens. In 2008, he released his debut CD as a leader It Doesn't End Here, which features his own compositions and inventive arrangements of standards. The music draws on a variety of influences, including mainstream jazz, Brazilian music, and New Orleans R&B. McDonald's career as a sideman has been similarly active and varied. In a jazz context, he has been a member of award-winning composer Jamie Begian's big band ("a crack large ensemble"-TimeOut NY) since 1998, appearing as a featured soloist on the band's CD Trance. His rock credits include concert guest appearances in England and the United States with vocalist Henry Rollins and studio work for bands such as Ween. On the cabaret circuit, he has recorded several CDs and toured internationally with singer Quinn Lemley. In 1990, McDonald was one of ten jazz composers invited to participate in the ASCAP/Louis Armstrong Jazz Composers Workshop at New York's Lincoln Center, and he also attended the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop in New York for several years. In the years 1991 and 1994-96, the Trenton (NJ) Avant Garde Festival invited him to premiere works for jazz chamber ensemble, solo saxophone, and saxophone quartet. McDonald was born in London, England and lived there for six years before moving to Princeton. He currently resides in New York.