Tenor saxophone giant Donny McCaslin was nominated for a Grammy for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for his playing on “Stadium Jazz” from his 2012 release Casting for Gravity. It was his first outing with keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Tim Lefebvre, and drummer Mark Guiliana, the band that rocketed to fame backing David Bowie on his final album, Blackstar, in early 2016. McCaslin has stayed the course with this incendiary lineup, putting out Fast Future and Beyond Now, and featuring the group on roughly half of Blow. from 2018. All these titles (except Blackstar) were produced by altoist, fellow California native, and longtime musical comrade David Binney. I Want More, McCaslin’s first for the Edition label, shakes things up with Dave Fridmann—who’s worked with The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, and many more—in the production and mixing chair, and Pete Min engineering at his Los Angeles studio and creative haven Lucy’s Meat Market. It’s not a clean break from previous efforts: This band has a hard-won sonic and improvisational identity that comes through in the catchy melodic concept of “Fly My Space Ship,” the hyper-speed intensity of “Body Blow,” and the stutter-step electro beat of “Turbo.” Lindner’s expansive synth and Wurlitzer tones, Lefebvre’s heavy dub-influenced electric bass and effects, Guiliana’s mastery of supple yet laser-precise groove, and McCaslin’s surging tenor make I Want More exactly the right title.
- 2009
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