Donny McCaslin’s Fast Future

When Donny McCaslin took Michael Brecker’s slot in the superstar group Steps Ahead, he was stepping into some mighty big shoes. At 25, he’d already opened some eyes touring with Gary Burton and then Eddie Gomez, but the question in the air was: Is this guy really going to change the future of the jazz tenor sax? The answer’s a resounding “Yeah!” both from his delighted fans and dazzled students. A Santa Cruz boy, weaned on the apocalyptic horns of Tower of Power, Donny absorbs everything, including the popular and the esoteric. So he’s happy soloing with Maria Schneider (with whom he got a “Best Jazz Instrumental Solo” Grammy nomination) or pushing envelopes with Dave Douglas. And his gargantuan tenor tone is as breathtaking on blistering up-tempo grooves as on the most passionate ballads, and even more so on his ground-breaking compositions.