2003 · Album
The Way Through
Recorded 2003 · Criss Cross Jazz · Produced by Gerry Teekens
Open Horns, Restless Rhythm, Wide Space
McCaslin builds conversations between saxophones, flute, and clarinet over bass and drums that never settle.
The first thing you hear is air—horns moving around each other without bumping, Donny McCaslin's tenor and David Binney's alto trading space while Anders Bostrom slips in on flute, bright and curious. Douglas Yates on clarinet adds a woody, almost conversational layer underneath. Scott Colley on bass walks but never locks in too tight, and Adam Cruz on percussion is restless, poking at the pulse more than anchoring it. The whole thing feels like musicians thinking out loud, which is exactly what this album is. Recorded in 2003, The Way Through sits in McCaslin's early catalogue as a bandleader—it's not his debut, but it shows a player confident enough to let his ensemble breathe instead of lead from the front. The writing here avoids heads-and-solos convention. Instead, McCaslin builds pieces around textural conversations: horns moving in and out, rhythms that shift underneath without warning, plenty of space that lets each voice matter. It's more like watching six people negotiate territory than hearing a front man state his case. The album lands somewhere between post-bop rigor and chamber jazz looseness—players are clearly schooled in tradition, but they're not interested in proving it. If you want to hear what McCaslin sounds like when he's not driving the narrative, this is the record. It's solid, it's thinking, and it never feels rushed.
Who's playing
Scott Colleybass
David Binneyalto saxophone
Donny McCaslinsaxophone
Anders Bostromflute
Adam Cruzpercussion
Douglas Yatesclarinet
