Earl MacDonald (born July 26, 1970)[ "Earl MacDonald - Musician Profile", All About Jazz. Retrieved 4 April 2015.] is a Canadian pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, recording artist, and educator specializing in jazz. Described as "a magical, musical alchemist of hip hybrids",[McNally, Owen. "UConn Jazz Prof Earl MacDonald Celebrates New Release at Jorgensen", The Hartford Courant, Hartford, 7 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.] MacDonald's compositional work frequently draws upon other musical styles, fusing them with jazz.[Chandler, Maxwell. "Earl MacDonald; Mirror of the Mind", Our Man On The Coast, 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.] The Winnipeg native has been employed as director of jazz studies at the University of Connecticut since the fall of 2000.
Early years
MacDonald was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
[, Canadian Jazz Archive Online.] His father, Keith MacDonald, was a bagpiper who authored "The Church Piper" book series.
[MacDonald, Keith E. (2004). The Church Piper, Volume 6: "Wedding Music", page iv, Special Acknowledgements. Church Piper Publications. .] MacDonald has one sibling, Janine Mackie, a previous journalist and now real estate professional in South Surrey, British Columbia.
MacDonald began taking music lessons at age five, starting on electronic organ. As a teenager he earned money playing the organ for Winnipeg Jets hockey games (1985-1988).[Taylor, Scott (2007). The Winnipeg Jets: A Celebration of Professional Hockey in Winnipeg, p. 157. Studio Publications Inc. .] He attended Silver Heights Collegiate Institute, where his high school stage band was nationally recognized, winning "Most Outstanding" and Gold awards at the 1988 MusicFest Canada competition.[Dempsey, Gaylene K. (June 8, 1988). High schools' music reaps gold in Calgary, p. 5. The Metro One, Winnipeg, Manitoba.][MacDonald, Earl. "Three Generations, 88 Keys", Ever Up And Onward, Mansfield, CT, 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.] Also during high school, MacDonald began taking classical piano lessons with Darrel Loewen and Shirley Kwok at the Manitoba Conservatory for Music and Arts. He studied music theory with Francis Sanderson.
Education and musical training
MacDonald earned a bachelor of music degree in 1992 from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he majored in
jazz performance.
His jazz piano teachers included Fred Henke, Luc Beaugrand and André White.
[McCaslin, Jon. "Earl MacDonald, Mirror of the Mind", Four on the Floor, Calgary, Alberta, 20 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.] He studied arranging with Christopher Smith, composition with Jan Jarczyk,
[MacDonald, Earl. "Jan Jarczyk Tribute", Ever up and Onward, Mansfield Center, CT, 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.] and improvisation with trumpeter Kevin Dean.
MacDonald's graduate studies spanned 1993 to 1995 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.[Corroto, Mark. ] who recorded MacDonald's composition, "Wanton Spirit" while he was still a graduate student.[Bloom, Lee. "Kenny Barron - Wanton Spirit", AllMusic, 1995.] The song was released as the title track of Barron's Grammy-nominated CD with Roy Haynes and Charlie Haden.[ "The BNY Mellon Jazz 2008 Living Legacy Award Winner" , Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.] At Rutgers, MacDonald studied arranging with Michael Philip Mossman and played in ensembles under the direction of Ralph Bowen.
MacDonald has participated in the BMI Jazz Composers' Workshop under the direction of Jim McNeely, Mike Abene and Mike Holober.[ "Faculty Activities and Achievements", UCONN Advance, Storrs, CT, 12 October 2004] He also attended the Summer Jazz Workshop in Banff, Canada in 2001, and has audited conducting courses at UConn with Dr. Jeffrey Renshaw.[MacDonald, Earl. "Resumé" , www.earlmacdonald.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.]
Maynard Ferguson and Big Bop Nouveau
MacDonald joined Maynard Ferguson's touring band in 1998, following a one-year teaching appointment at Bowling Green State University.
[ "BGSU Music Faculty, 1914-2014", Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 2014.] He worked with Ferguson for two years, performing across North America,
Europe and Asia. One studio album was recorded during MacDonald's tenure with Ferguson: "Big City Rhythms", a collaboration with singer Michael Feinstein.
[Widran, Jonathan. "Michael Feinstein, Big City Rhythms", AllMusic, 12 October 1999.] Video recordings of several concerts have been publicly released, including MacDonald's second performance with the band, which was released on DVD as "Maynard Ferguson - Live from the King Cat Theatre" (in Seattle, WA).
[ "Maynard Ferguson – Live from the King Cat Theater – DVD", JazzBooks.com.]
