Venture Bound: Donny McCaslin's Quartet Sets Out
A tight, forward-leaning quartet record from a saxophonist who knows exactly where he wants to go.
Venture Bound arrived in 2014, a few years before McCaslin would become known to a wider audience through his work on David Bowie's final album. Here he leads a working band of Chris Lightcap on bass, Alon Nechushtan on piano, and Adam Cruz on drums, with guests Duane Eubanks on trumpet, John Ellis on an additional instrument, and Rogério Boccato on percussion. The session is built around a settled group sound rather than a showcase for one player, and that shows in how the pieces are laid out.
McCaslin's tenor is the center of gravity, but he plays with restraint, leaving room for Nechushtan's piano and for the rhythm section to push and pull. The tracks move between open, bright grooves and more contemplative passages, and the band handles both without strain. Eubanks and Boccato add color where the arrangements call for it, though the record remains mostly a quartet conversation.
This is not the place to start with McCaslin, but it is a solid window into the band he was working with before his profile grew. Fans of modern, straight-ahead saxophone quartet playing will find it rewarding. Listeners looking for the most distinctive or celebrated statement in his catalog would do better elsewhere in his discography.
Who's playing
Chris Lightcapbass
Alon Nechushtanpiano
Donny McCaslintenor saxophone
Duane Eubanksguest, trumpet
Adam Cruzdrums
Rogério Boccatoguest, percussion
John Ellisinstrument
Brahim Brigbaneguest, oud
