Shades of Bowie, composed for the man behind Blackstar

Interview by Alain Brunet
Genres and styles : chamber jazz / Contemporary Jazz

Additional Information

The Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal (ONJ) and the ODD SOUND Festival welcome saxophonist and composer Donny McCaslin, under the direction of Montreal conductor, composer and saxophonist Philippe Côté.

This is in fact the opening concert of the ODDSOUND organization’s festival, whose star piece is Shades of Bowie, a piece by Philippe Côté inspired by the music of David Bowie, composed for Donny McCaslin and the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal. The American saxophonist and composer, a Montreal regular since the late ’80s, was musical director for the recording of the extraordinary Blackstar album, David Bowie’s final offering.

Philippe Côté has known Donny McCaslin since a long stay in New York some fifteen years ago. McCaslin befriended saxophonist and composer David Binney, with whom he produced the album Lungta, released in concert in 2016 with the ONJ. The rock spirit and electro openness that Donny McCaslin’s music led Bowie to recruit him to the musical direction has taken for several years, and from the pivotal role McCaslin played in Bowie’s masterful final opus Blackstar, Philippe Côté wanted to pay tribute to Bowie as well as his influence on McCaslin’s career by interlacing his music with subtle Bowian evocations.

For the guest soloist, Shades of Bowie is an opportunity to improvise to his heart’s content on an orchestral fresco noticeably reinforced by percussion.

Opening the evening, McGill University’s Jazz Orchestra 1 will present a repertoire including Two fifteen, a piece by Philippe Côté inspired by Lee Tsang’s poem of the same title about residential schools.

So many reasons to interview the soloist and his composer by video, before the concert takes place on Wednesday April 10, an ONJ program in Place des Arts’ 5e salle.

PROGRAM

ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MONTRÉAL

Ariste invité | Donny McCaslin

Chef d’orchestre | Philippe Côté

Saxophones

Jean-Pierre Zanella, Samuel Blais, André Leroux, Frank Lozano, Alexandre Coté

Trombones

Dave Grott, Margaret Donovan, Taylor Donaldson, Jean-Sébastien Vachon

Trompettes

Jocelyn Couture, Aron Doyle, David Carbonneau, Bill Mahar

Piano | Marianne Trudel

Guitare | Steve Raegele

Contrebasse | Rémi-Jean LeBlanc

Batterie | Kevin Warren

Percussions | Fabrice Marandola, Joao Catalao

crédit photo: Dave Stapleton

INFOS ET BILLETS ICI

Latest 360 Content

Festival de Lanaudière | Leonardo Garcia Alarcon/Monteverdi’s Coronation of Popea: being marketwise

Festival de Lanaudière | Leonardo Garcia Alarcon/Monteverdi’s Coronation of Popea: being marketwise

Cumbia, Chaos, and Resistance: Empanadas Illegales Bring the Heat to Montreal Jazz Fest

Cumbia, Chaos, and Resistance: Empanadas Illegales Bring the Heat to Montreal Jazz Fest

FIJM | Meggie Lennon and The Desire Days Story

FIJM | Meggie Lennon and The Desire Days Story

FIJM | Brandon Woody’s Upendo: Baltimore Represents !

FIJM | Brandon Woody’s Upendo: Baltimore Represents !

ALICE on Her X

ALICE on Her X

Festival de Lanaudière | Renaud Loranger Explains The Program

Festival de Lanaudière | Renaud Loranger Explains The Program

FIJM | Kojo Melché Roney, Born to Drum

FIJM | Kojo Melché Roney, Born to Drum

FIJM | It’s About Time to Ackowledge Peter Evans Fabulous Playing

FIJM | It’s About Time to Ackowledge Peter Evans Fabulous Playing

FIJM | Yasmin Williams: Reinventing The Guitar!

FIJM | Yasmin Williams: Reinventing The Guitar!

Domaine Forget | A Summer of Discovery

Domaine Forget | A Summer of Discovery

Queenie | An Artist to Look Out For

Queenie | An Artist to Look Out For

Jazz at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal explained by Modibo Keita

Jazz at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal explained by Modibo Keita

FIJM 2025 | Programming Explained by Modibo Keita (part 2)

FIJM 2025 | Programming Explained by Modibo Keita (part 2)

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | What’s On July 2-27 at Salle Claude-Champagne?

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | What’s On July 2-27 at Salle Claude-Champagne?

Piknik Elektronic | Nadim Maghzal, Laylit Co-Founder : MTL Middle East Arabic Electronic Refinement, Pleasure, Fun!

Piknik Elektronic | Nadim Maghzal, Laylit Co-Founder : MTL Middle East Arabic Electronic Refinement, Pleasure, Fun!

Orford Musique | A Common Thread: Beethoven

Orford Musique | A Common Thread: Beethoven

My musical garage: interview with Ziya Tabassian for the 11th edition of Garage Concerts

My musical garage: interview with Ziya Tabassian for the 11th edition of Garage Concerts

Francos | Ponteix: The Wandering Karkwadian?

Francos | Ponteix: The Wandering Karkwadian?

Satosphère / Francos | Jacques Hurtubise Immersive, Visual and Sonic with Hippie Hourrah

Satosphère / Francos | Jacques Hurtubise Immersive, Visual and Sonic with Hippie Hourrah

Suoni / Le Vivier | Guérison by Joane Hétu, When Drama Becomes Music

Suoni / Le Vivier | Guérison by Joane Hétu, When Drama Becomes Music

Francos | Ariane Roy, Solo Pressure, The Work of a Good Student, Homemade Yogurt

Francos | Ariane Roy, Solo Pressure, The Work of a Good Student, Homemade Yogurt

Montréal Baroque Festival 2025: Earth is calling on all music-lovers

Montréal Baroque Festival 2025: Earth is calling on all music-lovers

Francos | (Re)discover Connaisseur Ticaso, Free Thinker From The Streets

Francos | (Re)discover Connaisseur Ticaso, Free Thinker From The Streets

Subscribe to our newsletter