MacDonald's bandmates with Ferguson included:
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trumpeters Carl Fischer, Scott Englebright, Adolfo Acosta, Michael Bogart, Brian Ploeger, Thomas Marriott, Frank Abrahamson & Pete Ferguson
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trombonists Rodney Lancaster, Mike Bravin, Kelsley Grant & Reggie Watkins
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saxophonists Mike Dubaniewicz, Jeff Rupert, Mike MacArthur, Kelly Jefferson & Jim Brenan
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bassists Paul Thompson, Nathan Peck & Brian Stahurski
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drummers Dave Throckmorton & Brian Wolfe
In 1999, upon the departure of bassist Paul Thompson, Ferguson appointed MacDonald musical director of Big Bop Nouveau. As musical director, MacDonald rehearsed the ensemble, selected performance repertoire, made personnel recommendations and wrote musical arrangements.
In the lineage of Ferguson's pianists, MacDonald succeeded Ron Oswanski. Following MacDonald's departure in 2000, Ferguson hired Bryn Roberts and later Will Bonness, both of whom were MacDonald's former students from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[MacDonald, Earl. "Earl's Former Students" , www.earlmacdonald.com.]
Teaching
At the post-secondary level MacDonald has taught at:
At UConn he teaches courses on improvisation and arranging, while also directing student ensembles and administering the jazz program. He was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in 2005. MacDonald frequently participates as a clinician, guest conductor and teacher at summer camps. In recent years he has taught at the Kincardine Summer Music Festival,[ "Earl MacDonald - Piano, Composer" , Kincardine Summer Music Festival, Kincardine, ON, 2014.] Jazz In July at UMASS Amherst[ Faculty Biographies" , Jazz In July, Amherst, MA, 27, 2015.] and Marshall University's "Jazz-MU-Tazz" camp in West Virginia.
Awards, nominations and recognition
Professional
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2003: Sammy Nestico Award, for outstanding big band arrangement, sponsored by the USAF
[ "Sammy Nestico Award For a New Jazz Composition", The United States Air Force Band]
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2003: Artist Fellowship, Connecticut Commission on the Arts
[ "Faculty Activities & Achievements", UCONN Advance, Storrs, CT, 10 February 2003.]
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2004: Best Jazz Group, Hartford Advocate's Reader's Poll
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2003: Parent's Choice Award for "Treblemakers Jazz It Up" CD.
[ "Parents' Choice Awards - Treblemakers Jazz It Up" , Parents' Choice Awards, 2005.]
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2007: Finalist, Charlie Parker/BMI Jazz Composition Award
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2008: Finalist, ArtEZ Jazz Composition Contest, the Netherlands
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2009: Artist Fellowship, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism
[, Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, Hartford, 2009.]
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2011: JUNO award nomination for Traditional Jazz Album of the Year
[ "Manitobans flavour Juno nominations", CBC News, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1 February 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.]
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2011: 10th Annual Independent Music Awards, winner, jazz song category
[ "10th Annual Independent Music Awards Winners Announced!", Independent Music Awards, 29 March 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.]
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2011: Best Jazz Group, Hartford Advocate readers' poll (New Directions Ensemble)
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2011: Finalist, ArtEZ Jazz Composition Contest, the Netherlands
[MacDonald, Earl. "ArtEZ Jazz Composition Competition", Ever up and Onward, Mansfield, CT, 14 June 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2011.]
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2014: JUNO award nomination for Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year
[ "Manitoba Artists Ready to Shine at 2014 JUNO Awards", Manitoba Music, Winnipeg, 4 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.]
Academic
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2003: AAUP Excellence Award for Teaching Promise
["2003 AAUP Excellence Awards For Teaching, Research and Service", AAUP, The University of Connecticut Chapter - Bulletin, Storrs, CT, 1 April 2003.]
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2004: New Scholar Award, School of Fine Arts, University of Connecticut
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2006: AAUP Excellence Award for Teaching Innovation
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2011: UConn School of Fine Arts Special Achievement Award
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2013: UConn School of Fine Arts Outstanding Faculty Award
[ "Earl MacDonald, Associate Professor & Director of Jazz Studies" , "University of Connecticut, Dept. of Music", Storrs, CT, 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.]
Musical ensembles
Jazz Orchestra (Big Band)
MacDonald has released two albums of his compositions and arrangements for 17-piece
jazz orchestra (big band): "UConn Jazz" (2002) and "Re:Visions - Works for Jazz Orchestra" (2010).
[Obuchowski, Chuck. "Jazz Composer Earl MacDonald 'Re:Envisions' His Career's Work", Hartford Courant, Hartford, 4 May 2010.] The latter received a Juno Award nomination for traditional jazz album of the year in 2011.
[McCabe, Daniel. "A Juno Jubilee" , McGill News, Montreal, 10 April 2015.] Reviewer, Dan Bilawsky asserted, "Re:Visions goes beyond where most big bands go and the music here establishes Earl MacDonald as a major force in the world of jazz composition."
[Bilawsky, Bill. "Earl MacDonald: Re: Visions (2010)", All About Jazz, 17 April 2010.]
MacDonald's big band arrangements are published through eJazz Lines.[ "Earl MacDonald arrangements", eJazz Lines, New York.]
C.O.W. (Creative Opportunity Workshop)
In 2013 MacDonald released an album with the unorthodox instrumentation of cello, saxophone, percussion and piano. MacDonald said, "This band, the Creative Opportunity Workshop, was formed to serve as a personal playground for experimentation and fusions." The CD, "Mirror of the Mind" received a JUNO award nomination for contemporary jazz album of the year
[ "2014 Nominees and Winners" , Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 2014.] and a garnered many favorable reviews.
[ "Mirror of the Mind - Reviews" , www.earlmacdonald.com.][Kremsky, Stuart. "Earl MacDonald and the Creative Opportunity Workshop", Cadence Magazine, October 2014.][Howison, Jamie. "New Music from Earl MacDonald" , God's Mind in that Music, Winnipeg, 25 March 2014.][Chandler, Maxwell. "Earl MacDonald; Mirror of the Mind", Our Man on the Coast, 14 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2015.][Yanow, Scott. "Earl MacDonald - Mirror of the Mind", L.A. Jazz Scene, Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 2014.][Harris, George W.. "Sounds Melding Together... Earl MacDonald & the Creative Opportunity Workshop: Mirror of the Mind", Jazz Weekly, 2 January 2014.][Wilkins, Woodrow. "Mirror of the Mind", The Jazz Writer, 1 January 2014.][Giroux, Pierre. "Earl MacDonald and The Creative Opportunity Workshop – Mirror Of The Mind – Death Defying Records; A Musical Outing That Is Hard to Define." , Audiophile Audition, 9 December 2013.][Lindsay, Bruce. "Earl MacDonald and The Creative Opportunity Workshop: Mirror Of The Mind (2013)", All About Jazz, London, 15 November 2013.][Williams, H. Allen. "Earl MacDonald - Mirror of the Mind" , JazzTimes, 15 October 2013.][Blanco, Edward. "Earl MacDonald and The Creative Opportunity Workshop: Mirror Of The Mind (2013)", All About Jazz, 13 October 2013.]
New Directions Ensemble
MacDonald currently serves as Musical Director and Composer-In-Residence for the Hartford Jazz Society's New Directions Ensemble. The group's instrumentation consists of 2 trumpets, 1 trombone, 1 French horn, 3 saxophones (1 alto, 1 tenor, 1 bari), piano, bass and drums.
[MacDonald, Earl. "New Directions Ensemble" , www.earlmacdonald.com.] Owen McNally of the
Hartford Courant described the band and outlined its mission, stating "the fresh-sounding New Directions Ensemble taps into the rich lode of area talent, provides a vital forum for original compositions, spreads the good word about contemporary band music in its educational role, and provides a prominent public face for its sponsor, the Hartford Jazz Society. The New Directions Ensemble is set to swing in its own fresh way, generating contemporary band music that lives in the present, independent, cliché-free and untethered to conventional big band nostalgia."
[McNally, Owen. ]
Discography
Albums as leader
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| Schroeder's Tantrum | | 1997 | | Radioland[Miller, Mark. "Schroeder's Tantrum - Earl MacDonald", The Globe and Mail, Toronto, 22 January 1998.] |
| UConn Jazz | | 2002 | | SeaBreeze Vista |
| The Earl MacDonald 6 | | 2005 | | SeaBreeze[Kopman, Budd. ][Lewis, Paul. ] |
| re:Visions | | 2010 | | Death Defying Records[Gish, Bob. "Earl MacDonald - Re:Visions" , Jazz Inside, 10 May 2010.][Blanco, Edward. "Earl MacDonald: Re:Visions (2010)", All About Jazz, 2 May 2010.]
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| Mirror of the Mind | | 2013 | | Death Defying Records
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Recorded collaborations
Personal life
Currently, MacDonald lives in Mansfield, CT with his wife, Jana (née Smith). The couple were married in 2003 in South Windsor, CT. Together they have two young children.
[MacDonald, Jana. "About Me", The Potter's Hand, Mansfield, CT, 2014.]
External links
